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ABC’s The Slap to premiere at MIFF

ABC's The Slap will first screen not on television but at a film festival.

The first two episodes of the much-anticipated miniseries will be shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival next month, as reported by The Australian.

The Slap, which features a high-profile cast including Melissa George and Sophie Okonedo, follows the repercussions of an incident at a Melbourne barbecue where a man slaps another parent's child.

The first two episodes of the Matchbox Pictures production were directed by Jessica Hobbs (Rake).

Earlier this month, the international rights were acquired by distributor DCD. The company will launch the series at MIPCOM in Cannes later this year.

Christos Tsiolkas's novel, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Miles Franklin Literary Award, has been adapted by five writers including Cate Shortland and Brendan Cowell. The writers worked under a US-style model, which saw Tony Ayres acting as showrunner.

The series finished shooting in April and will air on ABC from September.