Tony Ayres
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Tony Ayres | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961 (age 64–65) |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Awards | AACTA Award for Best Children's Television Series 2013 Nowhere Boys Inside Film Award for Best Director 2007 The Home Song Stories Berlinale "Teddy" for Best Feature Film 2002 Walking on Water Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction 2007 The Home Song Stories Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted) 2007 The Home Song Stories |
Tony Ayres (born 1961) is an Australian showrunner, screenwriter, and director in television and film. He is most notable for his films Walking on Water (2002) and The Home Song Stories (2007), as well his work in television, including working as the showrunner on The Slap and teen adventure series Nowhere Boys (2013). He founded his own film production company, Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), in 2018.
Early life and education
[edit]Tony Ayres was born in Portuguese Macau (now in China) in 1961.[1] In 1964, Ayres' mother married an Australian sailor and migrated her family to Perth, Western Australia.[2]
In 1972, when Ayres was 11 years old, his mother died by suicide. She was a nightclub singer.[2][3]
Ayres' stepfather died of a heart attack three years after the death of his wife, and two days before he was due to remarry.[2][4] Ayres and his older sister briefly lived with their stepfather's former fiancée, before being placed in the care of Ayres' history teacher (whom his sister would later end up marrying).[2] Ayres temporarily relocated to Canberra, ACT, to study, before moving back to help care for the teacher and his children.[2] Ayres' 2007 film The Home Song Stories is loosely based on this early period of his life.[3]
Ayres attended Ardross Primary School and Applecross Senior High School, later studying photography and printmaking at the Australian National University in Canberra, before working as an exhibition curator. He later completed postgraduate studies in film and video at the Swinburne Film and Television School (now the University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA and MCM School of Film and Television) in Melbourne, Victoria.[1][4]
Career
[edit]Ayres' first feature film, Walking on Water, won the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002, and won 5 AFI Awardss.[citation needed] His second feature film, The Home Song Stories, also premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, and won 24 Australian and international awards, including 8 AFI Awards.[citation needed]
Ayres was the showrunner and director of the 8-episode miniseries The Slap,[when?] which won five AACTA Awards, including Best Miniseries or TV Movie, and was nominated for a BAFTA and International Emmy.[citation needed] His other credits include producing the comedy series Bogan Pride with Rebel Wilson,[when?] and directing the 2009 telemovie Saved.[citation needed] Ayres was the showrunner for the ABC3 show Nowhere Boys, as well as executive producer on Old School and Devil's Playground.[citation needed]
On 31 January 2025, it was announced that Netflix series The Survivors had been announced in the 2025 Australian drama slate, and that Ayres would produce and write for the show.[5] Ayres, alongside Matchbox Pictures, was heavily involved with the production when it was first announced in 2023.[6] On 4 July 2025, ABC announced it was in active production with Ayres for a new series called Toxic based on the Erin Patterson "mushroom murders" trial.[7]
Other activities
[edit]In 2018, after departing Matchbox Pictures, Ayres created his production company Tony Ayres Productions (TAP).[8]
In 2020 Ayres was appointed as a board member of the South Australian Film Corporation for three years.[9][10][11]
Recognition and honours
[edit]On 16 May 2023, Ayres was awarded an honorary degree with a Doctor of Arts in film and television from AFTRS.[12]
Personal life
[edit]Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 1992 | Double Trouble | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary short film |
| 1997 | Exposed | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| 1998 | Mrs. Craddock's Complaint | Yes | No | Yes | Short film |
| 1998 | China Dolls | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary film |
| 1999 | Sadness | Yes | No | No | Documentary film |
| 2002 | Walking on Water | Yes | No | No | |
| 2007 | The Home Song Stories | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2010 | Lou | No | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Miss South Sudan Australia | No | Yes | Yes | Documentary film |
| 2013 | The Turning | Yes | No | No | Segment: "Cockleshell" |
| 2013 | Spine | No | No | based on an idea | Short film |
| 2014 | Cut Snake | Yes | No | No | |
| 2016 | Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows | No | executive | Yes | |
| 2017 | Ali's Wedding | No | executive | No | |
Television
[edit]The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.
