SBS has announce details of a mischievous 6 x 10 minute digital comedy series Robbie Hood which is being produced exclusively for SBS On Demand.
The original series, which started filming this month in outback Alice Springs, follows Robbie, a teenage troublemaker with a heart of gold living in a remote Aboriginal community in Central Australia.
Robbie Hood is the heart-warming story of three friends who together are rectifying injustices they see in their community but while they may have the best of intentions, they don’t always go about it in the right way.
The Alice Springs based cast features some exciting new talent, including Pedrea Jackson (who plays Robbie, 14 years old), Jordan Johnson (Blue, 13 years old), and Levi Thomas (Little Johnny, 16 years old), who will all be seen for the very first time on Australian screens.
The series is directed by Dylan River (Finke: There and Back) and produced by Tanith Glynn-Maloney and Meg O’Connell, with Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson executive producing.
Marshall Heald, SBS Director of Television and Online Content, said: “SBS is committed to telling stories that matter and ensuring young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders see positive representations of themselves on screen. Robbie Hood promises to be an upbeat and heartfelt comedy series that showcases fresh on-screen local talent. The new digital series is totally cheeky and uniquely SBS, and we are thrilled to be creating this stellar comedy.”
Tanith Glynn-Maloney said: “It was always an important goal for us to crew and cast as many Central Australian locals as we possibly could. We’re grateful that the funding bodies continue to allow Dylan and I to tell our own stories from our own perspectives. Robbie Hood deals with serious themes and issues that affect many Indigenous people around Australia, but these stories are drawn from lived experiences — many of the storylines have been told to us by friends and family — and we’re using comedy to tell those stories in a light-hearted way.”
Executive Producer, Daley Pearson, said: “We’re incredibly lucky to be making Robbie Hood with Since1788, SBS, Dylan and Tanith. They’re all brilliant talents and amazing collaborators. Dylan is a great filmmaker and the sort of person you want to start dressing like after hanging out together.”
Robbie Hood is a Ludo Studio and Since1788 production for SBS. Principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with SBS. Financed with support from Screen Territory with Screen Queensland.
