Martin Fabinyi

Martin Fabinyi is an Australian film and television producer and director, songwriter and music label owner and has written books on the local rock music scene. He was the chief executive officer of Mushroom Pictures[1] from its formation in 1993 to 2009. His film projects include the features Chopper (2000),[2] Gettin' Square (2003), Wolf Creek (2005) and Macbeth (2006).[3] Fabinyi was profiled by Variety.[4]

Martin Fabinyi
Born
Martin Fabinyi

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupations
  • Record label owner
  • producer
  • director
  • screenwriter
Years active1972–present
SpouseJenny-Jane Carpenter (1986–1993) divorced

In 1978 Fabinyi and composer Cameron Allan formed the label Regular Records,[5] initially for releases by pop / rock band, Mental As Anything.

Early life

Martin Fabinyi was born and grew up in Melbourne. He was one of five children of the Hungarian-born book publisher Dr.[Andrew Fabinyi] OBE ] (1908–1978), and Elisabeth Clare (nee Robinson, 1912–2002), an administrative officer and librarian.[6][7][8] Fabinyi was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne. He worked as a film editor and appeared as Cousin Martin on the children's Tarax Show with "Uncle" Norman Swain on the Nine Network.

Career

In 1973 he moved to Sydney and joined the Filmmakers Co-op. Fabinyi, who had shot independent works in Adelaide, received a grant from the Experimental Film Board to make The Vacuum (1975),[9] one of the first projects in Australia to be shot on portable videotape. A satire on the personalities behind religious cults, featuring a game show guest starring Johnny O'Keefe and starring Stephen MacLean, Charlie Dare and drag act Sylvia and the Synthetics, the video premiered at the Co-op,[9] and toured universities with a live performance from the Synthetics and Fabinyi's earlier work, including the controversial TV Dinner (1973). Fabinyi, who was influenced by German artist Otto Muehl, continued to work in video and was a founding member of Bush Video, the group which wired up and broadcast on-site during the 1973 Aquarius Festival in Nimbin. In 1974 Fabinyi received a grant to screen a selection of Australian experimental films in London. Writing for Filmnews he reported on the series of events held in April to May 1975.[10]

He continued working with the group Sylvia and the Synthetics in performance art and was invited to participate in the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 1975. His piece, which involved nudity and video was staged in a tent next to the Torrens River and attracted the attention of the local police who claimed they could see behind the screens and charged Fabinyi with "Aiding and abetting an indecent act". Whilst the Adelaide Festival organisers debated whether to show the video across the city (that year monitors screened events on most city street corners), Fabinyi was in court. Eventually, after an appeal was lost, he was sentenced to three months hard labour.

Fabinyi returned to Sydney and the world of rock and roll, teaming with photographer Philip Morris for the book, The Bumper Book of Rock.[11] With Morris he designed record covers, photo shoots and documented the 1970s Sydney scene with Morris and rock legend Johnny O'Keefe. Fabinyi began writing feature film scripts with co-writers and directors including Cameron Allan (1955–2013).[12]

Regular Records
Main article: Regular Records

Fabinyi and Allan also shared a passion for pop music especially Sydney-based band Mental As Anything, which became the first signing for their new label, Regular Records, formed in September 1978.[13][14] The band's talent manager was soon replaced by his brother, Jeremy Fabinyi.[14] Distributed by Festival Records, Regular Records nevertheless remained as an independent label for fifteen years, breaking artists such as Icehouse, I'm Talking and Kate Ceberano.[14] It released "Australiana" (1983), which became a number-one hit for comedian, Austen Tayshus.[15] Regular Records also signed the Reels,[16][17] Stephen Cummings,[18] the Cockroaches (later became the Wiggles)[19] and Electric Pandas.[20][21] Allan left Australia (and the label) in mid-1980s to work in the United States but continued producing for the label;[12] Fabinyi sold the label in 1995.

In 1990 Fabinyi was appointed editor of Follow Me Gentlemen, a men's fashion magazine version of Follow Me.[22] Changing its name to FMG, it was a precursor to Australian men's fashion and general magazines.[23] In 1999 Fabinyi and Toby Creswell co-authored The Real Thing: Adventures in Australian Rock & Roll, 1957-now, a history of Australian rock and roll between 1957 and the late 1990s.[24][25]

Mushroom Pictures
Main article: Mushroom Pictures

Fabinyi formed Mushroom Pictures with Michael Gudinski of Mushroom Records in 1993 as the film-making branch of the Mushroom Group.[26][27] Mushroom Pictures began by making documentaries for the ABC, Discovery Channel and the Nine Network. Early works were Tribal Voice – Yothu Yindi (1993 TV documentary on Indigenous rock group Yothu Yindi), Kate Ceberano & Friends (1993 TV series),[28][29] Next to Nothing and Nothing to Hide (on lingerie and swimwear) and The Singer and the Swinger (1998 TV documentary on Johnny O'Keefe and Lee Gordon).[30]

