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Michele Bennett (film producer)

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This article is about the Australian film producer. For the former First Lady of Haiti, see Michèle Bennett.

Michele Bennett
Born
Australia
OccupationFilm producer
Years active1980s–present
PartnerMichael Hutchence (1982–1987)

Michele Bennett is an Australian film and television producer.[1][2][3][4] She is the founder of Cherub Pictures and has produced films such as Chopper (2000), The Magician (2005), Drift (2013), and Judy and Punch (2019), as well as the television series Mr Inbetween (2018–2021), NCIS: Sydney (2023) and Queen of Oz (2023). Bennett has also produced music videos for artists such as INXS, U2, Prince, Silverchair and Foo Fighters.

Career

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In the early 1980s, Bennett had four jobs while she was studying at University in Melbourne, including a brief career as a model,[5] and then started working as a photographer's agent.[6]

In 1982, Bennett appeared on the music video for "The One Thing" by INXS, as one of the women at the banquet table.[7][8]

In the late 1980s, she started working with Australian filmmaker Richard Lowenstein on several music videos.[6] In 1989, Bennett produced the U2 documentary LoveTown, directed by Lowenstein.[1]

In the early 1990s, Bennett produced the INXS music videos "Suicide Blonde",[9] "By My Side" and "Bitter Tears".[10] She also produced music videos for artists such as U2,[1] Prince,[1] Silverchair,[11] and Foo Fighters.[1]

Bennett began collaborating with Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominik on music videos and commercials in Sydney in the early 1990s.[12]

In 1991, Bennett founded her own production company, Cherub Pictures.[11] The company has produced music videos, documentaries and television commercials.[11]

Bennett has produced feature films such as Andrew Dominik's Chopper (2000), Scott Ryan's The Magician (2005), Morgan O'Neill and Ben Nott's Drift (2013), and Mirrah Foulkes's Judy and Punch (2019).[1]

In 2004, Bennett produced the INXS documentary Welcome to Wherever You Are, directed by Lowenstein.[10] In 2005, she produced the documentary Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, directed by Lian Lunson.[1][13]

From 2018 to 2021, Bennett produced the television series Mr Inbetween.[1]

In February 2019, Bennett was a member of the jury of the Tropfest in Sydney.[14]

In 2023, Bennett produced the television series NCIS: Sydney and Queen of Oz.[15][16]

Personal life

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Bennett speaks Mandarin.[17]

From 1982 to 1987, Bennett was in a relationship with INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence.[18] They shared a flat in Paddington with New Zealand-Australian singer Jenny Morris, who was INXS's backing vocalist.[19] Bennett introduced Hutchence to Australian filmmaker Richard Lowenstein, who directed several music videos for INXS.[9] Bennett inspired the INXS hit song "Never Tear Us Apart".[20] According to Hutchence's sister, Tina, Bennett was the only woman he said he had considered marrying.[21] Lowenstein, who was close friends with Hutchence, also said that he believed that Bennett was the only woman that Hutchence would marry; "I always felt that, after everything, he'd go back and marry Michele and have a baby with her".[22]

Bennett and Hutchence remained close friends after the end of their relationship and she was described as his "closest friend and confidante".[22] Bennett was the last person that Hutchence called on the morning of his death, on 22 November 1997.[23] According to Bennett, Hutchence called her two times that morning; first he left a message in her answering machine, then he called her again at 9:54 am and she answered the phone. Bennett said that Hutchence was crying, sounded upset, and told her he needed to see her. Bennett arrived at his hotel room door at about 10:40 am, but there was no response, so she wrote him a note and left it at reception. Hutchence's body was discovered by a hotel maid at 11:50 am.[24][25] His death was ruled as suicide while depressed and under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.[25]

Bennett refused to talk about her relationship with Hutchence publicly until the 2019 documentary Mystify: Michael Hutchence,[22][9][26] directed by Richard Lowenstein, a close friend of both Bennett and Hutchence's.[27]

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Bennett was portrayed by actress Jane Harber in the 2014 Australian biographical miniseries INXS: Never Tear Us Apart.[28] Bennett claimed that the miniseries was not accurate and that she was not contacted by the filmmakers.[9]

Filmography

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Producer

Year Title Director(s) Notes
1989 LoveTown Richard Lowenstein Documentary[1]
1990 INXS: Suicide Blonde Music video[1][10]
1991 INXS: By My Side
INXS: Bitter Tears
2000 Chopper Andrew Dominik Feature film[29]
2004 INXS: Welcome to Wherever You Are Richard Lowenstein Documentary[10]
2005 The Magician Scott Ryan Feature film
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man Lian Lunson Documentary[1]
2006 Magic Happens: The Story of 'The Magician' Luke Doolan
2007 September Peter Carstairs Consulting producer[30]
2009 Apricot Ben Briand Short film[31]
2013 Drift Morgan O'Neill and Ben Nott Feature film[1]
2019 Judy and Punch Mirrah Foulkes
2021 Shark Nash Edgerton Short film[32]
2023 Queen of Oz Christiaan Van Vuuren Television series[16]

