In Between (miniseries)

In Between is a 1987 Australian mini-series about four adolescents from Turkish, Cambodian, Macedonian and Ango-Australian backgrounds. It aired on SBS TV beginning in March 1987. The four episode series spotlights one of the main characters in each episode. It was written by Maureen McCarthy and Shane Brennan, directd by Chris Warner and Mandy Smith and produced by Warner and Kim Dalton. The cast was mostly amateurs from the communities represented with only one of the four main actors having any acting experience.

Four tie in books were released, each based on one of he main characters.

Cast

 * Fatima Ugyan - Fatima
 * Vichea Ten - Saret
 * Sheryl Munks - Angie
 * Jim Petrovski - Alex
 * Ly Lackhenamak - Kanya
 * Lupco Talevski - Tome
 * Maggie Millar - Bet
 * Ferida Sari - Sembra
 * Brahim Ozhan - Atila

Reception
Barbara Hooks of The Age writes "'In Between' is not to be missed. I was knocked out by it. If you do not have a UHF aerial, beg, borrow or steal one." The Age's Garrie Hutchinson says "The realistic look, and relatively unstructured approach lends In Between the authenticity of a documentary with some of the emotional impact of a drama." The Age's Dennis Pryor says "Let us say straight away that this is an important piece of work. It helps us as we try to come to terms with migration and to sift out the propaganda from the pompous jargon which packages such vogue words as "ethnicity" and "multiculturalism"." Also in the Age Jane Sullivan calls it "an intelligent, compassionate and entertaining attempt to show what is happening around us." Richard Coleman in The Sydney Morning Herald states "In Between is an unusual mini-series about a common aspect of Australian life not often presented on television. For this reason alone it deserves a decent audience."

Awards

 * 1987 AFI Awards
 * Best Mini-Series Screenplay - Maureen McCarthy and Shane Brennan - won
 * Best Mini Series - Chris Warner, Kim Dalton - nominated
 * Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Mini Series - Vichea Ten - nominated