TORONTO — The National Film Board of Canada is mourning the death of pioneering filmmaker Michael Spencer.
The British-born producer oversaw the production of screen classics including Les ordres and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.
That was during his tenure as the first executive director of the Canadian Film Development Corporation, a precursor to Telefilm Canada, from 1968 to 1978.
Word of his death came from the NFB, with chairman Claude Joli-Coeur praising Spencer as “a visionary, tireless champion of Canadian cinema.”
Spencer came to Canada in 1939 when the Second World War began and joined the NFB in 1941 as a cameraman before becoming a producer.
Spencer was intent on creating a domestic movie industry, and in 1966 spearheaded efforts to come up with a system of public film financing.
“As a newcomer to Canada, he embraced this country and the vital importance of bringing authentic, homegrown Canadian stories to the screen — in both of Canada’s official languages,” Joli-Coeur said Friday in a news release.
“Canadian feature filmmaking had no greater ally than Michael. I’m deeply saddened by his loss, and immensely grateful to him for the legacy he’s left us.”
