Netflix series Surviving Summer ready to launch

THE Surf Coast’s beautiful landscapes and culture are showcased in a new surf teen drama series which was released to 222 million subscribers on Netflix overnight.

Surviving Summer tells the story of Summer Torres (Sky Katz), a fierce Brooklyn teen who’s just been sent down under to live with family friends the Gibsons, in a tiny coastal town on the Great Ocean Road.

Despite her best efforts, Torres falls in love with the lifestyle, the people and the surf.

The series also closely details the life of Ari Gibson (Kai Lewins) who is an introverted but ambitious young surfer returning to competitive surfing after a life-threatening injury.

An international cast features in the 10-part drama including Disney Channel personality Sky Katz, João Gabriel Marinho, as well as Australians Kai Lewins, Savannah La Rain and Lilliana Bowrey.

Associate producer Frances Derham believes that the film will be well received and inspire people all over the world to get into the water and go surfing.

“We absolutely can’t wait for the series to come out in the coming days and look forward to seeing how it is received by our wider audience,” Derham said.

“There’s certainly something very special about the magical nature of documenting surfing in a film series and our team hope that the allure of surfing and summer captures that universal following.

“We’ve had a particular focus to capture the best ocean and surfing cinematography possible and feel like this will certainly be key to the success of the series.”

Shot on the spectacular Surf Coast, the deep dive into Australian surf culture drama is produced by Werner Film Production, a three-time Emmy-nominated Australian firm headed by Joanna Werner.

Werner has produced films such as Ready For This, H20: Just Add Water and Dance Academy.

Derham said the series was a great way of showcasing the beautiful coastline of the Surf Coast and all of its amazing personalities and people who were part of the series as extras, surfers and staff.

Derham said the production unit was elated that the series will debut on Netflix to its 222 million subscribers worldwide and can’t wait to see the reaction from the public.

“It’s a really strong, relatable storyline and something that we are very proud to be broadcasting to the millions of people on Netflix,” Derham said.

You can catch the series fresh on Netflix tomorrow.

Surviving Summer is produced in association with Netflix, ZDF Enterprises and VicScreen and developed with the assistance of Screen NSW.