Articles about Matchbox Pictures
Adapting to Survivors
Australian series The Survivors blends a murder mystery with character drama to explore the fallout from a past tragedy within a small coastal town. Exec producers Tony Ayres and Andrea Denholm open the book on this Netflix adaptation of Jane Harper’s novel.
Bad times
In Australian drama Bad Behaviour, a year spent in the wilderness comes back to haunt the former students of an exclusive girls’ boarding school. DQ speaks to the cast and creative team about developing the time-jumping story and creating a camp spirit on set.
Rising to the bait
Showrunner Tony Ayres takes DQ inside the making of Clickbait, a high-stakes thriller that uses multiple perspectives to tell a story about a man threatened with death in a mysterious online video.
Spiritual awakening
Matchbox Pictures’ ‘genre-bending’ four-parter Hungry Ghosts breaks new ground with a story set among a Vietnamese-Australian community where the trauma of the Vietnam War is reawakened in the form of ghosts.
In detention
Cate Blanchett, the co-creator and exec producer of Stateless, and Matchbox Pictures MD Alastair McKinnon discuss the global themes at the heart of this Australian drama about four people whose lives intersect at a detention centre.
United Stateless
Hollywood star Cate Blanchett discusses the six-year journey to bring Australian drama Stateless to the screen and explains why more broadcasters need to open up to this type of ‘elephant in the room’ storytelling.
Scaling new Heights
Warren Clarke, showrunner of Australian ensemble drama The Heights, discusses the making of this series set in a housing tower and the challenges of launching a serial drama.
Choppy waters
Commissioned by Australian pubcaster SBS, miniseries Safe Harbour offers a fresh perspective on the global refugee crisis. DQ sits down with the on- and off-screen talent behind the show to find out more about this ‘very cinematic’ piece of television.
Going against the current
Australian filmmaker Robert Connolly is bringing his brand of edgy and original content to the small screen with dramas including Barracuda and new series The Warriors.
Australian drama: Short and sweet wins the day
Australian viewers have embraced short-run dramas but are less receptive to new local series this year. DQ investigates the drama landscape down under.
On the up down under
As Oz drama writers are given a boost with the news that Screen Australia is providing funding for 23 films and TV series, Andy Fry examines the TV beneficiaries, with Stateless – written by Elise McCredie and directed by Cate Blanchett – leading the pack.