Donald Ranvaud

Donald Ranvaud (5 December 1953 - 5 September 2016) was a British film producer and film journalist.

Donald Ranvaud
Born	5 December 1953 Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Died	5 September 2016 (aged 62) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Film producer and journalist

Ranvaud had producing roles on a number of Oscar-nominated films including The Constant Gardener (2005),[1] City of God[2] (2002), Central Station[3] (1998) and Farewell My Concubine[4] (1993). He is now best known for his work in the Latin American film industry, especially in Brazil and Bolivia.

Early career

From 1976–88, Ranvaud taught at the University of Warwick (English and comparative literature) and the University of East Anglia (film studies) and also at the College of South Wales (film theory). During this time he also worked as a freelance journalist for MFB, Sight and Sound, The Guardian, La Repubblica and American Film, as well as founding the independent cinema and media magazine Framework, which he edited until 1988.[5] He published several books on Italian cinema and directed documentary items for C4 magazine programmes and RAI 1, including portraits of Paul Schrader, Raul Ruiz, Cui Jian, Laurie Anderson and David Mamet.

In 1988 Ranvaud established the European Script Fund with Renee Goddard as part of the MEDIA Programme of the Commission of the European Community, where he stayed on for 18 months, during which time the Media Programme was fully integrated into EC policy.

Death

Ranvaud was on the jury of the 2016 Montreal World Film Festival. He was taken to the hospital after calling for assistance in his hotel room in Montreal on the night of the last day of the festival. He was treated for a heart disorder.[6][7][8]

Film production

Ranvaud worked as a producer full-time after 1989, working with directors and in countries that would soon become prominent in the world of independent film: in China from 1989 to 1993, he produced Life on a String[9] and Farewell My Concubine;[4] in Latin America from 1994 to present, he produced Central do Brasil,[3] Familia Rodante,[10] Xango de Baker Street, Lavoura Arcaica, Babilonia 2000, Madame Sata, and City of God,[2] garnering a total of 12 Oscar nominations. He was also executive producer on The Constant Gardener by Fernando Meirelles in Kenya.

Alongside productions, he managed sales at Videofilmes, Bouquet Multimedia and Sogepaq as well as helping to set up the Wild Bunch.

As Buena Onda's[11] Creative Director since 2003, Ranvaud continued to discover filmmakers, helping them to access world markets. He was an ambassador for Latin American cinema, setting up joint ventures with Cinergia in Costa Rica for Centro America, and with the Puerto Rico Film Fund. After establishing the film school La Fabrica with Roberto Lanza in Cochabamba, Bolivia, he set up an Institute for 2nd features, theatre and cinema (Artes Andes Americas), together with Cesar Brie's Teatro de los Andes in Yotala, Bolivia.

Since early 2005, first as Head of International Relations with Rain Networks, Brasil,[12] and later independently, Ranvaud focused on what he considered to be the central question for the future of a possible cinema – a cost-effective distribution platform. Ranvaud’s final film as a producer is a still-unfinished first feature titled “Sweet Democracy,” 2016, with Italian Nobel-prize winning thesp Dario Fo among the cast. It is directed by Italy’s Michele Diomà.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1989	Speaking Parts	Executive producer[13]
1991	Life on a String	Producer[9]
1993	Buccaneer Soul (Alma Corsária)	Producer
	Farewell My Concubine (Ba wang bie ji)	Associate producer[4]
1996	Tieta Do Agreste	Producer
1998	Central Station (Central Do Brasil)	Executive producer[3]
1999	Babilonia 2000	Producer
2000	Turbulence (Estorvo)	Producer
2001	To The Left of The Father (Lavoura Arcaica)	Associate producer
	Smokers Only (Vagón Fumador)	Producer
	Xango de Baker Street	Producer
2002	City of God (Cidade De Deus)	Co-producer[2]
	Madame Satã	Producer
2004	Con Game (Doble Juego)	Producer
	Rolling Family (Familia Rodante)	Producer[10]
2005	Lower City (Cidade Baixa)	Associate producer
	The Constant Gardener	Executive producer
2006	Cobrador: In God We Trust	Executive producer
	Coca Lives	Producer
	Who Killed The White Llama?	Producer
2007	Evo Pueblo	Producer
	Maldeamores	Executive producer
	Not By Chance (Nao Por Acaso)	Associate producer
	Cochochi	Producer
	Gasolina	Producer
	The New American Century	Associate producer
2008	Nunca Mas!	Producer
	Tentayape: The Last House	Producer
2009	Oso Blanco	Producer
	Un día más	Associate producer
2016	North Pole	Executive Producer

References

1. "The Constant Gardener (2005) – Full cast and crew". IMDb. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
2. "City of God > Production Credits – AllMovie". Retrieved 31 March 2009.
3. "Central Station > Production Credits – AllMovie". Allmovie. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
4. "Farewell, My Concubine > Production Credits – AllMovie". Retrieved 31 March 2009.
5. Willemen, Paul. "An Introduction to Framework". Framework. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
6. "Donald Ranvaud, producer and World Film Festival jurist, dead at 62". 5 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
7. Le producteur de cinéma Donald Ranvaud meurt subitement à Montréal (in French)
8. 'City of God' Producer Donald Ranvaud Dies at 62
9. "Life on a String > Production Credits – AllMovie". Retrieved 31 March 2009.
10. "Rolling Family > Production Credits – AllMovie". Retrieved 31 March 2009.
11. "Buena Onda". Executives. Archived from the original on 20 June 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
12. "Digimart Profile". Digimart. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
13. "Speaking Parts > Full Cast and Crew". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 15 April 2009.

External links

• Donald Ranvaud at IMDb