ANDREW MACKIE & RICHARD PAYTEN – 2023 NATIONAL CINEMA PIONEERS OF THE YEAR
Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie have worked in the Australian and New Zealand film industry for the last thirty-five years as distributors, marketers, and producers – but always on the side of the independents.
Richard began his career at Chauvel Cinemas in 1987, working in publicity and marketing before joining Ronin Films as General Manager in 1988. At Ronin, he worked with Andrew Pike on numerous releases including STRICTLY BALLROOM, AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE, ORLANDO, NAKED and, together with Pike, secured the rights to SHINE.
Andrew Mackie joined Greater Union as an Assistant Film Programmer in 1987, working under John Politzer, Peter Cody and Peter Marrett. As a junior programmer of the Pitt Centre he championed, among other films, the release of Cameron Crowe’s SAY ANYTHING. He then joined Ronin Films as a publicist where Payten and Mackie commenced an enduring long-term partnership that continues today.
In 1993 the pair founded start-up film distributor The Globe Film Co., initially handling publicity and marketing campaigns for clients including PolyGram, Becker Entertainment and Paramount on such films as TRAINSPOTTING, BEAN, TWO HANDS, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL and SPICE WORLD. They also founded their own distribution label, acquiring titles such as SECRETS AND LIES, DEAD MAN, LOST HIGHWAY, MULLET, PRAISE, THE TRACKER, UNDERGROUND and LOVE SERENADE and establishing a landmark output deal with major production company CiBy.
In 2001 Globe was acquired by distributor Becker Entertainment where the pair became Joint Managing Directors of the film division encompassing Becker and Dendy Films, where they acquired and released such films as THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, SUPER SIZE ME, STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, SWIMMING POOL, THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL, CONTROL, THE WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN and many more. At Becker they also co-founded MovieMeasure, an audience research business that was the first of its kind testing Australian films in the local market.
In 2007 they formed independent distributor Transmission Films and co-founded Oscar-winning production company See-Saw Films in partnership with Iain Canning and Emile Sherman. Oscar-winning See-Saw Films has produced such films as THE KING’S SPEECH, THE POWER OF THE DOG, SHAME, LION plus ground-breaking television series including SLOW HORSES, HEARTSTOPPER and THE TOP OF THE LAKE. Transmission was formed as a partnership with Paramount Pictures under Mike Selwyn, with a long and varied roster of releases that encompasses six Palme d’Or winners and 50 Academy Award nominations, including BROOKLYN, QUARTET, AN EDUCATION, LIVING, BOOK CLUB, CALVARY, CAROL, THE RAILWAY MAN, BOY, BENEATH HILL 60, DANGER CLOSE, THE GUARD, AMOUR, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR, SUFFRAGETTE, I AM WOMAN, TEA WITH THE DAMES, THEIR FINEST, VICEROY’S HOUSE, THE PAINTED VEIL and VOLVER in addition to LION and THE KING’S SPEECH.
During their careers Richard and Andrew have championed such Australian films as STRICTLY BALLROOM, SAMSON & DELILAH, RABBIT-PROOF FENCE, LOOK BOTH WAYS, HOLDING THE MAN, OYSTER FARMER, SHERPA, THE NIGHTINGALE and over fifty others, representing over 210 Australian Film Institute nominations. They have supported the first films and careers of local filmmakers such as Baz Luhrmann, Jane Campion, Neil Armfield, Warwick Thornton, David Caesar, Rachel Griffiths, John Curran, Julia Leigh, Jennifer Peedom, Shirley Barrett, Robert Connolly and the late Sarah Watt. As Executive Producers their credits include RIDE LIKE A GIRL, TRACKS, CANDY, MARY AND MAX, CHARLIE & BOOTS, OYSTER FARMER, THE EYE OF THE STORM and SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT.
Payten served as a long-time consultant to the Australian International Movie Convention and acted as consultant to the Alliance Française to establish the French Film Festival in Australia.
Mackie has served on the boards of the Adelaide Film Festival and Screen Canberra and is a part-time author, having had his first novel THE TOUR published by Penguin in 202