Executive producer

Year Title Director(s) Notes
2004 It Takes Two to Tango Luke Shanahan Short film[33]
2014 The Mule Tony Mahony and Angus Sampson Feature film[34]
2018–2021 Mr Inbetween Nash Edgerton Television series[35]
2023 NCIS: Sydney Shawn Seet, David Caesar, Kriv Stenders and Catherine Millar Television series[15]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2000 Australian Film Institute Awards Best Film Chopper Nominated [36]
2018 Screen Producers Australia Awards Drama Series Production of the Year Mr Inbetween Won [37]
2018 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Drama Series Nominated [38]
2019 Best Film Judy and Punch Nominated [39]
Best Drama Series Mr Inbetween Nominated
2019 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Film Judy and Punch Nominated [40]
2021 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Best Drama Series Mr Inbetween Nominated [41]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Michele Bennett". FX Networks. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  2. ^ Quinn, Karl (26 April 2019). "New Michael Hutchence documentary explores source of his depression". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian film producer Michelle Bennett
  3. ^ "Michele Bennett". National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  4. ^ George, Sandy (6 December 2013). "A producer's work is never done". SBS Australia.
  5. ^ Creswell, Toby (2017). Shine Like It Does: The Life of Michael Hutchence. Echo, Bonnier Publishing. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-1760407360.
  6. ^ a b "The Magician (2005)". Australasian Cinema. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  7. ^ "INXS - The One Thing (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 28 November 2012.
  8. ^ "The Lowdown – INXS". 107.1 Hank FM. 25 January 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Adams, Cameron (7 August 2021). "What you didn't know about that notorious INXS concert". Herald Sun.
  10. ^ a b c d "I'm Only Looking – The Best of INXS (2004, DVD) – Credits". Imgur.
  11. ^ a b c "Director Julius Avery Joins Cherub Pictures". IF Magazine. 23 March 2010.
  12. ^ Wilson, Jake (27 August 2021). "Death threats, boycotts and a white witch: Inside the making of Chopper". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  13. ^ "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" (PDF). Berlinale.de. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Tropfest is back in Parramatta Park in 2019". Time Out. 23 October 2018.
  15. ^ a b Hailu, Selome (19 March 2024). "'NCIS Sydney' Renewed for Season 2 at CBS and Paramount+ Australia". Variety.
  16. ^ a b "Queen of Oz (2023)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  17. ^ Creswell, Toby (2017). Shine Like It Does: The Life of Michael Hutchence. Echo, Bonnier Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-1760407360.
  18. ^ Hay, Carla (26 April 2019). "2019 Tribeca Film Festival movie review: 'Mystify - Michael Hutchence"". Culture Mix Online.
  19. ^ Bard, Ariela (8 June 2024). "Losing her voice, finding a cause: how Jenny Morris turned tragedy into triumph". The Australian.
  20. ^ Potton, Ed (18 October 2019). "'It's telling that on his last night Michael Hutchence was alone' — Mystify's director on his friend's death". The Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  21. ^ Hutchence, Tina; Glassop, Patricia (2000). Just a Man: The Real Michael Hutchence. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 9780330390194. The only woman I have ever heard him say he would wed, is Michele Bennett.
  22. ^ a b c Milliken, Robert (5 April 1998). "The Death of a Rock Star". The Independent.
  23. ^ "Who knew what on night Michael Hutchence died". The Daily Telegraph. 28 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Michael Hutchence death explained: the Coroner's account in his own words". Herald Sun. 29 January 2014.
  25. ^ a b Hand, Derrick; Fife-Yeomans, Janet (2008) [2004]. The Coroner: Investigating Sudden Death. Sydney, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-0-7333-2221-1.
  26. ^ "Mystify: Michael Hutchence announced by BBC Music and BBC Two". BBC. 26 April 2019.
  27. ^ "A Conversation With Richard Lowenstein ("Mystify: Michael Hutchence")". Magnet Magazine. 30 January 2020.
  28. ^ Knox, David (6 February 2014). "A touchstone for Michael Hutchence". TV Tonight.
  29. ^ "Australian Film Productions, 1990–2019" (PDF). The Production Book. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  30. ^ "September (2007)". Australasian Cinema. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  31. ^ Darke, Brayden (10 November 2011). "Homebake 2011 – Film (& Performance) Line-up". Music Feeds.
  32. ^ "Shark (2021)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  33. ^ "It Takes Two to Tango (2004)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  34. ^ "The Mule (2014)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  35. ^ "Mr Inbetween (2018)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  36. ^ "AACTA Awards – Winners & Nominees – 2000". Australian Film Institute. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  37. ^ Knox, David (23 November 2018). "Screen Producers Awards 2018: winners". TV Tonight.
  38. ^ "AACTA Awards – Winners & Nominees – 2018". Australian Film Institute. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  39. ^ "AACTA Awards – Winners & Nominees – 2019". Australian Film Institute. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  40. ^ "Film Critics Circle of Australia – 2019 Awards Winners". Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  41. ^ "AACTA Awards – Winners & Nominees – 2021". Australian Film Institute. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
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