Tony Ayres (born 16 July 1961) is an Australian

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

in television and feature film. He is most notable for his films '' Walking on Water'' and ''

The Home Song Stories ''The Home Song Stories'' is a 2007 Australian drama film written and directed by Tony Ayres, loosely based on aspects of his life. It stars Joan Chen, Joel Lok, Qi Yuwu, Irene Chen, Steven Vidler and Kerry Walker. The film premiered at t ...

'', as well his work in television, including working as the showrunner on '' The Slap'' and teen adventure series ''

Nowhere Boys ''Nowhere Boys'' is an Australian teen drama television series created by Tony Ayres. It was first broadcast on ABC3 (which is now officially named ABCME) on 7 November 2013. The first two series follow the adventures of four mismatched teenag ...

''.

Early life

On 16 July 1961, Ayres was born in

Portuguese Macau Portuguese Macau (officially the Province of Macau until 1976, and then the Autonomous Region of Macau from 1976 to 1999) was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colony that existed from the first official Portuguese settlement in 1557 to the ...

(now in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

).Prints and Printmaking, Australia entry for Tony Ayres
/ref> In 1964, Ayres' mother married an Australian sailor and migrated her family to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. In 1972, when Ayres was 11 years old, his mother died by suicide. She was a

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

."Going beyond the pale"
''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'', 4 April 2003."Writer and director Tony Ayres"

ABC Queensland ABC Television in Brisbane comprises national programming on the ABC television network in or from Brisbane, Queensland which broadcasts on a number of channels under the ABC call sign. There is some local programming from the Brisbane studio ...

, 10 August 2007. Ayres' stepfather died of a heart attack four years after the death of his wife, and two days before he was due to remarry. Ayres and his older sister briefly lived with their stepfather's former fiancée, before being placed in the care of Ayres' history teacher. They then moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, ACT with their guardian, whom Ayres' sister later married. Ayres' 2007 film ''

'' is loosely based on this early period of his life.

Education

Ayres attended Ardross Primary School and

Applecross Senior High School Applecross Senior High School is a public co-educational high school, located in Ardross, a southern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1958, Applecross Senior High School has traditionally been one of the leading public high schoo ...

, later studying photography and printmaking at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

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 The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (formerly known as the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music) is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. It is located near the Melbour ...

School of Film and Television) in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Career

In feature films, Ayres' first feature '' Walking on Water'' won the "Teddy Award" at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

in 2002 and won 5

AFI award The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsi ...

s. His second feature film, ''

'', 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 The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sc ...

. His other credits include producing the comedy series ''

Bogan Pride ''Bogan Pride'' is an Australian comedy television series which first screened on SBS TV in 2008. The six-part series created by and starring actress, Rebel Wilson. The series centres on the life of a teenage bogan girl. Synopsis Jennie Cragg ( ...

'' with

Rebel Wilson Rebel Melanie Elizabeth Wilson (born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds; 2 March 1980) is an Australian actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, Wilson began appearing as Tou ...

, and directing the telemovie '' Saved''. Ayres was the showrunner for the ABC3 show ''

'', as well as executive producer on ''Old School'' and '' Devil's Playground''.

Personal life

He is openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

Filmography

Film

Television

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

Executive producer-only

Producer-only

Awards

Tony Ayres won the award of Best Dramatic Feature at the 2015

Byron Bay International Film Festival The Byron Bay Film Festival is a popular AACTA Awards accredited independent awards-based film event held in the late Australian summer at the Byron Community & Cultural Centre, in the coastal town of Byron Bay. The festival was established in ...

for the film ''Cut Snake''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayres, Tony 1961 births Living people Australian film directors Australian film producers Australian people of Macanese descent Macau emigrants to Australia Chinese emigrants to Australia Chinese LGBT writers Australian screenwriters Australian television producers Australian television writers Australian LGBT writers LGBT film directors Gay screenwriters Australian male television writers People from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Applecross Senior High School LGBT television directors Australian television directors Showrunners