6-Part Series “The Tailings” Premieres in April

A mystery that transports viewers to a remote town nestled amidst the west coast Tasmanian mountains, The Tailings explores the experience of two women confronting the paradoxical layers of grief.

The six-episode digital drama series will premiere on SBS on Demand starting Friday 2 April.

The Tailings follows the events that take place after the death of teenage Jas’s father. The tight-knit community are quick to deem the death as an accident, prompting Jas to undertake her own investigation. This coincides with the arrival of her new schoolteacher Ruby, who comes carrying the burden of her own past trauma. The two slowly develop a mutual trust and as secrets are exposed, the truth becomes impossible to ignore.

Director Stevie Cruz-Martin said: “This is a story about women, made largely by women. There is a ferocity and a tenderness running through the core of The Tailings, which is set in lutruwita/Tasmania. It is raw, messy, and at times embarrassingly awkward.

“It was integral to me as a filmmaker to make sure we felt the layered energy of women both on and off screen.

I’m also incredibly proud that we were able to shoot such a rare, complex and beautiful story during a pandemic.”

SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: “The Tailings is a visually stunning celebration of the tenacity and pride of regional and remote communities. Equal parts compelling, chilling and entertaining, it showcases SBS’s commitment to providing a platform for distinctive stories that are under-represented on-screen with the added innovation of its bitesize digital format.”

The performances by emerging stars Tegan Stimson and Mabel Li are an intimate portrayal of the human experience with grief, guilt and loss from the diverse perspective of those living on the margins both socially and geographically.

The ensemble cast is led by Kris McQuade, playing Jas’s grandmother who is grappling with supporting her granddaughter while processing her own loss. She is joined by Victoria Haralabidou, Nic English, and an array of local Tasmanian talent including Shaun Martindale, Sara Cooper, John Xintavelonis, Harry Prior, Harry Radbone, Michael Earnshaw, Tai Nguyen, and Jane Hamilton Foster.

The series spotlights female perspectives, centred around the experiences of its female protagonists and helmed by an all-female lead creative team under the talented direction of Stevie Cruz-Martin, produced by Liz Doran, and written by first time scriptwriter and Tasmanian schoolteacher Caitlin Richardson.

For more information on Screen Australia and SBS’s Digital Originals initiative, click here.

The Tailings will be subtitled in five different languages including Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Hindi and Korean, dropping the same day on SBS On Demand.