Mustangs FC, Matchbox Pictures’ children’s comedy drama, has been snapped up by CBBC in the UK and Universal Kids in the US.
The series is focused on a group of girls who abandon the sidelines to start their football club’s first all-girl team. The show features Emmanuelle Mattana (Marnie), Ashleigh Marshall (Liv), Monique Heath (Lara), Molly Broadstock (Bella), Gemma Chua-Tran (Anusha) and Celine Ajobong (Ruby), along with Jacek Koman as their coach Danny, Pia Miranda as Marnie’s mother and comedian Celia Pacquola as narrator.
Mustangs FC has women taking the lead in every key creative role behind the camera and has given opportunities to young female talent at the start of their careers. More than 60% of the cast and crew are female, with women taking the lead in writing, directing, casting, cinematography, production design, costume and editing.
Producers Amanda Higgs and Rachel Davis said: “When we were developing Mustangs FC, we didn’t just set out to make a show aimed at girls. We wanted to make a show that would empower girls and celebrate female friendship in all its complexity. We wanted something that could run for many series and continue to promote female-focused stories, as well as the creatives and crew who make them happen. We are immensely proud of this show and to have it going out in such important territories is really exciting.”
Mustangs FC (which is known as Mighty Mustangs in US) is produced by Matchbox Pictures for ABC Television with production investment funding from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. The series is produced by Amanda Higgs and Rachel Davis and is executive produced by Matchbox Pictures’ Debbie Lee and ABC’s Libbie Doherty and Jan Stradling. Season one was written by Michael Miller, Kirsty Fisher, Rae Earl, Warren Clarke and Magda Wozniak. The show is directed by Tori Garrett, Roger Hodgman, Corrie Chen and Fiona Banks.
Top photo: Mustangs FC cast [L-R] Monique Heath, Molly Broadstock, Ashleigh Marshall, Emmanuelle Mattana, Gemma Chua Tran and Celine Ajobong