Netflix announces first Australian Netflix Original Documentary will explore The Great Barrier Reef
In a continued investment in Queensland, Netflix has commissioned its first ever Australian Netflix Original documentary, which will stream worldwide and explore a part of the Great Barrier Reef too small to be seen by the human eye
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Australia’s first Netflix Original documentary will shine a spotlight on Queensland’s iconic destination, The Great Barrier Reef.
In a continued investment in Queensland, the global streaming giant has commissioned Microworlds: Reef to be screened on the platform around the world as its first ever Australian Netflix Original documentary.
The film, which is currently shooting at The Great Barrier Reef, uses sophisticated supermacro techniques specifically developed for the project to showcase, for the first time, a microworld of the reef’s tiniest creatures too small to be seen by the human eye.
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It is a co-production between Port Douglas company BioQuest Studios and Wild Pacific Media, whose founder Nick Robinson previously won an AACTA Award and was nominated for an Emmy for the cinematography on series Life on the Reef, which was also filmed at the Great Barrier Reef.
“Some of the smallest creatures on our planet play the greatest roles,” Robinson, who is directing the project, said.
“This film aims to take us into the most beautiful of micro worlds – a world as epic as the African plains and as alien as the frontiers of space. It’s a hugely ambitious project but a vital story to tell in the face of our changing planet.”
The documentary received major production investment from Screen Australia with Screen Queensland through their Finance Program and Far North Queensland Screen Production Strategic Plan to create opportunities in the region.
“The techniques that have been developed specifically for this project are groundbreaking and demonstrate the creativity and ingenuity of Australian filmmaking teams,” said Screen Australia’s Head of Documentary, Bernadine Lim.
“Microworlds: Reef will allow viewers to explore hidden worlds often too small to be seen by the human eye, and we are excited Netflix will bring this documentary to both Australian and international audiences.”
It comes amid Netflix’s increasing investment in Queensland, having filmed the first Australian Netflix Original series, Tidelands, in Brisbane, as well as movie Romance on the Menu.
The Courier-Mail revealed on Sunday that Netflix will shift filming of major feature film Spiderhead, starring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller, to Queensland, with cameras set to roll as early as November.
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Meanwhile Screen Queensland also announced on Monday that a Netflix teen series by Brisbane’s The Steve Jaggi Company will start filming in Port Douglas in late October.
The Queensland-made series, called Dive Club, will be released in 2021 on an Australian commercial broadcaster, and outside Australia to a global audience of 190 countries on Netflix.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the teen mystery drama would create around 110 jobs and inject nearly $8 million into the economy.
“Dive Club will showcase the tropical paradise location of Port Douglas and its lush surrounds to audiences across Australia, and the world, while providing jobs and training opportunities for established and emerging local crew permanently based in Queensland,” she said.
