The Wilding

The Wilding is a 2012 Australian gay drama film written and directed by Grant Scicluna and funded through Springboard, an initiative of Screen Australia. The film stars Reef Ireland, Shannon Glowacki, Luke Mullins and Frank Sweet and had its world premiere in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival on 9 February 2012 and was nominated for the Teddy Award.

The film competed at number of film festivals including Sydney Film Festival, Show Me Shorts, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival and St Kilda Film Festival and earned good reviews before winning the prestigious Iris Prize in 2012.

Premise
Malcolm, a hardened borstal inmate, is in love with his cellmate Tye. As Malcolm faces an opportunity for parole, a feud with other inmates escalates, with Tye being targeted as Malcolm's weak spot. Malcolm is forced to choose between his own freedom and protecting the one he loves.

Cast

 * Reef Ireland as Malcolm
 * Luke Mullins as Adam
 * Frank Sweet as Gavin
 * Shannon Glowacki as Tye
 * Richard Anastasios as Simmo
 * Lachlan Ward as Bosey

Critical response
The film received mainly positive reviews with Adrian Naik of big gay picture show praising Scicluna's direction and said "This is raw Australian filmmaking at its best. Combining the visceral brutality of Romper Stomper and the gritty terror of Chopper, The Wilding holds its own against films of this caliber, while still shocking those numb to their effects."

Filming locations
The film was shot in Sunbury in Australia and its surrounding suburbs.

Feature film
In 2014 Screen Australia and Film Victoria announced investment in a feature film based on the short film, titled Downriver and will feature Ireland in the lead role.