Morris Ruskin is an American independent

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

and founder and chairman of

Shoreline Entertainment Shoreline Entertainment is an independent film production company and international sales agency that was founded in 1992 by CEO and film producer Morris Ruskin. Partial filmography *'' Sir Billi'' *'' The American Side'' *'' 7 Boxes'' *''The ...

, an international sales agency. He is also the co-founder of MoJo Global Arts, a production and management company.IndieWire
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Biography

Ruskin was born in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

to anti-

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

parents.IndieWire: "ISA of the Day: Shoreline Entertainment: A Discussion with Founder and Head Morris Ruskin ISA of the Day: Shoreline Entertainment: A Discussion with Founder and Head Morris Ruskin" by Peter Belsito
November 5, 2013 At the age of 9, his family moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

where his father went to

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...

; at the age of 12, his family moved to

Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

; and at the age of 15 they moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

where his mother attended and obtained a Ph.D. at UCLA School of Theater. She did her dissertation on South African playwright

Athol Fugard Athol Fugard, Hon. , (born 11 June 1932), is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apar ...

and when Morris produced an adaptation of Fugard's "Master Harold"...and the Boys, he dedicated the movie to his mother. Since the early 1990s, Ruskin has produced a number of critically acclaimed films including ''

Glengarry Glen Ross ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts ...

'', ''

The Man From Elysian Fields ''The Man from Elysian Fields'' is a 2001 American drama film directed by George Hickenlooper, and starring Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Olivia Williams, Julianna Margulies, and James Coburn. Synopsis After one book that ended up in the remainder bi ...

'', ''

Lakeboat ''Lakeboat'' is a semi-autobiographical play by David Mamet, written in 1970 and first produced in 1980 (revised version, with the help of John Dillion of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater). Plot As he would later do with ''Glengarry Glen Ross' ...

'', ''

Price of Glory ''Price of Glory'' is a 2000 American sports drama film written by Phil Berger, directed by Carlos Avila and starring Jimmy Smits. The movie was nominated for several ALMA Awards in 2001. The film was shot in Huntington Park, California, Los Angele ...

'', ''

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School Randall Miller (born July 24, 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, and occasional actor. He directed ''Bottle Shock'', ''CBGB'', '' Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School'', '' Nobel Son'', '' The 6th Ma ...

'', '' The Visit'' and ''

Ladies in Black ''Ladies in Black'' is an Australian musical with music and lyrics by Tim Finn and book by Carolyn Burns, based on the 1993 novel ''The Women in Black'' by Madeleine St John. Synopsis Set in Sydney in the 1950s, the musical tells the story o ...

''. In 1992 Morris established

to continue producing his own films and to help secure financing and distribution for other independent productions, structuring deals that incorporate deferments, soft money, and international co-productions in order to create financially viable motion pictures. Through Shoreline, Morris has brought multiple, award-winning Latin films to the market, such as ''

La Nana LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'', ''

7 cajas ''7 Boxes'' (Spanish: ''7 Cajas'') is a Paraguayan thriller film directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori. Initially the film was to be released in June 2011, but was delayed when the film was accepted as a competitor in the Interna ...

'', ''

Zona Sur Zona Sur (''Southern Zone'') is one of the five natural regions on which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. Its northern border is formed by the Bío-Bío River, which separates it from the Central Chile Zone. The Southern Zone borders ...

'', ''

Contracorriente ''Contracorriente'' (''Countercurrent'' in English) is the debut solo album by Mexican singer and actress Eiza González. It was released on November 24, 2009, through EMI Televisa Music. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, California, Texas, ...

'', ''

Todos Tus Muertos Todos Tus Muertos (''All Your Dead'', in English) is a rasta-punk band from Argentina formed in Buenos Aires, in 1985. The longtime line-up comprised by a young vocalist Fidel Nadal, Horacio "Gamexane" Villafañe on guitar, Felix Gutiérrez on ...

'', ''

Father's Chair ''Father's Chair'' ( pt, A Busca; ) is a 2012 Brazilian drama film directed by Luciano Moura. It follows the story of Theo, a man who always gave priority to career, until the day that his 15-year-old son goes missing. It was shot in Campinas, Pa ...

