The Ghan, Australia’s first foray into slow TV, has been selected as a finalist for best documentary at the annual Screen Producers of Australia awards.
When the three-hour ad-free telecast on SBS aired last January, more than 700,000 viewers tuned in to be mesmerised by Australia’s most iconic train as it bisected the continent, from Adelaide to Darwin. It was the highest-rating show on the network in the previous 12 months.
The Ghan, which has since been bought by the BBC, triggered a media maelstrom, trending number one on Twitter during the telecast and serving up a deluge of media coverage with opinion divided on the slow TV format.
The other finalists in the Documentary or Documentary Series of the Year category are Muslims Like Us (CJZ), Body Hack 2.0 (Essential Media and Entertainment; Outback Opal Hunters (Prospero Productions) and Anh’s Brush With Fame (Screentime).
Mint previously won Documentary of the Year for Strictly Jewish (SBS) in 2016.
The winner will be revealed at the Screen Producers Australia Awards ceremony at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on Thursday, 22 November.
