Stateless is an Australian television drama series launched on ABC on 1 March 2020.[2] The six episodes were released on Netflix on 8 July 2020.[3]
| Stateless | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | |
| Composer | Cornel Wilczek[1] |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Editors | Mark Atkin Martin Connor |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 1 March 2020 |
The series is partly inspired by the real-life story of Cornelia Rau, an Australian who was unlawfully detained under the Australian Government's mandatory detention program.[4]
Synopsis
The series centres on four strangers in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert: an airline hostess escaping a suburban cult, an Afghan refugee fleeing persecution, a young Australian father escaping a dead-end job and a bureaucrat caught up in a national scandal. When their lives intersect they are pushed to the brink of sanity, yet unlikely and profound emotional connections are made amongst the group.[5]
After the sixth and final episode, the epilogue states the program was based upon true stories about Australian immigration detention.
Cast
- Yvonne Strahovski as Sofie Werner, a German-Australian flight attendant, based on Cornelia Rau
- Marta Dusseldorp as Margot, Sofie’s older sister
- Asher Keddie as Claire Kowitz
- Fayssal Bazzi as Ahmad Ameer, a refugee from Afghanistan
- Soraya Heidari as Mina, Ameer’s eldest daughter
- Jai Courtney as Off. Cam Sandford, a
new officer at Barton Immigration Detention Centre
- Maria Angelico as Angie Sandford, Cam’s wife
- Kate Box as Janice, Angie’s sister who is against the Australian immigration policy
- Dominic West as Gordon Masters, co-founder of GOPA, based on Ken Dyers of Kenja Communication
- Cate Blanchett as Pat Masters, co-founder of GOPA, based on Jan Dyers of Kenja Communication
- Rachel House as Off. Harriet Tawake, a cruel officer at Barton Immigration Detention Centre
- Darren Gilshenan as Brian Ashworth
- Clarence Ryan as Off. Sully, a close friend of Cam’s and a fellow officer at Barton Immigration Detention Centre
- Rose Riley as Off. Sharee, a young officer at Barton Immigration Detention Centre
- Dan Spielman as David Meakin, a journalist reporting on the Australian illigration policy
- Sarah Peirse as Genevieve
- Phoenix Raei as Javad Shahrokh, one of the refugees at Barton
- Claude Jabbour as Farid, a refugee who befriends Ameer
- Helana Sawires as Rosna, one of the refugees at Barton
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [6] | Australia viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Circumstances in Which They Come" | Emma Freeman | Elise McCredie | 1 March 2020 | 441,000[7]
|
| 2 | "Incognita" | Emma Freeman | Elise McCredie | 8 March 2020 | 363,000[8] |
| 3 | "The Right Thing" | Emma Freeman | Belinda Chayko | 15 March 2020 | 390,000[9] |
| 4 | "Run Sofie Run" | Jocelyn Moorhouse | Elise McCredie | 22 March 2020 | 430,000[10] |
| 5 | "Panis Angelicus" | Jocelyn Moorhouse | Belinda Chayko | 29 March 2020 | 409,000[11] |
| 6 | "The Seventh Circle" | Jocelyn Moorhouse | Elise McCredie | 5 April 2020 | 469,000[12] |
Release
Stateless had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, in the new Series section, along with Mystery Road Series 2.[13][14] The Australian television channel ABC premiered the series in Australia soon afterwards. Netflix will release the series globally.[15][16]
The script for Episode 6 by Elise McCredie was shortlisted for the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting at the 2021 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.[17]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA Awards) | Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series | Cate Blanchett, Elise McCredie, Tony Ayres, Sheila Jayadev, Paul Ranford, Liz Watts, Andrew Upton | Won | [18] |
| Best Screenplay in Television | Elise McCredie (for "The Circumstances in Which They Come") | Won | |||
| Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Fayssal Bazzi | Won | |||
| Jai Courtney | Nominated | ||||
| Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Yvonne Strahovski | Won | |||
| Asher Keddie | Nominated | ||||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Darren Gilshenan | Won | |||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Cate Blanchett | Won | |||
| Best Direction in Television | Emma Freeman | Won | |||
| Jocelyn Moorehouse | Nominated | ||||
| Best Cinematography in Television | Bonnie Elliot (for "The Circumstances in Which They Come") | Won | |||
| Best Editing in Television | Mark Atkin (for "The Circumstances in Which They Come") | Won | |||
| Martin Connor (for "The Seventh") | Nominated | ||||
| Best Sound in Television | Tom Heuzenroeder, Pete Smith, Michael Darren, Des Kenneally (for "The Circumstances in Which They Come") | Won | |||
| Best Original Music Score in Television | Cornel Wilczek (for "The Seventh") | Won | |||
| Best Production Design in Television | Melinda Doring (for "The Circumstances in Which They Come") | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design in Television | Mariot Kerr (for "The Circumstances in Which They Come") | Won |
References
- ^ "Stateless - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (16 January 2020). "Airdate: Stateless". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Stateless". Radiotimes. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Keane, Daniel (1 March 2020). "Cornelia Rau, Australia's immigration wars and the true story behind TV drama Stateless". ABC News. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (15 May 2019). "All-star cast for ABC drama Stateless". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Stateless – Listings". Next Episode. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (2 March 2020). "Sunday 1 March 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (9 March 2020). "Sunday 8 March 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (16 March 2020). "Sunday 15 March 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (23 March 2020). "Sunday 22 March 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (30 March 2020). "Sunday 29 March 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (6 April 2020). "Sunday 5 April 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ Zhou, Debbie (27 February 2020). "'People are starting to wake up': Berlin film festival spotlights Australia's 'unfinished business'". the Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "World premieres for Stateless and Mystery Road at Berlin International Film Festival". ABC. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (25 February 2020). "Netflix Swoops In for Global Rights to Cate Blanchett Refugee Drama 'Stateless' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ Kanter, Jake (25 February 2020). "'Stateless': Cate Blanchett Reveals Why TV Is The Perfect Medium For Her Netflix-Acquired Refugee Drama". Deadline. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2021 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Aacta awards 2020: Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and Ned Kelly gang vie for honours". the Guardian. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.