Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh in ‘The Hunting.’
Closer Productions’ The Hunting, a four-part drama which examines how teenagers navigate the complexities of relationships, identity and sexuality via technology, will premiere on SBS at 8.30 pm on Thursday August 1.
Created by Closer’s Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack and starring Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, the plot follows two high school teachers who discover students are sharing explicit photos of their underage friends and peers online.
The revelation has devastating consequences for the students and their families, tackling themes of misogyny, privacy, sexuality and sexualisation, online exploitation, masculinity and gender.
The ensemble cast includes Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw, Luca Sardelis, Yazeed Daher, Pamela Rabe, Leah Vandenberg, Rodney Afif, Sachin Joab, Elena Carapetis, Anni Lindner and newcomers Kavitha Anandasivam and Alex Cusack.
Cormack penned the scripts with Niki Aken, and Hyde shared directing duties with Ana Kokkinos. Hyde produces with Rebecca Summerton and Lisa Scott. Bonnie Elliott is the DOP and Bryan Mason the editor.
Asher Keddie said: “I have four and nine-year-old sons and the world that they are navigating is vastly different to the one I grew up in. I think The Hunting, and the conversations it will inevitably ignite are really necessary, to stay on the front foot and to help raise emotionally intelligent, respectful human beings.”
Richard Roxburgh said: “This series explores deeply entrenched patterns of behaviour. It’s critical for us to understand that the ripples of this behaviour have consequences, and in particular, they permeate masculine culture everywhere. Any parent will be aware of the new pressures of dealing with the conundrums of social media once your children can go down the rabbit hole of accessible Internet.”