BEACONSFIELD
IN PRODUCTION: 2012
Shane and Lachy Hulme (Matrix Trilogy, Let’s Get Skase, Offspring) head an outstanding cast in the three-hour telemovie which tells the story of the amazing rescue of Todd Russell and Brant Webb from the collapsed Beaconsfield mine in Tasmania five years ago.
On Anzac Day 2006 the Beaconsfield mine collapsed, trapping Russell, Webb and fellow miner Larry Knight one kilometre underground. When it was revealed that two of the men were alive, Australia prayed and the world waited in hope that the miners would make it out alive. But the rescue was far more complex than anyone ever imagined. Beaconsfield recounts this riveting story of mental and physical fortitude and two very different men who were trapped together for 14 days under rubble in a cramped, pitch-black metal basket no bigger than a dog kennel.
It tells the story from the perspective of rescuers Matthew Gill and Pat Ball, who with their expert teams, were required to devise a failsafe plan for a rescue unlike anything attempted before. Gill and Ball set about developing a meticulous strategy that would bring Russell and Webb to the surface. The telemovie also involves the miners’ wives and children who waited anxiously to find out if they would see their husbands and fathers again. On May 9, 2006, at 5.58am, Australia celebrated as Todd Russell and Brant Webb emerged from the mine shaft. Tragically their colleague, Larry Knight, was laid to rest the same day.
Other cast include Michala Banas (Winners and Losers, McLeod’s Daughters) and Sacha Horler (Offspring, Hawke, Love My Way). Beaconsfield is being produced for the Nine Network by Southern Star John Edwards (Paper Giants, Love My Way) and Jane Liscombe (Last Ride, Cracker Bag). It has been written by Judi McCrossin (The Secret Life of Us, The Surgeon) and will be directed by Glendyn Ivin (Last Ride, Offspring).
Filming began in July 2011.
Read more in the Herald Sun
11 August 2011: Beaconsfield miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb help bring their miracle rescue to life
24 June 2011: Stars prepare to be buried alive in the mini-series Beaconsfield
