Tony Ayres quickly gained attention upon graduating from film school with a succession of internationally awarded television drama scripts. He was equally successful as a writer/director of documentary, again winning major international awards for his work. His feature debut, Walking on Water, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002, and went on to collect a swag of awards including the prestigious Teddy Award for Best Gay/Lesbian Film at Berlin and five accolades at the AFI Awards, Australia's equivalent of the Independent Spirit Awards.