Photo: Pia Johnson

When

2024: development, optioned by Unless Pictures, funded by Screen Australia

2021-23: development with co-creator Trudy Hellier

2020: development with delivery of pilot episode and mini bible, funded by VicScreen

Creative team

2024 development

Created by Michele Lee and Trudy Hellier

Writer Michele Lee

Executive Producer Unless Pictures

2021-23 development

Created by Michele Lee and Trudy Hellier

Writer Michele Lee

2020 development

Story consultants Trung Le and Diana Nguyen

Producer Eyvonne Carfora

About

Format

8 x 30 minute, comedy-drama

One-liner

A glamourous Vietnamese mother and daughter take back control of their lives one manicure at a time.

Story

The glamourous QUYEN and her daughter CAT are living the life of luxury, funded by a chain of nail salons Quyen established as a young entrepreneur. But it’s been years since Quyen has actually worked in
the salons, so she has no idea her husband, GRAEME, has driven their business into the ground until it’s too late. The morning after Cat’s 30th birthday, Graeme does a runner and the two pampered women are left with no money and no home. The only asset (if you can call it that) to their name is the original Paradise Nails salon. A shit-hole that’s been closed for a year, in a rundown plaza, with a rat living large in the dunny. With little to zero work experience between them, they’re virtually unemployable. Quyen and Cat decide to re-open the salon and build the business up again from scratch.

Supporters

Screen Australia supported our 2024 development. VicScreen supported our 2020 writers’ room, and at that stage the project was called Cloud 9.