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David Hannay

1939 – 2014

Australian film producer

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About David Hannay

Lived 1939 – 2014 (aged 74). David Hannay was an Australian and New Zealand film producer.

David Hannay (23 June 1939 – 31 March 2014) was a New Zealand Australian film producer. He worked with Greater Union and was an independent producer from 1977.

Biography Hannay was born in Wellington and attended Scots College. His first job in the industry was as an extras casting assistant for film Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. Hannay produced his first feature film The Set in 1968 and then moved to television and became head of production for Gemini Productions from 1970–73 and 1975–76. In 1974 he was general manager for The Movie Company, a production subsidiary of Greater Union. From 1977 he was an independent producer and was involved in almost 50 film projects which starred Richard E. Grant and Tom Long.

Hannay was passionate about encouraging new talent as an educator and mentor and across his career worked with many writers, producers and directors on their first feature films. In November 2012 Hannay established the Bathurst Film Factory co-operative to foster the filmmaker talent in the area.

He was diagnosed with cancer in March 2012, and died in March 2014. An obituary described him as "one of the pioneers of the modern Australian film industry, a passionate cinephile, mentor and loyal friend."

Personal life Hannay was married to fellow New Zealander Kathleen Bourke and they had one son (Antony Darton Hannay) before separating. Hannay then met Australian journalist Mary Moody and they had three children together (Miriam, Aaron and Ethan).

Hannay's brother Charles Hannah entered the film industry in 1984 after a successful career as an international corporate executive and restaurateur. David, Charles and sister Gillian are the children of theatre actress and writer Mary Stuart (Hannah) and theatre and radio actor-producer-director Norman Hannah.

Select credits The Set (1970) Kung Fu Killers (1974) – Co-producer Stone (1974) The Man from Hong Kong (1975) Solo (1977) Alison's Birthday (1981) Early Frost (1982)- producer and post-production director Emma's War (1986) Death of a Soldier (1986) Comrades (1986) – Associate Producer Out of the Body (1988) To Make a Killing (1988) Kadaicha (1988) Mapantsula (1988) The Returning (1990) Gross Misconduct (1993) Shotgun Wedding (1993) Dead Funny (1994) – Producer Savage Play (1995) – Producer Dags (1998) – Executive Producer Cubbyhouse (2001) Hildegarde (2001) – Producer A Divided Heart (2005) – Producer Mortal Fools (2008) – Executive Producer Ten Dead Men (2008) – Executive Producer The Argues (2010) – Producer Once Around the Sun (2012) – Executive Producer

Awards 1998 – Human Rights Australia Film Award for Mapantsula 1996 – Producers and Directors Guild of Australia Lifetime Achievement Award 1996 – Named Film Pioneer of the Year by The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers 'for outstanding service to the Motion Picture Industry' 2002 – Screen Producers Association Maura Fay Award 'for service to the industry' 2007 – AFI Raymond Longford Award 'for lifetime achievement' 2008 – Australian Screen Sound Guild's Syd Butterworth Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 – Life membership of Screen Producers Association of Australia 'for long and outstanding service to the industry of Australian Screen Production' 2011 – National Film and Sound Archive's Ken G Hall Film Preservation Award 'for outstanding contribution to the art of the moving image and its preservation'

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Education
Scots College, Wellington

Family & relationships

Spouse
Mary Moody

People in David Hannay's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped David Hannay's

Frequently asked questions

Who was David Hannay?

Australian film producer

When was David Hannay born?

David Hannay was born on 23 June 1939 in New Zealand.

When did David Hannay die?

David Hannay died on 31 March 2014 in Yetholme.

What was David Hannay's occupation?

David Hannay was a film producer.

What nationality was David Hannay?

David Hannay was Australian and New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: David Hannay

· Wikidata: Q5234706

· DBpedia: David Hannay (producer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). David Hannay. https://biography.guide/david-hannay/

MLA: "David Hannay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/david-hannay/.

Chicago: "David Hannay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/david-hannay/.

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