Tony Ayres

Last updated

Tony Ayres
Born (1961-07-16) 16 July 1961 (age 63)
Years active1992–present
AwardsAACTA 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 16 July 1961) is an Australian showrunner, screenwriter, director in television and feature film. He is most notable for his films Walking on Water and The Home Song Stories , as well his work in television, including working as the showrunner on The Slap and teen adventure series Nowhere Boys .

Contents

Early life

On 16 July 1961, Ayres was born in Portuguese Macau (now in China). [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]

Education

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

In feature films, Ayres' first feature Walking on Water won the "Teddy Award" at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002 and won 5 AFI awards. 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.

Ayres was the showrunner and director of the eight episode miniseries The Slap , which won five AACTA Awards, including Best Miniseries or TV Movie, and was nominated for a BAFTA and International Emmy. His other credits include producing the comedy series Bogan Pride with Rebel Wilson, and directing the telemovie Saved . Ayres was the showrunner for the ABC3 show Nowhere Boys , as well as executive producer on Old School and Devil's Playground .

On 31 January 2025, it was announced that Netflix series The Survivors had been announced in the 2025 Australian drama slate, Ayres would produce and write for the show. [5] Ayres alongside Matchbox Pictures would be heavily involved with the production when it was first announced in 2023. [6]

Other activities

In 2018 after departing Matchbox Pictures, Ayres created his production company Tony Ayres Productions (TAP). [7]

On May 16 2023, Ayres was honoured with a honorary degree with a Doctor of Arts, film and television from AFTRS. [8]

In 2020 Ayres was appointed as a member and he served on the board of the South Australian Film Corporation for three years until his departure in 2023. [9] [10] [11]

Personal life

He is openly gay. [2]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleCredited asNotes
DirectorProducerWriter
1992Double TroubleYesNoYesDocumentary short film
1997ExposedYesNoNoShort film
1998Mrs. Craddock's ComplaintYesNoYesShort film
1998China DollsYesNoYes Documentary film
1999SadnessYesNoNoDocumentary film
2002 Walking on Water YesNoNo
2007 The Home Song Stories YesNoYes
2010 Lou NoYesNo
2011Miss South Sudan AustraliaNoYesYesDocumentary film
2013 The Turning YesNoNoSegment: "Cockleshell"
2013SpineNoNobased on an ideaShort film
2014 Cut Snake YesNoNo
2016 Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows NoexecutiveYes
2017 Ali's Wedding NoexecutiveNo

Television

The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.

YearTitleCredited asNetworkNotes
CreatorDirectorWriterExecutive
producer
1992 Six Pack NoNoYes (1)No SBS TV Anthology series
1994 Under the Skin NoNoYes (1)NoSBS TVAnthology series
1996 Naked: Stories of Men NoNoYes (1)No ABC Anthology series
1998 The Violent Earth NoNoYes (3)No Nine Network Miniseries
2009 Saved NoYesNoNoSBS TV Television film
2011 The Slap NoYes (2)NoNo ABC1 Producer
2013–18 Nowhere Boys YesNoNoYes ABC3
ABC Me
Producer (series 1)
Executive producer (series 2–4)
2015–19 Glitch YesNoNoYes ABC TV
2020 Stateless YesNoNoYesABC TV
2021 Clickbait YesNoYes (5)Yes Netflix Limited series
2021 Fires YesNoNoYesABC TVAnthology series
2025 The Survivors Netflix
Key
Denotes television series that have not yet been aired

Executive producer-only

YearTitleNetworkNotes
2005The Last ValleyABCDocumentary film
2008Two Men & Two BabiesSBS TVDocumentary film
2009–13AnatomyABC1 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 SBSSeries 1–2
2016–18 Wanted Seven Network
2017 Seven Types of Ambiguity ABC TV
2021 Creamerie TVNZ OnDemand Web series

Producer-only

YearTitleNetworkNotesRef
2008 Bogan Pride SBS TV
2016 Barracuda ABC TVMiniseries
2023The Spooky FilesABC TVTV series [12]

Awards

Tony Ayres won the award of Best Dramatic Feature at the 2015 Byron Bay International Film Festival for the film Cut Snake.

References

  1. 1 2 Prints and Printmaking, Australia entry for Tony Ayres
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Going beyond the pale". The Age , 4 April 2003.
  3. 1 2 "Writer and director Tony Ayres". ABC Queensland, 10 August 2007.
  4. 1 2 Williams, Gail (28 July 2007). "Tortured lives". PerthNow. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  5. Brzeski, Patrick (30 January 2025). "Netflix's Tasmanian Crime Series 'The Survivors' Reveals Cast, First Look". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  6. Knox, David (19 December 2023). "The Survivors taps into Tasmania for Netflix | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  7. Knox, David (18 July 2018). "Tony Ayres to set up new production company | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  8. Knox, David (16 May 2023). "AFTRS bestows honorary degrees | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  9. "Tony Ayres appointed to SAFC Board". SAFC. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  10. Knox, David (4 March 2023). "Tony Ayres departs SAFC Board | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  11. "SAFC bids farewell to Board member Tony Ayres". SAFC. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  12. Knox, David (13 October 2022). "ABC ME co-commissions The Spooky Files | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2025.