Acclaimed Australian actor Rachel Griffiths is returning to the ABC as host and executive producer of a new series “When The War Is Over”, exploring how art and pop culture help us understand and heal from war.
Across five episodes, Griffiths — an art enthusiast and descendent of WWI veterans at Gallipoli — will explore the game-changing songs, iconic paintings, blockbuster films, best-selling books, artworks, and performances that have helped transform Australians’ understanding of our five major wars: World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Australian Wars.
She will visit key battlegrounds across Turkey, Vietnam and Thailand, while in Australia, she will meet artists, veterans, curators and historians. Through the journey, she will explore the unheralded role of art in war, both in the midst of battle and for the generations that follow.
From Jimmy Barnes ‘”Khe Sanh” to Ben Quilty’s haunting war veteran portraits, “When The War Is Over” promises to be a richly layered series about the real-world impact of art on all of us, on both a personal and national level.
The series will provide a provocative and moving examination of how art challenges myths, memorialises trauma, and redefines heroism. Importantly, it will confront the legacy of the Australian Wars, an often overlooked chapter in the country’s war history.
Griffiths is one of the country’s most prolific industry professionals, best known for her performance in the 1994 film “Muriel’s Wedding”. Her film credits since then include “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, “The Rookie”, “The Hard Word”, “Blow”, “Step Up”, “Burning Man”, “Ned Kelly”, “Patrick”, “Saving Mr. Banks”, “Beautiful Kate”, and “Hilary and Jackie” — a performance which earned her an Academy Award Nomination.
“When The War Is Over” is a Mint Pictures production in association with Magdalene Media, financed by the ABC and Screen Australia, with development funding from Screen NSW. It is led by director Sophie Meyrick, producer Ili Bare, and Griffiths’ fellow executive producers Dan Goldberg and Craig Graham.
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