ANSWERED BY FIRE
INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT
December 9, 2002
MONTREAL - An international collaboration between Canada’s Muse Entertainment Enterprises, Mindless Entertainment and Australia’s largest independent television drama production company, Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier will see the development and production of a new 4 x 1hr mini-series
ANSWERED BY FIRE is the story of a Canadian and an Australian police officer serving as UN peacekeepers in East Timor and the young Timorese woman they befriend. The mini-series is set against the lead-up to East Timor’s referendum on independence in 1999 and its bloody aftermath.
Canada’s CBC network and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) are proud to be the broadcasters of this unique and important collaboration.
Michael Prupas (Muse Entertainment Enterprises) and Mindless Entertainment’s Barbara Samuels will be the Canadian Executive Producers, and Robyn Kershaw (ABC) and Mikael Borglund (Beyond International) will be the Australian Executive Producers. Roger Le Mesurier and Roger Simpson (Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier) will be the Producers.
Samuels (Black Harbour, North of 60) created the mini-series concept and will co-author the script with Australian writer Katherine Thomson (Halifax f.p. and the award winning stage-plays, Diving For Pearls and Mavis Goes To Timor.)
Samuels says she was drawn to the subject matter “because it explores the impact of humanitarian intervention in very personal terms… how the tragedy of this little island affects these two cops and the Timorese woman they befriend. It’s about people from different worlds caught up in a situation way beyond their control.”
Beyond Distribution and Muse Distribution International will sell the mini-series outside Canada and Australia.
Deborah Bernstein, CBC TV’s arts and entertainment programming executive director says, “We are extremely pleased to be collaborating with ABC and an excellent creative team on this important miniseries.”
ABC’s Head of Television Drama, Robyn Kershaw says, “Australia’s place within the Asia-Pacific region and this country’s history with Indonesia and East Timor has and will continue to be vitally important. A story that reflects and allows us to feel and think about this time and these events is a story of national significance to us. We are proud to be working with a fine team of Australian and international collaborators to realise this important and timely story.”
Michael Prupas, president of Muse Entertainment Enterprises (Tales from the Neverending Story, Savage Messiah, The Many Trials of One Jane Doe) is hoping that shooting can begin in 2004 in Australasia. “This miniseries will touch the hearts and consciences of people everywhere as we try to come to grips with the post 9/11 world. Muse Entertainment is proud to be working with the great team that is behind this project,” he says.
Producer, Roger Le Mesurier of Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier (Halifax f.p.,Good Guys Bad Guys, Stingers) says, “We are extremely excited by this project which has enormous significance in our region. It is going to be a great challenge and one that we look forward to immeasurably.”
For more information please contact:
Betty Palik
Roger Le Mesurier
Director of Communications
Muse Entertainment Enterprises
Tel : 514-866-6873
Fax : 514-876-3911
Email : bpalik@muse
Producer
Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier
Tel: +613 9329 1166
Fax: + 613 9326 5493
Email: slmfilms@ozemail.com.au
published: Thursday, December 12, 2002 
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