| Year | Title | Credited as | Network | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Director | Writer | Executive producer | ||||
| 1992 | Six Pack | No | No | Yes (1) | No | SBS TV | Anthology series |
| 1994 | Under the Skin | No | No | Yes (1) | No | SBS TV | Anthology series |
| 1996 | Naked: Stories of Men | No | No | Yes (1) | No | ABC | Anthology series |
| 1998 | The Violent Earth | No | No | Yes (3) | No | Nine Network | Miniseries |
| 2009 | Saved | No | Yes | No | No | SBS TV | Television film |
| 2011 | The Slap | No | Yes (2) | No | No | ABC1 | Producer |
| 2013–18 | Nowhere Boys | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC3 ABC Me | Producer (series 1) Executive producer (series 2–4) |
| 2015–19 | Glitch | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC TV | |
| 2020 | Stateless | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC TV | |
| 2021 | Clickbait | Yes | No | Yes (5) | Yes | Netflix | Limited series |
| 2021 | Fires | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC TV | Anthology series |
| 2025 | The Survivors | Yes | No | Yes (2) | Yes | Netflix | Limited Series |
| † | Denotes television series that have not yet been aired |
Executive producer-only
[edit]| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Last Valley | ABC | Documentary film |
| 2008 | Two Men & Two Babies | SBS TV | Documentary film |
| 2009–13 | Anatomy | ABC1 | Docuseries Producer (series 1–2) Executive producer (series 3: 1 episode, series 4) |
| 2012 | The Straits | ||
| 2012 | Underground: The Julian Assange Story | Network Ten | Television film |
| 2013 | Next Stop Hollywood | ABC1 | |
| 2014 | Old School | ||
| 2014 | Devil's Playground | Showcase | |
| 2015 | The Slap | NBC | Miniseries |
| 2015 | Maximum Choppage | ABC2 | |
| 2016–17 | The Family Law | SBS | Series 1–2 |
| 2016–18 | Wanted | Seven Network | |
| 2017 | Seven Types of Ambiguity | ABC TV | |
| 2021 | Creamerie | TVNZ OnDemand | Web series |
Producer-only
[edit]| Year | Title | Network | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Bogan Pride | SBS TV | ||
| 2016 | Barracuda | ABC TV | Miniseries | |
| 2023 | The Spooky Files | ABC TV | TV series | [13] |
Awards
[edit]Tony Ayres won the award of Best Dramatic Feature at the 2015 Byron Bay International Film Festival for the film Cut Snake.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Tony Ayres on Prints and Printmaking
- ^ a b c d e f "Going beyond the pale". The Age, 4 April 2003.
- ^ a b "Writer and director Tony Ayres". ABC Queensland, 10 August 2007.
- ^ a b Williams, Gail (28 July 2007). "Tortured lives". PerthNow. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ Brzeski, Patrick (30 January 2025). "Netflix's Tasmanian Crime Series 'The Survivors' Reveals Cast, First Look". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (19 December 2023). "The Survivors taps into Tasmania for Netflix | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Writer, Staff (3 July 2025). "Tony Ayres Productions, ABC begin development on series inspired by Erin Patterson case". IF Magazine. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (18 July 2018). "Tony Ayres to set up new production company | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Tony Ayres appointed to SAFC Board". SAFC. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (4 March 2023). "Tony Ayres departs SAFC Board | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "SAFC bids farewell to Board member Tony Ayres". SAFC. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (16 May 2023). "AFTRS bestows honorary degrees | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (13 October 2022). "ABC ME co-commissions The Spooky Files | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
External links
[edit]- Tony Ayres at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Australian film directors
- Australian film producers
- Australian people of Macanese descent
- Macau emigrants to Australia
- Chinese emigrants to Australia
- Chinese LGBTQ screenwriters
- Chinese gay writers
- 21st-century Chinese male writers
- Australian gay writers
- Australian male screenwriters
- Australian television producers
- Australian television writers
- Australian LGBTQ screenwriters
- Australian LGBTQ film directors
- Gay screenwriters
- Australian male television writers
- Mass media people from Perth, Western Australia
- People educated at Applecross Senior High School
- LGBTQ television directors
- Australian television directors
- Showrunners
- Australian film production company founders
- Best Director AACTA Award winners
Tony Ayres | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961 (age 64–65) |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Awards | AACTA Award for Best Children's Television Series 2013 Nowhere Boys Inside Film Award for Best Director 2007 The Home Song Stories Berlinale "Teddy" for Best Feature Film 2002 Walking on Water Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction 2007 The Home Song Stories Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted) 2007 The Home Song Stories |
Tony Ayres (born 1961) is an Australian showrunner, screenwriter, and director in television and film. He is most notable for his films Walking on Water (2002) and The Home Song Stories (2007), as well his work in television, including working as the showrunner on The Slap and teen adventure series Nowhere Boys (2013). He founded his own film production company, Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), in 2018.
