The Hunting

Australian TV series or program

Sophie Hyde
Matthew Cormack

Written by

Matthew Cormack
Niki Aken

Directed by

Ana Kokkinos
Sophie Hyde

Starring

Asher Keddie
Richard Roxburgh
Sam Reid
Jessica De Gouw

Theme music composerBenjamin SpeedComposerBenjamin SpeedCountry of originAustraliaNo. of episodes4 (list of episodes)ProductionExecutive producerSue Masters (SBS)Producers

Rebecca Summerton
Sophie Hyde
Lisa Scott

Production locationAdelaide, South AustraliaCinematographyBonnie ElliottEditorBryan MasonProduction companyCloser ProductionsOriginal releaseNetworkSBS TVRelease1 August (2019-08-01) –
22 August 2019 (2019-08-22)

The Hunting is an Australian drama series starring Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, screening on SBS TV and SBS on Demand on 1 August 2019.^[1] The four-part miniseries was created by Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack at Closer Productions, and co-directed by Ana Kokkinos.

Plot

The Hunting tells the story of two high school teachers who discover that students are sharing sexually explicit photos of their under-age friends and peers online. The revelation has consequences for four teenagers, their teachers and families in modern, multicultural Australia.^[2]

Cast

Asher Keddie as Simone
Richard Roxburgh as Nick
Sam Reid as Ray
Jessica De Gouw as Eliza
Luca Sardelis as Zoe
Yazeed Daher as Nassim
Pamela Rabe as Principal De Rossi
Leah Vandenberg as Ravneet
Rodney Afif as Rami
Sachin Joab as Sandeep
Elena Carapetis as Amanda
Nathan Page as Sam
James Lea as Background Artist
Kavitha Anandasivam as Amandip "Dip"
Joe Romeo as Marto
Alex Cusack as Andy
Jahanvi Bhardwaj as Josephine
Isabel Burmester as Rosie
Harrison Evans as Ozzy
Connor Pullinger as Oliver
Samuel Mazraeh as Ben
Lian Takayidza as Ariel

Episodes

No.	Title ^[3]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date ^[3]	Australia viewers (millions)
1	"Pics or it didn't happen"	Ana Kokkinos	Matthew Cormack	1 August 2019 (2019-08-01)	N/A
2	"dtf?"	Ana Kokkinos	Niki Aken	8 August 2019 (2019-08-08)	N/A
3	"#shittyboys"	Ana Kokkinos	Niki Aken & Matthew Cormack	15 August 2019 (2019-08-15)	N/A
4	"Sluts"	Sophie Hyde	Matthew Cormack	22 August 2019 (2019-08-22)	N/A

Themes

The Hunting tackles themes of misogyny, privacy, sexuality, online exploitation, sexualisation, toxic masculinity, gender^[2] and cyberbullying. Producer/director Sophie Hyde said that the film would explore how teens use technology "within sexual context and reframe the conversation to be about trust and consent, considering how we are culturally responsible".^[4]

Production

Originally titled The Hunt, funding for the series by Screen Australia was announced in July 2018.^[5] The four-part mini-series was written by Matthew Cormack and Niki Aken, and directed by Ana Kokkinos and Sophie Hyde. Produced by Rebecca Summerton, Sophie Hyde (both of Closer Productions) and Lisa Scott (of Highview Productions^[6]), it screened on SBS TV and on SBS On Demand from 1 August 2019.^[7]

Production by the Closer Productions team started in Adelaide, on 18 January 2019. Additional funding was provided by the South Australian Film Corporation and SBS.^[4]

Adelaide High School was used as a location setting.^[8]

Reception

The series had an overwhelmingly positive response, and became the highest-rated TV drama series commissioned by SBS.^[9]

Luke Buckmaster, writing for The Guardian, called the series a "very compelling, tense and prickly drama", praising the whole cast and the script, which "hangs together impressively, with admirable depth and nuance".^[10]

Wenlei Ma wrote in News.com.au that it addressed the important question "Why isn’t anyone talking about the boys?", and that the series was "wonderfully written..., incredibly tense and the performances are excellent".^[11]

Craig Mathieson titled his review in The Sydney Morning Herald: "Forget Home and Away, Australian TV needs more of this teen drama".^[12]

Chris Boyd wrote in Screenhub: The Hunting is an extremely rare event in Australian television history. The power and topicality of the story are more than matched by the quality of the writing and craft of the production. It's as hot and urgent as it is considered".^[13]

References

^ Knox, David (3 July 2019). "Airdate: The Hunting". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh to lead SBS/Closer Productions' 'The Hunting'". Inside Film. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
^ ^a ^b "The Hunting – Listings". Next Episode. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh to star in new SBS drama The Hunting". Screen Australia. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
^ Samios, Zoe (18 July 2018). "News New dramas for Ten, SBS and Stan after one-off investment by Screen Australia". Mumbrella. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
^ Keen, Suzie (10 November 2022). "Bestseller The Dictionary of Lost Words set to become a television series". InDaily. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^ "SBS announces cast for The Hunting". TV Tonight. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
^ "45-14 Adelaide High School". Adelaide City Explorer. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^ "The Hunting becomes the highest-rated SBS commission drama". Mumbrella. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^ Buckmaster, Luke (1 August 2019). "The Hunting review – an electrically uncomfortable sexual minefield navigated with nuance". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^ Ma, Wenlei (31 July 2019). "The Hunting will make you feel the heat of your own anger". news.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^ Mathieson, Craig (20 August 2019). "Forget Home and Away, Australian TV needs more of this teen drama". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^ Boyd, Chris (1 August 2019). "TV Review: The Hunting is hot and urgent". ScreenHub Australia. Retrieved 16 November 2022.