David Willing

Melbourne, Australia

David Willing is a writer/director based in Melbourne Australia. He fell in love with films at the age of five when he saw Beau Geste starring Gary Cooper. David studied Film & TV at Deakin University and his graduation film Disintegration received the highest honours and screened at Longford Cinema, MUFF2000 and Eyecandy2000.

His first feature film Surrogate had its World Premiere at Sun Theatre April 6th 2022 and is currently screening regionally in selected cinemas (click for screening locations). He Co-Wrote the award winning ghost horror screenplay with Beth King which was a finalist in Final Drafts Big Break and New York Horror Film Festival 2018 and Final 3 in Animal Logic/Truant Pictures Screenplay Competition. Watch Trailer.

2019 he launched Screenplay Method’s 1 Step-A-Day Screenplay an online Screenwriting resource he developed after 15 years experience teaching 1000’s of Screenwriters and Filmmakers.

In 2017 he directed My Little Life, a comedy mockumentary set in the world of competitive miniature dollhouse making. It's screened at numerous film festivals including Setting Sun Film Festival where it was nominated for 5 awards including Best Director, Best Film and Best Comedy.

In 2015 he directed The Escape Hatch, a funny, sweet and sexy comedy about love. It has selected by more than 50 national and international film festivals including BFI Flare 30th Anniversary, San Francisco prestigious Frameline, Melbourne Queer Festival and throughout the USA, Europe, Asia and South America winning 5 awards.

That year David also wrote/directed/edited Walking With The Mursi, an adventure travel documentary about his 500km hike across the remote and desolate tribal region of the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia. The intimate and personal story combined with unique footage is one of the last authentic adventures into the disappearing world of the Mursi.

In 2013 David directed and co-wrote Lunch Date, a sharp comedy about online dating for Open Channel and Screen Australia’s Raw Nerve initiative. Broadcast in 2014 as part of ABC2’s First Date/Worst Date it was the highest rating short with 79000 viewers, earning it an additional two screenings.

David has written eight feature films including The Seduction which was developed through Film Victoria’s Catapult Initiative and Collar which was short listed by Australian Film Commission. He is also developing three crime TV series, The Binding Murders, Future Past and Tube-Watch.

His earlier short film Collier Brothers Syndrome depicting two brothers suffering mental illness premiered at St Kilda Film Festival, screened twice on SBSTV and was awarded Best Sound Design by the Australian Screen Sound Guild.