Amazon Prime Video is accelerating its investment in Australia, greenlighting seven new local Originals.
The company has also announced the global acquisition of Nine Perfect Strangers, starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, outside of the US and China.
At its Prime Video Presents Australia 2021 showcase event in Sydney today, the company said it had invested $150 million in local productions which resulted in more than 2,500 jobs across Australia since 2019, totalling 14 Amazon Original series so far.
To add to this, Amazon Prime Video is adding seven new shows including Burning, Class of ‘07, Head Above Water and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
“We know that viewers in Australia want to see new, fresh, unique and authentic stories that they can connect with, and we’re committed to producing diverse Australian programming for Prime members globally,” says Prime Video Australia head of content Tyler Bern.
“Australians are incredible storytellers and we are delighted to be working with some of the best filmmakers, writers, directors, producers and actors in the world.
“We have something for everyone from captivating sports documentaries, to hilarious comedy shows and world-class scripted originals. Amazon Prime Video is constantly on the lookout for new talent and ideas that showcase the best of Australia and we’re so excited to be announcing these incredibly varied seven new Australian Amazon Originals as evidence of our commitment to a diverse slate.”
Burning is the first Amazon Australian Original feature-length documentary made in Australia. The film from executive producers Cate Blanchett and Eva Orner looks at the Australian bushfires of 2019-2020.
Head Above Water is an Amazon Original four-part docuseries that follows Australian swimmers Ian Thorpe, Bronte Campbell, Kyle Chalmers and former-junior-champion-turned-international-musician Cody Simpson.
Nine Perfect Strangers will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in countries outside of the US and China later this year. The eight-part series, based on The New York Times bestselling book by Australian author Liane Moriarty, is produced by the teams behind Big Little Lies and The Undoing. It was filmed in Australia last year and looks at nine city dwellers at a health-and-wellness resort.
Prime Video also revealed September 17 as the release date for Back to the Rafters.
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