In 2000 Mushroom Pictures produced and released the horror feature spoof Cut starring Molly Ringwald and Kylie Minogue, which was sold worldwide and achieved box office success in Europe and Asia. Mushroom Pictures' second feature, Chopper, which Fabinyi executive produced, was the first Australian R+18 rated feature to go No. 1, grossing over $5 million. It became a worldwide cult phenomena and launched the careers of both director Andrew Dominik and actor Eric Bana. Mushroom Pictures moved into local distribution with Russian Doll. In 2003, Fabinyi produced Gettin' Square, directed by Jonathan Teplitzky and starring David Wenham and Sam Worthington, which garnered box office success and critical acclaim. This was followed by Geoffrey Wright's take on Macbeth, also starring Sam Worthington.[31] Mushroom Pictures moved back to television with Great Australian Albums seasons 1 (2007) and 2 (2008), an eight-part documentary series on influential Australian bands' albums for SBS Television. Its first season was described by Graeme Blundell in The Australian as the best documentary series of the year. Mushroom Pictures distributed the American documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the feature film Cedar Boys,[32] and Mad Bastards in 2010. Fabinyi had worked as CEO from 1994 to 2009.[33]

Beyond Entertainment
Main article: Beyond Entertainment

In 2010 Fabinyi joined Beyond Entertainment as Head of Documentaries and Feature Films.[34] Manny Lewis, a feature film starring Carl Barron, was released in 2015 in conjunction with Studio Canal.[35] The origins of AC/DC were a part of a documentary on the record label Albert Productions, Blood + Thunder (2015), written and directed by Paul Clarke.[36] This two-part documentary mini-series was screened on ABC-TV and BBC4.

Fabinyi and Beyond CEO Mikael Borglund executive produced the 12-part ABC-TV music documentary series Days Like These with Diesel (2022).[37] Fabinyi has produced The Hardest Line a feature-length documentary on Midnight Oil in conjunction with Blink TV to be released through Roadshow Films in 2024. He also co-produced feature documentary The Angels: Kickin' Down the Door,[38] released through Universal Pictures in 2022 and co-executive produced John Farnham: Finding the Voice which was released on 18 May 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing becoming the highest opening box office for a music documentary released in Australia. It has now become the highest grossing Australian documentary of all time with box office in excess of $4 million. The Midnight Oil documentary, The Hardest Line, is slated for 2024. In development are scripted features and documentaries with emerging filmmakers.

Bibliography

Books
  • Fabinyi, Martin (1972). X. Lindfield, NSW. ISBN 0-9599297-0-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[39]
  • Morris, Philip; Martin Fabinyi (1976). The Bumper Book of Rock. Collingwood, Vic: Outback Press. ISBN 0-86888-043-4.[40]
  • Creswell, Toby; Martin Fabinyi (1986). Too Much Ain't Enough. Milsons Point, NSW: Random House. ISBN 0-09-182818-X.[41]
  • Creswell, Toby; Martin Fabinyi (1999). The Real Thing: Adventures in Australian Rock & Roll, 1957-now. Milsons Point, NSW: Random House. ISBN 978-0-09-183547-7.[42][43]

Articles

Filmography

Credits:[44][45]

