Cleverman

Cleverman
Genre Drama
Written by
  • Michael Miller
  • Jon Bell
  • Jane Allen
Directed by
Starring
Country of origin
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Sally Riley
  • Kylie du Fresne
  • Ben Grant
  • Martin Baynton
  • Adam Fratto
  • Jan David Frouman
  • Amelie Kienlin
Camera setup Single-camera
Production company(s)
Release
Original network
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Original release 2016

Cleverman is an upcoming American-Australian-New Zealand television drama series based on an original concept by Ryan Griffen. The series will air on ABC in Australia and SundanceTV in the United States in 2016.[1]

The six-part drama series reflects on racism, asylum seekers and border protection.[2] Its central story revolves around two estranged indigenous brothers who are forced together to fight for their own survival. Otherworldly dreamtime creatures also emerge into this real world dystopian landscape.[3]

Synopsis

In the very near future, creatures from ancient mythology must live among humans and battle for survival in a world that wants to silence, exploit and destroy them.[4] Known as Hairypeople for the matted hair covering their bodies, they have extraordinary strength, speed and longevity but are cast as social misfits and seek refuge in The Zone: a fragile community that finds strength in the brotherhood between Hairy and human. Increasingly, Hairypeople must live amongst humans and battle for survival in a world that wants to silence, exploit and destroy them.

When a series of violent, unexplained murders terrifies the city, blame for the bloodshed is pointed firmly in the direction of the Hairies. Raids mandated by the Containment Authority – a government-funded body established to capture runaway Hairypeople - threaten the already tenuous peace within The Zone. But other mythical creatures exist in this world, terrifying creatures like the Namorrodor that can rip a person’s heart out.

At the heart of the story are two estranged brothers, Koen and Waruu West, who are forced together to fight against terrifying enemies - both human and not of this world.

The brothers know that there is one chosen being – the Cleverman – who has the power to bring these two worlds back together and sees exactly what evil truly lies behind the attacks. The Cleverman is a man bestowed with a powerful gift and his destiny is to learn to harness his power before everything around him crumbles.

What is a Cleverman?

A Cleverman is an important part of Australian Aboriginal culture. They are often a man of power within the clan. They are the conduit between The Dreaming and this world. There are many types of Cleverman, and each Aboriginal country's Cleverman plays a different role.

These men inspire our Cleverman.

The Hairypeople

The Hairypeople or 'Hairies' are designed by Jacob (Jake) Nash, production designer for Australia’s leading Aboriginal Dance company Bangarra. Jake, alongside the acclaimed Weta Workshop (The Lord of The Rings, Avatar, Godzilla, Elysium, District 9) brought these creatures to life.

The Hairies we encounter in Cleverman are inspired by creatures from stories handed down by Aboriginal Australians over the last 60,000 years.

In the world of Cleverman, the Hairies live for more than 200 years, and have strength, health and metaphysical awareness. Old age and wisdom are honoured, and their journey toward death is spiritually awakening. They are physically and spiritually of the earth.

They share some things with the Aboriginal community – a knowledge of land, culture and the Dreaming. At the same time, they are a different species from humans – they don’t share the same DNA.

The Hairy community has as much diversity as any other. There are ‘shavers’ (those who learn English and choose to remove their hair in order to blend in with society), and ‘non-shavers’ (those who defiantly live their lives as they always have - covered in a coat of hair and speaking their traditional languages).

The Hairypeople in Cleverman are inspired by the stories of the Gamilaraay and Bundjalung people of Northern NSW, Australia. In the series, they speak Gumbaynggirr, another language from northern NSW.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ Bibel, Sara (September 3, 2015). "Sundance TV Greenlights 6 Episodes of New Genre Drama 'Cleverman'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ Annabel Brady-Brown. "Seven Things You’ll Be Talking About This Year, From The Berlin International Film Festival". Junkee.
  3. ↑ Nancy Tartaglione. "Iain Glen Stars In ‘Cleverman’, Drama Series for ‘Sapphires’ Helmer Wayne Blair - Deadline". Deadline.
  4. ↑ The Guardian. "New Australian sci-fi series Cleverman premieres at Berlin film festival – video". The Guardian.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.