First Day (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids First Day
First Day title card
Genre	Drama
Written by	Julie Kalceff
Directed by	Julie Kalceff
Starring	Evie MacDonald
Composer(s)	Michael Lira
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	4
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jan Stradling Bernadette O'Mahony
Producer(s)	Kirsty Stark Kate Croser Kate Butler
Running time	24 minutes
Production company(s)	Epic Films Kojo Entertainment Screen Australia
Distributor	Australian Children's Television Foundation
Release
Original network	ABC Me
Picture format	576i (SDTV)
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	30 March 2020 (2020-03-30) – present

First Day is an Australian drama television series for children which premiered on ABC Me on 30 March 2020. The series originated as a short film of the same title which aired in 2017. The series retells elements of the short film. The series was filmed in Adelaide, South Australia including on location at Marryatville High School.

The series is written and directed by Julie Kalceff and stars Evie MacDonald as twelve year old transgender girl, Hannah Bradford, as she adjusts to high school at the start of a new year. She must navigate the social and personal issues of her early teenage years, while also dealing with the pressures of her gender identity, which is largely private at the beginning of the series. Overriding themes include the focus on identity and belonging, and the exploration of transgender rights. The series was produced by Epic Films and Kojo Entertainment, in association with the South Australian Film Corporation and the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF). It received principal development and production funding from the Australian Government and Screen Australia. Jan Stradling from the ABC and Bernadette O'Mahony from ACTF served as the executive producers of the series. The program was renewed for a second series in November 2020.

First Day and the associated short film have received a positive reception for its representation of diversity in transgender children. The short film won an award for diversity from MIPCOM and won a Prix Jeunesse Gender Equity Prize in 2018. The full series won a GLAAD Media Award, Kidscreen Award and Rose d'Or Award across 2020 and 2021.

Plot

Hannah Bradford is a twelve year old transgender girl beginning her journey towards the end of primary school, and the beginning of high school. She must learn how to navigate her new environment, while also dealing with the social pressures of finding where she belongs while transitioning. As she begins high school, she presents herself as female in public for the first time. Hannah befriends Olivia, Jasmine and Natalie, who she doesn't immediately disclose her gender identity to. However, she struggles with being bullied by Isabella, a classmate from her primary school, who threatens to reveal her secret, and taunts her with her previous name. Hannah lives with her mother, Amanda; and her father, Steve, who try to protect her from the harm of external situations, which sometimes leads to disagreement and conflict.

Cast and characters

Featuring

• Evie MacDonald as Hannah Bradford, a confident twelve year old transgender girl, who has interests in taekwondo.

Other cast

• Joanne Hunt as Amanda Bradford, Hannah's mother.
• Brenna Harding as Ms. Fraser, Hannah's high school Mathematics teacher.
• Anthony Brandon Wong as Mr. Nguyen, the principal of Hillview High School.
• Mark Saturno as Steve Bradford, Hannah's father.
• Ethan Gifford as Jack Bradford, Hannah's older brother.
• Elena Liu as Olivia, a friend of Hannah's who she bonds with on her first day of high school.
• Nandini Rajagopal as Natalie, a new friend of Hannah's.
• Arwen Diamond as Jasmine, a new friend of Hannah's.
• Isabel Burmester as Isabella, a former primary school student who recognises Hannah.
• Jake Childs as Sarah, a classmate of Hannah's struggling with their own gender identity.

Production

First Day was first commissioned in 2017 as a stand-alone episode. The one-off drama was created through Screen Australia and ABC Children's Girls Initiative, which was created as a funding program to strengthen Australian female producers. The short film screened as part of International Day of the Girl. Evie MacDonald starred in the special as Hannah Bradford, and became the first transgender actor to star in the lead role of an Australian scripted television drama. MacDonald was eleven years old at the time of filming and had not previously acted. Julie Kalceff wrote and directed the project. Kalceff was motivated to increase visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community through telling a story about a transgender teenager. She believed it was important to have a transgender girl play Hannah, which resulted in MacDonald's casting.

In June 2019, a miniseries based on the original short film was ordered by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to air on ABC Me. The series was financed through the South Australian Film Corporation and the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF). Also titled First Day, MacDonald and the original creative team were named to return to the production, which would be told as a four-part series. Kalceff was attached to the project as the writer and director, along with producers Kirsty Stark, Kate Croser, and co-producer Kate Butler. The series was filmed in Adelaide and led by Kalceff, who served as the writer and director for all episodes. Filming began in July 2019 in South Australia, with a local crew. Kalceff stated she was excited to tell the original story in more detail. The series was produced by Epic Films in association with Kojo Entertainment, and international sales of the series were handled by ACTF. The full series premiered on 30 March 2020 on ABC Me.

In November 2020, the ACTF invested funding in a second series of First Day, to consist of an additional four episodes.

Episodes

Short film (2017)

Series 1 (2020)

Release

In September 2020, the series began streaming on Hulu in the United States and began airing on children's network CBBC in the United Kingdom.

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: First Day para niños