| The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Sarah Lambert |
| Based on | The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Directed by | Glendyn Ivin |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Hania Rani [1] |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Barbara Gibbs |
| Cinematography | Sam Chiplin |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 51–63 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | 4 August – 1 September 2023 |
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is an Australian drama miniseries created by Sarah Lambert and based on the novel by Holly Ringland. All seven episodes were directed by Glendyn Ivin, and were released by Amazon Studios from 4 August to 1 September 2023.
Set in Australia, the series follows the titular character (played by Alyla Browne and Alycia Debnam-Carey), a girl abused by her father who finds herself orphaned after a fire and is taken in by her estranged grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), who runs a flower plant nursery doubling as a haven for "Flowers", women who were victims of domestic abuse.
The series received positive reviews for its direction and performances, in particular Weaver's. It received 12 nominations at the 13th AACTA Awards, including Best Miniseries, Best Lead Actress in Drama for Weaver, and Best Supporting Actress in Drama for Debnam-Carey and Leah Purcell.
A young girl from a violent upbringing is orphaned and moves in with her grandmother on a flower farm. [2]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Screenplay by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part 1: Black Fire Orchid" | Glendyn Ivin | Sarah Lambert | August 4, 2023 | |
| Young Alice Hart is growing up in a seemingly happy environment. A kind librarian becomes suspicious when she finds Alice covered in bruises. When Alice is taken to hospital, injured, it is revealed that her abusive father and expectant mother were killed in a fire under mysterious circumstances. When Alice's estranged paternal grandmother, June, arrives to claim custody of her, it becomes clear that there is more to the story than meets the eye. | |||||
| 2 | "Part 2: Wattle" | Glendyn Ivin | Sarah Lambert | August 4, 2023 | |
| 3 | "Part 3: Lantern Bush" | Glendyn Ivin | Kirsty Fisher and Sarah Lambert | August 4, 2023 | |
| 4 | "Part 4: River Lily" | Glendyn Ivin | Kim Wilson and Sarah Lambert | August 11, 2023 | |
| 5 | "Part 5: Desert Oak" | Glendyn Ivin | Kirsty Fisher and Sarah Lambert | August 18, 2023 | |
| 6 | "Part 6: Wheel of Fire" | Glendyn Ivin | Kim Wilson | August 25, 2023 | |
| 7 | "Part 7: Sturt's Desert Pea" | Glendyn Ivin | Sarah Lambert | September 1, 2023 | |
In May 2021, it was announced that Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios and Endeavor Content would produce an adaptation of the book The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, with filming taking place in Australia. Sigourney Weaver was announced as starring and executive producing, with Sarah Lambert show running and executive producing, Glendyn Ivin as director and executive producer, and Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Allie Goss also executive producing. [3]
Filming began in October 2021 in Sydney and the regions of New South Wales and the Northern Territory. It was confirmed that Asher Keddie, Leah Purcell, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Frankie Adams, Alexander England, Charlie Vickers, Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Alyla Browne had been added to the cast. [4] In April 2022, Sebastián Zurita was cast, Kirsty Fisher and Kim Wilson were announced as co-writers alongside Lambert, Barbara Gibbs was confirmed as producer and Lucinda Reynolds as co-executive producer. [5] In September 2022, production company Endeavour Content rebranded as Fifth Season. [6]
Amazon Studios announced the show will be available in over 240 countries and territories through the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. [7] It premiered on 4 August 2023, with the first three episodes available immediately and a new episode debuting on a weekly basis until the series finale on 1 September 2023. [8]
On 16 August 2023, Mediaweek reported that the series set a record for highest viewership of an Australian series worldwide. It also reached the top five in 78 countries and top three in 42 countries on Prime Video. [9] [10]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 34 critics gave the series a positive review, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Sigourney Weaver is excellent as a thorny matriarch in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, a visually appealing and well-acted melodrama." [11] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [12]
| Award | Year of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards | 2024 | Best Miniseries or Telefeature | Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Barbara Gibbs, Sarah Lambert, Glendyn Ivin – Made Up Stories, Amazon Studios, Fifth Season (Amazon Prime Video) | Won | [13] [14] [15] |
| Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Sigourney Weaver | Nominated | |||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Alycia Debnam-Carey | Nominated | |||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Leah Purcell | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction in Television | Glendyn Ivin (episode 1) | Nominated | |||
| Best Casting | Jane Norris | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography in Television | Sam Chiplin (episode 1) | Won | |||
| Best Editing in Television | Deborah Peart (episode 1) | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing in Television | Deborah Peart, Dany Cooper (episode 6) | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design in Television | Melinda Doring (episode 1) | Won | |||
| Best Sound in Television | David Lee, Robert MacKenzie, Leah Katz, James Ashton (episode 6) | Won | |||
| Best Hair and Makeup | Lara Jade Birch, Georgia Lockhart-Adams | Nominated | |||
| AWGIE Awards | 2024 | Television – Limited Series | Sarah Lambert, Kirsty Fisher, Kim Wilson | Pending | [16] |
Leah Maree Purcell is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's Somewhere in the Darkness, which led to roles in films, such as Lantana (2001), Somersault (2004), The Proposition (2005) and Jindabyne (2006).
Sarah Lambert is an Australian writer, director and producer, working primarily in television.
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