  • TV Dinner (1973) – video: filmmaker[46]
  • The Vacuum (1975) – video feature: director, writer, producer
  • Pure S (1975) - feature film: writer, ("The Vacuum")
  • Around The World In Eighty Ways (1988) - feature film: music consultant
  • The Crossing (1990) – feature film: music co-ordinator
  • Tribal Voice – Yothu Yindi (1993) – TV documentary: producer[47]
  • Fashion (1993) – TV series: executive producer
  • Kate Ceberano & Friends (1993) – TV series: executive producer[28]
  • Next to Nothing/Nothing to Hide (1995) – TV series: executive producer
  • Counting the Beat (1996) – TV documentary: executive producer
  • The Singer and the Swinger (1999) – documentary: executive producer
  • Cut (2000) – feature film: producer
  • Chopper (2000) – feature film: executive producer
  • Horseplay (2003) – feature film: executive producer
  • The National Karaoke Challenge (2004) - TV series: executive producer
  • Gettin' Square (2003) – feature film: producer
  • Wolf Creek (2005) – feature film: executive producer
  • Macbeth (2006) – producer
  • Storm Warning (2007) – feature film: executive producer
  • Great Australian Albums (2007, 2008) – TV series: executive producer
  • Cannot Buy My Soul (2008) – feature documentary: executive producer
  • Cedar Boys (2009) – feature film: executive producer
  • Bait 3D (2011) – feature film: co-executive producer
  • Manny Lewis (2015) – feature film: producer[35][48]
  • Blood + Thunder: The Story of Alberts (2015) – TV documentary mini-series[36]
  • Indigo Lake (2016) – feature film: executive producer[49]
  • Backburning (2018) – short documentary: producer
  • Days Like These (2022) – TV series: executive producer[50]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. Doreen Carvajal, "Violent movies being tested on 10-year-olds", The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 September 2000, p. 38.
  2. Garry Maddox, "Create, excite and innovate: screen industry told to lift its sights", The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 November 2001, p. 14.
  3. "G'day, you midnight hags: Macbeth goes Aussie", Times Colonist, 1 September 2004, p. 40.
  4. Martin Fabinyi, variety.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022
  5. Helen Thomas, "Countdown to silence", The Age, 9 July 1987, p. 41.
  6. Curtain, John (1996). "Biography – Andrew (Andor) Fabinyi (1908–1978)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  7. . Fabinyi, Elisabeth Clare (1912–2002), womenaustralia.info. Can J.
  8. "Notice of intended distribution of estate.—Any person having any claim upon the estate of Andrew Fabinyi, late of". Government Gazette Of The State Of New South Wales. No. 36. 9 March 1979. p. 1156. Retrieved 9 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Colour TV Premiere". Filmnews. Vol. 5, no. 3. New South Wales, Australia. 1 April 1975. p. 2. Retrieved 9 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. Fabinyi, Martin (1 June 1975). "The London Fest Report". Filmnews. Vol. 5, no. 5. New South Wales, Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 9 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "Who's Doing What". Filmnews. Vol. 6, no. 11. New South Wales, Australia. 1 November 1976. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. Martin Fabinyi (19 July 2013). "Composer Was a Restless Intellect – Cameron Allan, 1955–2013". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  13. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Mental as Anything'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  14. Nimmervoll, Ed. "Mental As Anything". Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. p. 315. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  16. McFarlane 'The Reels' entry. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  18. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Stephen Cummings'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  19. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "'The Cockroaches' entry". whammo.com.au. Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  20. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Electric Pandas'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 20 April 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  21. Coupe, Stuart (28 September 1986). "Live stars now get it on vinyl". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  22. "Spin Me Another One", The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 June 1989, p. 25.
  23. "Kitchen Sink Drama Spun into a Hit", The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 April 1990, p. 68.
  24. "Mental challenge", The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 June 1999, p. 21.
  25. Stuart Coupe, "This Is the Real Thing" (book review), The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 September 1999, p. 170.
  26. "CSB / The Knowledge – Martin Fabinyi". AFTRS Media. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. Richard Guilliatt, "Between rock and a hard place", The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 October 1997, p. 293.
  28. "Kate Ceberano & Friends". Tvmem.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  29. "Kate Livens Up Old Haunt". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 January 1994. p. 43. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  30. "The Singer and the Swinger (1998)". The Screen Guide. Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. "Macbeth movie to have a contemporary setting", The Herald, 1 September 2004, p. 2.
  32. Martin Fabinyi, beyondproduction.tv. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  33. Swift, Brendan (16 October 2009). "Fabinyi Departs Mushroom Pictures". IF Magazine. ISSN 1447-2252. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  34. Beyond Entertainment: Production at Beyond, beyondproduction.tv. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  35. "Carl Barron's Film Manny Lewis Proves Life as a Comic Isn't all Laughs". The Daily Telegraph. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  36. "Blood & Thunder: The Sound of Alberts (2015) – The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  37. Days Like These…with Diesel Now in Production, , beyondproduction.tv. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  38. The Angels: Kickin’ Down the Door (Trailer), if.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  39. "X". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  40. "The Bumper Book of Rock". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  41. "Too Much Ain't Enough". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  42. "The Real Thing: Adventures in Australian Rock & Roll". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  43. Martin Fabinyi, The Real Thing: Adventures in Australian Rock & Roll, 1957-Now (abstract), Random House Australia, 2000 via Google Books. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  44. "Martin Fabinyi | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  45. "Martin Fabinyi – The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  46. "Video Notes". Tharunka. Vol. 19, no. 13. New South Wales, Australia. 20 June 1973. p. 5. Retrieved 9 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  47. Johnson, Stephen M; Yunupingu, Mandawuy; Thorpe, Leanne; Australian Film Commission; Australian Broadcasting Corporation; Mushroom Pictures (1993), Tribal Voice, Mushroom Pictures, retrieved 11 November 2022
  48. "Manny Lewis (2015) – Anthony Mir | Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  49. "Trailer of the Day: Indigo Lake". Cinema Australia. 30 January 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  50. "Days Like These with Diesel (2022) – The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  51. "Midnight Oil Documentary Funding Approved by Screen Australia". Blink TV. 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  52. "Screen Australia Announces $2.3 Million for 10 Documentaries". Screen Australia. 14 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  53. "Japanese Story people's choice", smh.com.au. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  54. Screen Producers Australia Awards Finalists Announced, screenproducers.org.au. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
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