Members of the Australian screen industry have been shocked to learn one of the nation’s most successful and prolific production companies, Matchbox Pictures – and its subsidiary Tony Ayres Productions – will shut their doors this week.

Matchbox was closed by its parent company, Universal International Studios, and the closure has resulted in the loss of 30 full-time equivalent positions.

The reasons cited by Universal are vague. According to a media release, “extensive evaluation of the business and the broader production landscape” influenced the decision. The global production arm of NBCUniversal has said it will take on new business and talent on a case-by-case basis from here on.

This is crushing news for the local screen industry, which finds itself increasingly beholden to decisions made by overseas corporations.

18 years in the making

Matchbox Pictures was founded in 2008 by screen industry stalwarts Tony Ayres, Penny Chapman, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhurst.

Together, they have made........

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