Byron Kennedy

Who was Byron Kennedy?

Byron Eric Kennedy Born Melbourne was an Australian film producer best known for the Mad Max series of films.

At the age of 18 years, Kennedy formed his own company named "Warlok Films" and produced many amateur short films under this logo.

In 1970, at the age of 21 years he won The Kodak Trophy — Australia's Ten Best on Eight – for the short film "Hobson's Bay", a short documentary film about the Melbourne port suburb of Williamstown.

This award enabled him to travel overseas and gain invaluable knowledge of the international film/television industry. Upon his return he embarked upon a television/film course at the University of NSW where he met George Miller. The first mini-film made by both was Violence in the Cinema filmed in Yarraville, Melbourne. The film won International acclaim and this led to the formation of the new film company "Kennedy Miller" which was incorporated in 1975 with both George Miller and Byron Kennedy as co-directors.

Their first major movie together was the international smash hit Mad Max. This film set a record for the highest grossing film relative to budget, a record which was only broken with the advent of The Blair Witch Project.