He had grown up mainly in Switzerland, and came to Australia at the urging of his brother, Alessandro Cavadini, who made Ningla A-Na, a documentary about the setting up of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972.
Fabio met Bob Maza, Gary Foley and others who were involved in Basically Black, an Aboriginal comedy revue which was also made into a TV program.
Cavadini co-directed Buried Alive, the Story of East Timor with Gil Scrine and Ron Hibberd, for which he shadowed José Ramos Horta around the world, filming him.
Filmmakers Amanda King and Fabio Cavadini document the resilience of a people surviving for years with virtually no trade or contact with the outside world.
[17] Documentaries by Frontyard Films have screened at festivals, theatres and museums in Australia, Canada, England, Greece, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States, as well as on television.