Cracking COVID
Cracking COVID tracks the real-time story of Australia’s scientific response to the pandemic, told by researchers, clinicians, and patients. A surprisingly tender tale of hard science.
Cracking COVID is a rollercoaster real-time journey through Australia’s pandemic experience. As teams of scientists race to unlock the secrets of the virus, researchers work to build a vaccine from scratch, and three patients confront very different symptoms of a terrifying new disease. Professor Peter Doherty – who won a Nobel Prize for his discoveries about the human immune system – joins Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Sonya Pemberton, providing warm and witty expert insight. We discover how, in uncertain times, we often have little choice but to improvise.
A surprisingly tender tale of hard science Cracking COVID premieres on ABC TV 8.30pm Tuesday 13th of July (additional TX ABC+ Sunday 18th July 9.30 pm).
Soundtrack Album 52 Fridays coming out 13th July, 2021 (Apple and Other Platforms)
Featuring Piano Improvisations from Dale Cornelius’ Youtube Channel “Book Of Nightmares”
Improvised and Performed by Dale Cornelius courtesy of Native Tongue Music Publishing
The Australian Broadcasting Association presents in association with Film Victoria a Genepool Production.
Duration: 75 minutes
Release Date: July 2021
Broadcast Partners: ABC Australia
Broadcast Sales: ABC Commercial
Executive Produced, Written, Directed and Narrated by Sonya Pemberton
Producer Lucy Maclaren
DOP And Co-Producer Harry Panagiotidis
Editor Wayne Hyett A.S.E.
Music Dale Cornelius © Native Tongue Music Publishing 2021
Animation And Visual Effects Dom Bartolo, 21-19
Acclaim
'Instead of a dry look at the facts, Cracking COVID is informative, educational and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. And more, it gives us the comfort of showing those behind the fight back to normality are as determined, skilled and human as we could hope. ’
- TV WEEK
'Raw it is, and thoroughly compelling, as viewers follow Doherty and his colleagues on their journey of understanding the new killer bug… Pemberton also has extraordinary access to ordinary lives affected by the virus.’ ’
- Neil McMahon, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
CREDITS
The AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION
in association with
FILM VICTORIA
present
a GENEPOOL PRODUCTION
This film is dedicated to Lola Constanilla
and all those who have lost their lives to COVID-19.
Since this film was completed
Mirabai booked her COVID vaccination.
And outbreaks have caused
fresh lockdowns across Australia.
NARRATOR, WRITER & DIRECTOR
Sonya Pemberton
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY & CO-PRODUCER
Harry Panagiotidis
PRODUCER
Lucy Maclaren
EDITOR
Wayne Hyett ASC
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Emma Watts
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Dale Cornelius
© Native Tongue Music Publishing 2021
SOUND RECORDIST
Martin Keir
ADDITIONAL DIRECTION - BRISBANE
Randall Wood
BRISBANE UNIT
Nick Paton
Basil Krivoroutchko
Kara Moolman
Isabella St John
ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
Con Filippidis
SOUND RECORDISTS - ADDITIONAL
Steve Bond
Mark Edwards
RESEARCHERS
Florienne Loder
Carolyn Cage
SCRIPT EDITOR
Andrew Masterson
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS
Assoc. Prof. Ian M. Mackay
Dr Shalin Naik
Prof Sammy Bedoui
Prof Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Joany Sze
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
Steadicam Productions
POST PRODUCTION FACILITY
City Post
POST PRODUCERS
Anna Phelps
Nadia Diggins
ASSISTANT EDITOR AND CONFORM
Nick Prior
COLOURIST
Dee McClelland CSI
SOUND EDIT AND MIX
Dale Warren
Paul Shanahan
ANIMATION
21-19
Dom Bartolo
Su Mei Chia
Stephen Elliget
Andrew Gibbs
Jeric ilagan
Jordan Booker
ABC ARCHIVE
Anne Gilbee
PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT
Trish Mulhall
LEGALS
Stephen Boyle
INSURANCE
Galviniize Insurance
Dave McEwan
Jack Allingham
TRANSCRIPTIONS
Jessica Immer
FEATURING
Peter & Penny Doherty
Michael, Rachel and Megan Rojales
Mirabai Nicholson-McKellar
Leila Sawenko, Tony Maguire, Bodhi, Lenny & Marley
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF
Prof Sharon Lewin AO
Prof Sammy Bedoui
Dr Mike Catton
Assoc Prof Keith Chappell
Assoc Prof Margie Danchin
Alex Dekker
Dr Julian Druce
Dr Paula Ellenberg
Andrea Fischer
Assoc Prof Paul Griffin
Dr Joel Hissink
Prof Eddie Holmes
Dr Rupa Kanapathipillai
Prof Katherine Kedzierska
Prof James McCarthy
Prof Jodie McVernon
Prof Trent Munro
Prof Marc Pellegrini
Prof Damian Purcell
Prof Peter Reville
Dr Jason Roberts
Prof Brett Sutton
Assoc Prof Steven Tong
Dr Shidan Tosif
Dr Carolien Van de Sandt
Prof Seshadri Vasan
Prof Paul Young
Thank you to everyone who participated in the making of this film.
Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
CSIRO AAHL and Clayton
CSL
Monash Health
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Nucleus Network Brisbane
Royal Children’s Hospital
Royal Melbourne Hospital
The University of Queensland
Victorian Department of Health and Human Services
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
THANKS TO
Lukasz Kedzierska, Marcella, Kristian
Mandana Nikpour, Silas, Esau
Kate Sutton, Alexander, Neve, Jacob
Cheryl Young, Jarnah Tosif, Kai and Layli
Michael Rowland
Professor Terry Nolan AO
Berwick Church of Christ
Braam Botha
Bunnings
Dr Max Lim
The Doherty Institute would like to thank all those who have generously supported their work.
THANKS TO
Catherine Somerville PDI
Rebecca Elliot PDI
Teresa Rispoli PDI
Kim Lyell UQ
Sarah Vella Nucleus
Ric Navarro
Mari Ericksen Nucleus
Cass Erbs CSIRO
Ali Green CSIRO
Phoebe Radford CSIRO
Catherine Marciniak
Tom Keeble MCRI
Maddison Stafford MCRI
Tim Bennett Monash Health
Valbona Alimi Monash Health
Rose Houghton RMH
Arunee Wilson WEHI
Jinane Bou-Assi DPC
Ruth Ward DHHS
Christina Hickie CSL
Fiona Scott-Norman
Tony Wright
IMPACT PRODUCER PLACEMENT
Sally Storey
supported by Film Victoria
STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER
Ben King
DISTRIBUTED BY
ABC Commercial
ARCHIVE MATERIAL COURTESY OF
Australian Broadcasting Corporation Content Sales
ABC Specialist Reporting Team
ABC Foreign Correspondent
ABC Four Corners
BuyOutFootage.com
Pond 5
Grimshaw
Macro bee footage Mirabai Nicholson-McKellar
RCH Creative Services
Pfizer Inc.
Nucleus
CSL
WHO
IMAGES OF SARS-CoV-2
BIO 21
Doherty Institute
LIVE IMAGING OF T-CELLS
Copyright © WEHI
Assoc Professor Misty Jenkins
Research Asst Kylie Luong
Analysis Niall Geoghegan
&
Copyright © University of Cambridge with permission
SOUNDTRACK ALBUM 52 Fridays
OUT NOW FEATURING PIANO IMPROVISATIONS
from DALE CORNELIUS’ YOUTUBE CHANNEL
“BOOK OF NIGHTMARES"
IMPROVISED AND PERFORMED BY DALE CORNELIUS COURTESY OF NATIVE TONGUE MUSIC PUBLISHING
BREATHE
CITIES & MEMORY
TRANSCENDENCE
EPHEMERAL LIFE
CONNECTION
FRAGMENTED MEMORIES
A QUIET RESOLVE
RADIANCE
THE DAPPLED LIGHT OF SUMMER THROUGH THE LEAVES SEARCHING
EVOCATIONS
RELEASE
AWAKENINGS
WIND’S TELEPHONE
RESONATING VOICES
THE PRODUCERS WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS
OF THE LAND ON WHICH CRACKING COVID WAS PRODUCED
FOR FILM VICTORIA
Tamasin Simpkin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER – GENEPOOL PRODUCTIONS
Sonya Pemberton
COMMISSIONING EDITOR - ABC
Stephen Oliver
Produced with the assistance of
Film Victoria
A Genepool Production
Developed and Produced in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
© 2021 Genepool Productions Pty Ltd and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation