'Top Of The Lake' Trailer Gives First Look at Jane Campion’s Haunting New Murder Mystery (Video)

SYDNEY  - UKTV in Australia has released the first look trailer for director Jane Campion’s Top Of The Lake, her much vaunted return to the small screen, announcing at the same time that the series will premiere on in Australia on Sunday March 24 --  five days after its U.S. broadcast premiere. It will screen on UKTV in New Zealand from Monday March 25.

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The six-part murder mystery stars Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss as detective Robin Griffin, War Horse’s Peter Mullan as the local drug lord Matt Mitcham and Holly Hunter as a mysterious guru named G.J.

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Set in the “moody, pure and remote” terrain of NZ’s Queenstown, Top of the Lake centers on the investigation surrounding twelve year old Tui, five months pregnant and missing. According to the synopsis, "Investigative detective Robin Griffin must lose herself in order to find the missing girl. During the investigation, she collides with Matt Mitcham, Tui’s father, a local drug lord, and G.J, a guru at a local women’s camp. As the case unfolds, in a paradise where honest work is hard to find, Robin will find that her limits are tested, sending her on a journey of self-discovery."

UKTV, one of BBC Worldwide Australian and NZ suite of local channels, is a co-production partner on the series, alongside BBC2 and the Sundance Channel. Top Of The Lake will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month – the first time a long form scripted series has screened at the prestigious indie festival.

Sundance Channel in the US will air Top Of The Lake as a seven part series starting with the first two hours from March 18 at 9 p.m. BBC2 has not yet set a transmission date.

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Deirdre Brennan, general manager channels and branded services, BBC Worldwide Australasia, said: “We are proud to present this exciting piece of television to Australian audiences. Jane Campion and Gerard Lee have created something truly unique.  At its’ heart, Top of the Lake is a gripping mystery centered on the disappearance of a 12 year-old girl. But the spectacular New Zealand setting, the richly imagined community and the women’s camp led by Holly Hunter’s enigmatic guru GJ, bring real depth, color and distinction to this production.”

Campion co-wrote the series with her longtime collaborator Gerard Lee and co-directed with Australian Garth Davis.

The executive producers are Campion, Emile Sherman and Iain Canning (The King’s Speech, Shame) of See-Saw Films, and the producer is Philippa Campbell (Rain, Black Sheep) of Escapade Pictures. Screen Australia and Screen NSW provided investment with Fulcrum Media Finance funding the New Zealand Screen Production Incentive Fund (SPIF) and the Australian Producer Offset.

Editor's note: The trailer below is only available for viewing in Australia and New Zealand. We will update with a more widely available trailer as soon possible.