Matthew Barker

Background

About Matthew Barker

Matthew Barker is an Australian screenwriter living in rural Victoria, Australia. While he enjoys writing in many genres, his favourite is horror, and hopes to develop horror features and series with strong, complex characters within dynamic, innovative stories. As a trained counsellor in trauma, grief, and addiction, Matthew aspires to create authentic characters that reflect the real human struggle, bringing an added reality and effectiveness to the escapism of horror. As a gay man, Matthew wants to reflect under-represented people and communities on the screen such as those from the LGBTIQA+ community, where their story isn’t solely about their difference, where gay or transgender people get to save the day too. Matthew has won an Australian Writers’ Guild national screenwriting competition for unproduced screenplays and has had work win or place well in national and international competitions and programs, including being shortlisted in the Australians in Film Gateway LA Screenplay Program. He has participated in screenwriting and storytelling programs with Screenworks, Australians in Film and Film Victoria. ​In 2020 he won the Best Feature Screenplay – Unproduced at the A Night of Horror International Film Festival in Sydney. Matthew has screenplays optioned in Australia and been hired by international producers to rewrite existing IP.