A new television series Bay of Fires will start filming on the West Coast of Tasmania mid next year which will give Zeehan, Queenstown and Strahan a national and international stage when the show eventually makes it to air.
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Bay of Fires co-creator, producer and star in the show Marta Dusseldorp labelled the eight-part series "Ozark, meets Fargo, meets Schitts Creek, with a little bit of Sea Change.
It will be produced by Archipelago Productions and is written by award-winning writer Andrew Knight who also wrote Rake, Seachange and Hacksaw Ridge, and Launceston-based Max Dann.
Dusseldorp, who is based in Tasmania and has also purchased residential property in Queenstown, said the show is mainly set in Zeehan but will also feature scenes in the Gaiety Theatre, in Queenstown.
She said filming will start in winter next year.
"The show is about a woman and her two children who ended up having to move because they are in grave danger," Dusseldorp said.
"She comes across this beautiful community of people who are quite mysterious. As the show unfolds, we will find out who they are, why they are there, and whether they will help her or maybe kill her."
She said when she first went to Zeehan she was inspired by its epic landscape.
"Moving to Tasmania just gave me the full inspiration to base the show here, and to take the world to a place that a lot of people haven't seen," Dusseldorp said.
"When I arrived [in Zeehan] for Ten Days on the Island ... we walked in and I said 'we found it'...so I knocked on all the doors and said 'hello', had a cup of tea as you do, made some friends.
"I can already see the opening frame of [the series]."
Dusseldorp said she had met with Premier Peter Gutwein, and also the West Coast Council, which had offered its support and collaboration.
Arts minister Elise Archer said the Tasmanian Government's $1.5 million allocation for a production through Screen Tasmania.
This included $1 million in production investment and a $500,000 regional production grant, in recognition of the unique expense of shooting on Tasmania's West Coast.
"Our Government's ongoing commitment to Tasmanian screen production is assisting to build our local screen industry's capacity to service large scale projects like Bay of Fires, ensuring Tasmania's unique landscapes, people and culture, continue to intrigue, engage and entertain audiences around the world," she said.
"Importantly, we anticipate the series will provide a significant boost to our regional economy and numerous job opportunities for Tasmanians, including a likely record number of senior roles, with around 80 cast and crew positions up for grabs and up to $8 million expected to be spent on Tasmanian goods and services throughout the course of production."
