Cairns and the Torres Strait serve as a stunning tropical back drop for a new crime drama when the The Straits kicks off with a movie-length episode on ABC1 on Thursday 2 February 2012 at 8.30pm.

Screen Queensland invested $725,000 in The Straits, a new 10-part ABC1 series based on a concept by Queensland’s Aaron Fa'Aoso who is both a producer and one of the stars of the production

Set among the turquoise waters and wildlife of Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait, The Straits follows the machinations of the Montebellos, a family whose criminal empire relies on ties of blood and loyalty in the Torres Strait Islands.

The Straits is produced by Matchbox Pictures’ Penny Chapman and Helen Panckhurst, the team behind the AFI Award-winning TV series RAN (Remote Area Nurse), which also brought the Torres Strait to the TV screen.

According to producer Penny Chapman, Cairns was a terrific source for many creative elements in The Straits with many materials for the wardrobe and art departments sourced from the area’s second hand shops.

“Local Cairns landmarks and residents feature prominently with many of the speaking roles cast directly from the Cairns community,” said Ms Chapman.

Far North Queensland residents were no strangers to Queensland’s active screen industry with the region emerging as one of Australia’s most creative regional production hubs. Far North Queensland has served as the perfect location for The Straits, Sea Patrol, Reef Doctors and Mabo, all of which filmed in the region in 2011 with investment from Screen Queensland.

The Straits generated $6.6M expenditure in Queensland and more than 240 jobs for Queensland cast and crew, with much of this expenditure injected into Far North Queensland’s local economy where most of the filming took place in mid-2011.

This year is off to a great start for Queensland and follows on from a successful 2011 which saw quality television productions filming from Far North Queensland to the streets of Brisbane and the Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast.

SLiDE, The Straits, Terra Nova, Lightning Point, Sea Patrol, Reef Doctors and Mabo all filmed here in 2011, with investment from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland.

In drama figures released by Screen Australia, in 2010-11 Queensland had the second highest level of production activity (by expenditure) in Australia at 28 per cent, and has seen a significant lift in production activity generated by Queensland-based production companies, increasing from 3 per cent the prior period to 15 per cent, and was the only state to see an increase.

These figures include feature and television production with four feature films, six television productions and 12 documentaries supported by Screen Queensland.

The Straits features a cast that includes a large number of talented Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinea actors and stars internationally-acclaimed Brian Cox as family patriarch Harry Montebello.

The Straits is produced with assistance from ABC TV, Screen Queensland, Screen NSW, Screen Australia, Screen Tasmania and international distributor DCD Rights.

Check out the following trailers for The Straits:

View the full trailer here

Go behind the scenes and see how beautiful far north Queensland looks on screen.

Check out the opening credits