MIPCOM Hot Pick: The Gods of Wheat Street

DCD Rights’ latest Australian drama for the international market is The Gods of Wheat Street. Having taken rights to The Slap, The Code and The Straits among others, DCD will give The Gods of Wheat Street its international launch at MIPCOM after it debuted on Australian pubcaster the ABC’s flagship channel in April.

Magical and social realism both play a part in the story of a modern Aboriginal family in middle class Australia. The Freeburn clan is headed by eldest brother Odin after the death of the family’s mother, and the ensuing drama tells their story.

“It’s an intimate journey into the heart of an Aborigine family and their trials and tribulations as they move into middle class Australia, which has always been white,” says Rick Barker, senior VP, sales and acquisitions at DCD.

Produced by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger’s Australian indie Every Cloud, DCD has six episodes for international buyers and the short run – ahead of a possible second series – means that public, not commercial, broadcasters are the most likely buyers.

“It suits public TV,” Barker says. “We see Asia, Latin America and eastern Europe as significant opportunities, while Scandinavia has been very supportive of Australian drama and broadcasters there still have slots for this type of family-focused programming.”

The show: The Gods of Wheat Street
The producer: Every Cloud Productions
The distributor: DCD Rights
The broadcaster: ABC (Australia)
The concept: Family drama about a modern Aboriginal family in middle class Australia