Early life and education
Tony Ayres was born in Portuguese Macau (now in China) in 1961.[1] In 1964, Ayres' mother married an Australian sailor and migrated her family to Perth, Western Australia.[2]
In 1972, when Ayres was 11 years old, his mother died by suicide. She was a nightclub singer.[2][3]
Ayres' stepfather died of a heart attack three years after the death of his wife, and two days before he was due to remarry.[2][4] Ayres and his older sister briefly lived with their stepfather's former fiancée, before being placed in the care of Ayres' history teacher (whom his sister would later end up marrying).[2] Ayres temporarily relocated to Canberra, ACT, to study, before moving back to help care for the teacher and his children.[2] Ayres' 2007 film The Home Song Stories is loosely based on this early period of his life.[3]
Ayres attended Ardross Primary School and Applecross Senior High School, later studying photography and printmaking at the Australian National University in Canberra, before working as an exhibition curator. He later completed postgraduate studies in film and video at the Swinburne Film and Television School (now the University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA and MCM School of Film and Television) in Melbourne, Victoria.[1][4]
Career
Ayres' first feature film, Walking on Water, won the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002, and won 5 AFI Awardss.[citation needed] His second feature film, The Home Song Stories, also premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, and won 24 Australian and international awards, including 8 AFI Awards.[citation needed]
Ayres was the showrunner and director of the 8-episode miniseries The Slap,[when?] which won five AACTA Awards, including Best Miniseries or TV Movie, and was nominated for a BAFTA and International Emmy.[citation needed] His other credits include producing the comedy series Bogan Pride with Rebel Wilson,[when?] and directing the 2009 telemovie Saved.[citation needed] Ayres was the showrunner for the ABC3 show Nowhere Boys, as well as executive producer on Old School and Devil's Playground.[citation needed]
On 31 January 2025, it was announced that Netflix series The Survivors had been announced in the 2025 Australian drama slate, and that Ayres would produce and write for the show.[5] Ayres, alongside Matchbox Pictures, was heavily involved with the production when it was first announced in 2023.[6] On 4 July 2025, ABC announced it was in active production with Ayres for a new series called Toxic based on the Erin Patterson "mushroom murders" trial.[7]
Other activities
In 2018, after departing Matchbox Pictures, Ayres created his production company Tony Ayres Productions (TAP).[8]
In 2020 Ayres was appointed as a board member of the South Australian Film Corporation for three years.[9][10][11]
Recognition and honours
On 16 May 2023, Ayres was awarded an honorary degree with a Doctor of Arts in film and television from AFTRS.[12]
Personal life
Ayres is openly gay.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 1992 | Double Trouble | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary short film |
| 1997 | Exposed | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| 1998 | Mrs. Craddock's Complaint | Yes | No | Yes | Short film |
| 1998 | China Dolls | Yes | No | Yes | Documentary film |
| 1999 | Sadness | Yes | No | No | Documentary film |
| 2002 | Walking on Water | Yes | No | No | |
| 2007 | The Home Song Stories | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2010 | Lou | No | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Miss South Sudan Australia | No | Yes | Yes | Documentary film |
| 2013 | The Turning | Yes | No | No | Segment: "Cockleshell" |
| 2013 | Spine | No | No | based on an idea | Short film |
| 2014 | Cut Snake | Yes | No | No | |
| 2016 | Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows | No | executive | Yes | |
| 2017 | Ali's Wedding | No | executive | No | |
Television
The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.
