Ronald Bruce Pittman (born February 4, 1950) is a Canadian television and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

best known for directing the 1987 slasher '' Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II''. He also directed the 1989 film ''

Where the Spirit Lives ''Where the Spirit Lives'' is a 1989 television film about Aboriginal children in Canada being taken from their tribes to attend residential schools for assimilation into majority culture. Written by Keith Ross Leckie and directed by Bruce ...

'', which won the

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

for Best TV movie and numerous international awards. He is a member of the

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assistant ...

and the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

Early life and career

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, on February 4, 1950. Pittman attended Park Lawn Public School, Royal York Collegiate and Kipling Collegiate in

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

.Bruce Pittman Collection

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

Archives and Special Collections. Fonds FO465 Call Number i.e. 2004-033/013 file1 In 1966, he made his first student film, which received an Honorable Mention at the Kodak Student Film Festival in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. That year he began working at the Odeon Humber Theatre learning every aspect of film exhibition. From 1968 through 1972 Pittman worked at

Famous Players Famous Players Limited Partnership, DBA Famous Players, is a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous m ...

in their publicity department, Communikon a market research company which was a subsidiary of

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

and Allan King Associates directing their independent film distribution. He also opened the Revue Cinema in

. Pittman began professional filmmaking in 1971 with documentary films about other filmmakers:

Freddie Young Frederick A. Young (9 October 1902 – 1 December 1998) was a British cinematographer. He is probably best known for his work on David Lean's films ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965) and ''Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), all th ...

and

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), ''The Manchurian Candidate'' (1 ...

. In 1974 with Elwy Yost and Jim Hanley he co-created and was Producer/Director of TVOntario's long running show Saturday Night At The Movies. Beginning in 1977 Pittman embarked on directing dramatic films with a series of half hour programs based on Canadian short stories one of which, The Painted Door, was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Live Action Short. In 1984 he directed his first feature

The Mark Of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physica ...

followed by

Confidential Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise usually executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access or places restrictions on certain types of information. Legal confidentiality By law, lawyers are often required ...

and Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II which 30 years later has developed into a minor cult classic. Over the next 27 years Pittman directed 19 feature length dramas and mini series and 98 episodes of 27 series for 12 North American networks. His directorial work has resulted in 102 award nominations and 57 wins in Canada and internationally for his films. Since 2004 he has worked exclusively on 51 independent dramatic and documentary productions.

Filmography

*''

The Olden Days Coat ''The Olden Days Coat'' is a Canadian television film, directed by Bruce Pittman and broadcast by CBC Television in 1981. A Christmas-themed family film adapted from a short story by Margaret Laurence, it stars Megan Follows as Sal, a young girl wh ...

'' (1981), based on a short story by

Margaret Laurence Jean Margaret Laurence (née Wemyss; July 18, 1926 – January 5, 1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature. She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-pr ...

. *'' I Know a Secret'' (1982), based on a short story by Amy Cooper. *''David'' (1983), based on a poem by

Earle Birney Earle Alfred Birney (13 May 1904 – 3 September 1995) was a Canadian poet and novelist, who twice won the Governor General's Award, Canada's top literary honour, for his poetry. Life Born in Calgary, Alberta, and raised on a farm in Eri ...

. *'' The Painted Door'' (1984), nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. *''

Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physic ...

'' (1984), based on a play by

Peter Colley Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

. *'' Legs of the Lame'' (1985}, based on a short story by

Hugh Garner Hugh Garner (February 22, 1913 – June 30, 1979) was a British-born Canadian novelist. Biography Early life Hugh Garner was born on February 22, 1913, in Batley, Yorkshire, England. He came to Canada in 1919 with his parents, and was raised in ...

. *''

'' (1986), an original screenplay by Bruce Pittman. *'' Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II'' (1986). Samuel Goldwyn Company. *'' Chasing Rainbows'' (1988), CBC mini series. *''

Harrison Bergeron "Harrison Bergeron" is a satirical dystopian science-fiction short story by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in October 1961. Originally published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', the story was republished in th ...

'' (1995), Showtime movie based on a short story by Kurt Vonnegut. *'' Captive Heart: The James Mink Story'' (1995), CBS movie. *'' To Brave Alaska'' (1996), ABC movie. *'' To Dance with Olivia'' (1996), CBS movie. *''

Undue Influence Undue influence (UI) is a psychological process by which a person's free will and judgement is supplanted by that of another. It is a legal term and the strict definition varies by jurisdiction. Generally speaking, it is a means by which a pers ...

'' (1996), CBS mini series. *''The Secret Path'' (1998), CBS movie. *'' Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion'' (2003), CBC mini series. *''

The Last Movie ''The Last Movie'' is a 1971 metafictional drama film directed and edited by Dennis Hopper, who also stars in the leading role as a horse wrangler named after the state of Kansas. It is written by Stewart Stern, based on a story by Hopper and Ste ...

'' (2012), Best Foreign Language Film, Long Island International Film Festival.

Major Awards and nominations

*1989, ''

'' (1989), Gold Plaque (Television Production - Feature Film Made for TV - Network Special Achievement in Direction),

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

. *1989, ''Where the Spirit Lives'' (1989), Most Popular Canadian Film,

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

. *1990, ''Where the Spirit Lives'' (1989), Lucas Award (Children's Section), Lucas - International Festival of Films for Children and Young People. *1990, ''Where the Spirit Lives'' (1989), nominated for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series,

*1993, ''Beyond Reality'' (1991), nominated for Best Direction in a Dramatic or Comedy Series, Gemini Award *1996, ''

'' (1995), nominated for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series, Gemini Award *2004, '' Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion'' (2003), nominated for DGC Team Award (Outstanding Team Achievement in a Television Movie or Mini-Series),

*2004, ''Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion'' (2003), nominated for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series, Gemini Award

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pittman, Bruce 1950 births Canadian television directors Film directors from Toronto Living people