'', just to name a few. Morris has produced over sixty films, with his most recent being ''

'' which was directed by Bruce Beresford and released worldwide by Sony Pictures. Three of his films have premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

; six have premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

; he has produced the opening night selection of the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

, and '' High Life'' was his first production to premiere at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

. Morris' films have been frequently feted as well:

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Al Pacino, numerous accolades: including an Aca ...

was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in

; The Visit was nominated for four

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass ...

and ''

The Signal The Signal may refer to: * ''The Signal'' (2007 film), American horror film written and directed by David Bruckner, Dan Bush, and Jacob Gentry * ''The Signal'' (2014 film), American science fiction thriller film directed by William Eubank * ''Th ...

'' played at the

2007 Sundance Film Festival The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007, in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was '' Chica ...

and was nominated for the

Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000 by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named after a ...

Personal life

Ruskin is married to Karna Ruskin, who is the highly esteemed fashion designer for Emerald Sundae. His sister, Susan Ruskin, is the Dean and Executive VP of ''

AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private not-for-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles. Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on stor ...

''.

Partial filmography

*''

'' *''

'' *'' The Visit'' *''

The Man from Elysian Fields ''The Man from Elysian Fields'' is a 2001 American drama film directed by George Hickenlooper, and starring Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Olivia Williams, Julianna Margulies, and James Coburn. Synopsis After one book that ended up in the remainder bi ...

'' *''

Dark Corners ''Dark Corners'' is a 2006 horror-thriller film directed by Ray Gower and starring Thora Birch. Plot Birch plays two characters, alternating between them each time she falls asleep, each of whom believes that the other is a dream. The first ...

'' *''

Everything's Gone Green "Everything's Gone Green" is the third single by the English rock band New Order, released in December 1981. As usual per New Order and Joy Division's releases, the recording date and location of the music is not disclosed on the original sleeve ...

'' *''

Weirdsville ''Weirdsville'' is a black comedy film directed by Allan Moyle and written by Willem Wennekers. It premiered January 18, 2007 at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival.

'' *''

The Fifth Patient ''The Fifth Patient'' is a 2007 American thriller film written and directed by Amir Mann, and starring Nick Chinlund and Marley Shelton. The film was shot in the United States and Mexico, and released on June 10, 2007. Premise John Reilly, an Am ...

'' *''

Hank and Mike ''Hank and Mike'' is a 2008 comedy film directed by Matthiew Klinck, from a screenplay written by Paolo Mancini and Thomas Michael. The film tells the story of two blue-collar Easter Bunnies who get fired and try their hand at an assortment of odd ...

'' *''

Senseless ''Senseless'' is a 1998 American buddy comedy science fiction film directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Greg Erb and Craig Mazin. The film stars Marlon Wayans, David Spade, and Matthew Lillard as college students. Plot Darryl Withersp ...

'' *'' High Life'' *'' Master Harold...and the Boys'' *''

Pablo Pablo is a Spanish form of the name Paul. People * Pablo Alborán, Spanish singer * Pablo Aimar, Argentine footballer * Pablo Armero, Colombian footballer *Pablo Bartholomew, Indian photojournalist * Pablo Brandán, Argentine footballer * Pablo B ...

'' *''

A Farewell to Fools ''A Farewell to Fools'' is a 2013 independent drama film directed by Bogdan Dreyer, produced by Giuliano Doman, Daniel Zuta and written by Anusavan Salamanian. The film stars Gérard Depardieu, Harvey Keitel, Laura Morante, and Bogdan Iancu. ''A ...

'' *''

Bloody Good Time ''Bloody Good Time'' is a first-person shooter developed by Outerlight and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. It was released in October 2010. The game is a spiritual sequel to '' The Ship'', Outerlight's debut title, with ...

'' *''

Alex & Eve ''Alex & Eve'' is a 2016 Australian comedy-drama and romance film, directed by Peter Andrikidis and written by Alex Lykos, based on his play of the same name. The film is about dating in a multicultural landscape when Greek Orthodox school teac ...

'' *'' Melocotones'' *''

Boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

Press

South African Oscar submission ‘Knuckle City’ finds US home (exclusive)The Independent Filmmaker's Guide to the New Hollywood: Success in the Era of Netflix and Streaming Video (Foreword)The Independent Filmmaker's Guide to Writing a Business Plan for Investors, 2d ed. (Foreword)MoJo Global Arts, 2btube, Touche, Strike Strategic AllianceShoreline Entertainment Launches Latino DivisionShoreline Becomes Latin American Talent & Literary ManagerShoreline Entertainment: A Discussion with Founder and Head Morris Ruskin

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruskin, Morris American film producers American film studio executives Living people 1954 births