John Dunning (5) (1927–2011)

[from Cinépix website]
Born in Verdun, Quebec, John Dunning started in the entertainment industry by succeeding his father as the owner and operator of the three theatre independent cinema chain called Standard Amusement Company.

In 1962, he teamed up with André Link to form Cinépix Inc. and has gone on to produce over 59 feature films both independently and for major studios.

Among Dunning's honours are the Golden Reel Award for Meatballs in 1980, the 1989 Canadian Film and TV Association award for Special Achievement, and the Golden Nymph (top honour at the Monte Carlo Film Festival) for the critically acclaimed Princes in Exile.

To mark their accomplishments, Dunning and partner Link were awarded a special Genie Award in 1994 to honour their “outstanding contribution to the business of filmmaking in Canada”. In 1997, the inaugural year of the Playback Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame, they were inducted into the Feature Film category. Shortly after his death in 2011, John received the 2011 Toronto Film Critics Association Clyde Gilmour Award, given to Canadians whose work has in some way enriched the understanding and appreciation of film in their native country.