Great Southern Landscapes with Rachel Griffiths New Series for ABC TV

The stunning new ABC art series Great Southern Landscapes has been commissioned by ABC and Screen Australia.

Rachel Griffiths has teamed up with Mint Pictures to present this new 6x30mins ABC prime-time series, following the huge success of last year’s Finding the Archibald.

In this engaging combination of art, social history, and travel, Rachel trades great Australian pictures for iconic landscapes. She packs her boots and backpack and sets out across Australia’s states and territories in search of the exact spot where some of our most famous artists set up their easel to capture their interpretations of our iconic landscapes, as we investigate not only how much our landscapes have changed but also how we see them. Along the way, she encounters people from all walks of life who will assist her in uncovering the works’ hidden secrets as well as the untold personal, social, and cultural stories that lie behind them.

Series presenter Rachel Griffiths, who is also an executive producer of the show, said:

“I’ll be taking ABC’s viewers on a fun, factual, at times surprising and very visual adventure from our beaches to our rivers, across our plains and lakes, up our mountains and down our valleys looking for the very spot where some of our most iconic paintings were made.

“How many times have we feasted our eyes on a Nolan or an Olsen, marvelled at a Namatjira or been awed by a Clarice Beckett? But rarely, if ever, have we actually set foot on the spot where the artist stood. Rarely have we gazed at the very vista they were inspired by. That’s what’s so exciting about my mission in this series.”

Jennifer Collins, ABC Head of Factual and Culture said:

“Finding the Archibald” was one of the ABC’s most successful series of 2021, and to have Rachel Griffiths return this year with her idea for Great Southern Landscapes is thrilling. ABC is the home for quality Arts programming and to have an offering like this in the heart of the schedule, in prime-time, is so exciting.”

Alex West, Head of Documentary, Screen Australia said:

“It’s fantastic to see Rachel Griffiths, director Ariel White, and producer Dan Goldberg once again teaming up following the success of Finding the Archibald, this time with director Daniel King, to bring Great Southern Landscapes to life. As the name suggests, audiences should prepare themselves for a visually stunning documentary that promises to be absorbing regardless of whether you’re an art fanatic or not. Screen Australia is proud to continue to support documentaries filled with such passion and ambition.”

Production credit: A Mint Pictures production in association with Magdalene Media. Principal production investment from Screen Australia and the ABC. Series Directors Ariel White and Daniel King. Series Producer Dan Goldberg.  Executive Producers Adam Kay, Rachel Griffiths & Ariel White.  ABC Commissioning Editor Julia Hanna. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.

ABC Commercial holds worldwide distribution rights.

Great Southern Landscapes will come to ABC TV and ABC iview later in 2022.