| Year | Title | Credited as | Network | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Director | Writer | Executive producer | ||||
| 1992 | Six Pack | No | No | Yes (1) | No | SBS TV | Anthology series |
| 1994 | Under the Skin | No | No | Yes (1) | No | SBS TV | Anthology series |
| 1996 | Naked: Stories of Men | No | No | Yes (1) | No | ABC | Anthology series |
| 1998 | The Violent Earth | No | No | Yes (3) | No | Nine Network | Miniseries |
| 2009 | Saved | No | Yes | No | No | SBS TV | Television film |
| 2011 | The Slap | No | Yes (2) | No | No | ABC1 | Producer |
| 2013–18 | Nowhere Boys | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC3 ABC Me | Producer (series 1) Executive producer (series 2–4) |
| 2015–19 | Glitch | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC TV | |
| 2020 | Stateless | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC TV | |
| 2021 | Clickbait | Yes | No | Yes (5) | Yes | Netflix | Limited series |
| 2021 | Fires | Yes | No | No | Yes | ABC TV | Anthology series |
| 2025 | The Survivors | Yes | No | Yes (2) | Yes | Netflix | Limited Series |
| † | Denotes television series that have not yet been aired |
Executive producer-only
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Last Valley | ABC | Documentary film |
| 2008 | Two Men & Two Babies | SBS TV | Documentary film |
| 2009–13 | Anatomy | ABC1 | Docuseries Producer (series 1–2) Executive producer (series 3: 1 episode, series 4) |
| 2012 | The Straits | ||
| 2012 | Underground: The Julian Assange Story | Network Ten | Television film |
| 2013 | Next Stop Hollywood | ABC1 | |
| 2014 | Old School | ||
| 2014 | Devil's Playground | Showcase | |
| 2015 | The Slap | NBC | Miniseries |
| 2015 | Maximum Choppage | ABC2 | |
| 2016–17 | The Family Law | SBS | Series 1–2 |
| 2016–18 | Wanted | Seven Network | |
| 2017 | Seven Types of Ambiguity | ABC TV | |
| 2021 | Creamerie | TVNZ OnDemand | Web series |
Producer-only
| Year | Title | Network | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Bogan Pride | SBS TV | ||
| 2016 | Barracuda | ABC TV | Miniseries | |
| 2023 | The Spooky Files | ABC TV | TV series | [13] |
Awards
Tony Ayres won the award of Best Dramatic Feature at the 2015 Byron Bay International Film Festival for the film Cut Snake.
References
- ^ a b Tony Ayres on Prints and Printmaking
- ^ a b c d e f "Going beyond the pale". The Age, 4 April 2003.
- ^ a b "Writer and director Tony Ayres". ABC Queensland, 10 August 2007.
- ^ a b Williams, Gail (28 July 2007). "Tortured lives". PerthNow. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ Brzeski, Patrick (30 January 2025). "Netflix's Tasmanian Crime Series 'The Survivors' Reveals Cast, First Look". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (19 December 2023). "The Survivors taps into Tasmania for Netflix | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Writer, Staff (3 July 2025). "Tony Ayres Productions, ABC begin development on series inspired by Erin Patterson case". IF Magazine. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (18 July 2018). "Tony Ayres to set up new production company | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Tony Ayres appointed to SAFC Board". SAFC. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (4 March 2023). "Tony Ayres departs SAFC Board | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "SAFC bids farewell to Board member Tony Ayres". SAFC. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (16 May 2023). "AFTRS bestows honorary degrees | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Knox, David (13 October 2022). "ABC ME co-commissions The Spooky Files | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
External links
- Tony Ayres at IMDb