John Dunning (April 27, 1927 – September 19, 2011) was a pioneering Canadian film producer from
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
who co-founded the Canadian film production company
Cinépix and produced early works by notable Canadian directors
David Cronenberg and
Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998.
Film ...
. Dunning launched Cinépix with partner
André Link
André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...
in Montreal in the early 1960s. Their biggest commercial success—and the first Canadian box office hit—came with Reitman's ''
Meatballs'' (1979).
Early life
Dunning was born in the
Greater Montreal
Greater Montreal (french: Grand Montréal) is the most populous metropolitan area in Quebec and the second most populous in Canada after Greater Toronto. In 2015, Statistics Canada identified Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) as with ...
district of
Verdun, Quebec
Verdun (; , ) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, located in the southwestern part of the island.
Long known as a working class neighbourhood, it has experienced significant gentrification and social change in the 21 ...
—and into the film business. Dunning's father Mickey toured Quebec screening newsreel footage and later owned several cinemas. By the age of 13, John was working the candy counter at his family's Century Theatre in adjacent
Ville-Émard. Upon his father's death several years later, Dunning managed the cinema, beginning a lifelong career in film.
[
]
Career
Dunning launched Cinépix with partner André Link
André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...
in Montreal in the early 1960s. Initially a distribution company, Cinépix's first production was the 1969 erotic drama ''Valérie
Valerie is generally a feminine given name, derived directly from the French ''Valérie'' (a female-only name).
Valéry or Valery is a masculine given name in parts of Europe (particularly in France and Russia), as well as a common surname in Fr ...
'', which earned $1 million at the box office. Cinépix produced early work by David Cronenberg ('' Shivers'') and Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998.
Film ...
('' Meatballs''). The company also distributed art-house films including the grunge rock documentary ''Hype'', Vincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo (born 1961) is an American actor and director. He has had supporting roles in films such as ''Arizona Dream'' (1993), ''The House of the Spirits'' (1993), ''Palookaville'' (1995), and '' The Funeral'' (1996). His lead roles include ...
's '' Buffalo '66'', and '' SICK: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist''.
From 1989 to 1994, Cinépix was partners with 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 C/FP Distribution, which was renamed Cinépix Film Properties (C/FP). In 1994, Cinépix bought Famous Players' stake in the organization.
By 1997, Cinépix had a New York-based U.S. distribution arm and owned 56 percent of Ciné-Groupe, an animated film production company.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (LGEC) was formed in 1997 by Frank Giustra, a banker. LGEC purchased Cinépix and kept its leadership; Dunning, in turn, left the company. Cinépix was renamed Lions Gate Films on January 13, 1998.
Legacy
Dunning and Link were honoured for their contributions to the Canadian film industry at the 14th Genie Awards
The 14th Genie Awards were held on December 12, 1993."Glenn Gould Still Scoring Prizes". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 13, 1993. In a bid to increase the visibility of the Genie Awards in the francophone market in Quebec, the ceremony was held in ...
and were inducted into the Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
in 2007.[
In June 2011, shortly before his death in September of that year, the ]Toronto Film Critics Association
The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is an organization of film critics from Toronto-based publications. As of 1999, the TFCA is a member of the FIPRESCI.
History
The Toronto Film Critics Association is the official organization of Toron ...
announced that Dunning would receive its Clyde Gilmour Award for lifetime achievement, with Cronenberg stating that "John Dunning is the unacknowledged godfather of an entire generation of Canadian filmmakers. I still consider him my movie mentor." The award was posthumously presented to Dunning's son Greg, at a ceremony in January 2012.
Dunning's memoirs, ''You're Not Dead until You're Forgotten'', were published in 2014 by McGill-Queen's University Press.
In 2017, the Canadian Screen Awards
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...
introduced the new John Dunning Discovery Award, presented to honour the year's best Canadian microbudget
A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...
film. In 2019, it was merged with the former Claude Jutra Award
The John Dunning Best First Feature Award is a special Canadian film award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the year's best feature film by a first-time film director. Under the earlier names Claude Jutra Award and Ca ...
, presented for the year's best debut film by a first-time director, into the contemporary John Dunning Best First Feature Award
The John Dunning Best First Feature Award is a special Canadian film award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the year's best feature film by a first-time film director. Under the earlier names Claude Jutra Award and Ca ...
.
References
External links
*
Cinépix biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunning, John
1927 births
2011 deaths
Canadian film producers
Canadian company founders
Anglophone Quebec people
People from Verdun, Quebec
Film production company founders