VALE DAVID HANNAY
(iconic Australian film producer 23/06/1939 – 31/03/2014)
by David King, filmmaker/video artist
On
Monday 31st March, 2014, the iconic Australian film producer, David
Hannay, died.
He had
suffered a heart attack after a long battle with cancer, and died from
complications at his home in Yetholme, NSW. His partner Mary Moody and family
were with him at the time.
Some
of you might have known him, however briefly. He was not a MIF member but he was
a producer who gave a start to many first-time writers, directors and producers.
My own
association with him began in the early 1980’s when he set out of produce a
feature film (Entangled) from a treatment and screenplay I had written.
Although
the film was never made, we maintained contact over the years, mainly through
my colleague and good friend from the Melbourne Filmmakers’ Co-Op days, Brian
Jones (also listed on MIF) who became one of Hannay’s closest personal friends.
In
2008, David Hannay suggested he Executive Produce the post production of my
first ultra-low budget feature film PURGE. Alas, that was not to be
either, for around this time, he discovered he had cancer.
With
cancer in remission, he concentrated on producing the film projects of Brian
Jones.
He
acted as a mentor to us both, helping with advice, encouragement, and contacts.
Shortly
before his death, he was planning to Executive Produce the remake of an erotic
rock’n’roll comedy, Coming Of Age, which Brian
and I had originally made in the early 1980’s.
As
well as being an iconic, multi-award-winning Australian film producer (the man
who produced the bikie classic, Stone and over 60 films and TV
series after that), he was, quite simply, the quintessential Good Bloke.
Three
MIF members (that I know of) were at his funeral...Jon Hewitt and his wife,
Brian Jones, and myself. Attended mostly by family and
friends rather than film industry people, the funeral was an eccentric, and oddly joyous affair tinged with sadness. The mourners took turns with
shovels to fill in the grave after the coffin had been lowered.
David
Hannay will be sadly missed.
David King
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