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Tony Ayres

Tony Ayres

Producer, writer and director, also actor · Born July 16, 1961 (65) · Macau, China

BAFTA Award nominee · 1 other major award body

Tony Ayres is a highly admired writer and director, whose work as ‘showrunner’ on programs such as ‘The Slap’ (2011), adapted from the novel by Christos Tsiolkas, ‘Bogan Pride’ (2008) starring Rebel Wilson, ‘Nowhere Boys’ (2014) and ‘Glitch’ (2015), directed by fellow VCA alumnus Emma Freeman, have put Ayres at the centre of the Australian screen industry and made him one its most influential leaders. He is a founding partner of Matchbox Pictures.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 16, 1961 (65)
From
Macau, China
Works as
Producer, writer and director, also actor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 41 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 7% in 30 days

What are Tony Ayres' films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Self
19%
Society
19%
Survival
16%
Morality
11%
Power
5%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Melancholic
6
Warm
3
Hopeful
5
Contemplative
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Tony Ayres' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tony Ayres' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

41 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Survivors(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • The Rooster(2023)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Spooky Files (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Fires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer

  • Clickbait(2021)

    Show 8 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Creamerie(2021)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Stateless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Everyone's a Critic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 9 episodes · Idea

  • Seven Types of Ambiguity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Ali's Wedding(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Barracuda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 4 episodes · Producer

  • Wanted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 18 episodes · Executive Producer

  • The Family Law(2016)

    Show 12 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows(2016)

    Creator · Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Cut Snake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director

  • Glitch(2015)

    Show 12 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • The Slap(2015)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • Devil's Playground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Old School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Nowhere Boys(2013)

    Show 39 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • The Turning(2013)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Next Stop Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

  • The Straits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Underground: The Julian Assange Story(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Slap(2011)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Lou(2010)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Saved (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • Bogan Pride(2008)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • The Home Song Stories(2007)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Thunderstruck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Script Editor

  • Walking on Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • He Died with a Felafel in His Hand(2001)

    Script Editor

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Mallboy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Script Editor

  • Soft Fruit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Script Editor

  • Sadness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • The Violent Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

  • Mrs Craddock's Complaint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Writer

  • The Violent Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Writer

  • China Dolls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Writer · as Narrator / Self (archival footage)

  • Exposed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Writer

  • Sons of... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 36 titles from 1985 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Turning (2013)

$1.1M worldwide

Highest rated

The Home Song Stories (2007)

Midcredits 83rd

Most popular right now

The Survivors (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 36: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting11 of 36: 6 only directing, 5 with another roleWriting15 of 36: 7 only writing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stProducing18 of 36: 10 only producing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thOther crew8 of 36: 1 only other crew, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score47th

36 titles, 12 with more than one role — producing and writing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s7 · 1 acting · 7 crew2000s6 · crew2010s16 · crew2020s6 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 major awards from 3 major nominations, 2002–2012.

WinNomination
  1. 2012
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best International
  2. 2002
    • Berlinale award, won · Best Feature Film
    • Berlinale award, won

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Tony Ayres' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · producer

Bogan Pride (2008)

88th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001)

Midcredits 84th · 72% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Tony Ayres work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tony Ayres' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael McMahon shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles