Mort Ransen (August 16, 1933 – September 4, 2021) was a Canadian film and television director and screenwriter, best known for his

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

-winning 1995 film '' Margaret's Museum''. Ransen was born in

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- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, and was educated at the

High School of Montreal The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 wa ...

. He began his career as an actor and theatre director, later becoming a director and producer of documentary films for the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

. He later left the NFB to work on his first dramatic feature film, ''Bayo''. He has also directed television, including an episode of '' Street Legal'' and three films in the '' Shades of Love'' series of romance films. Ransen was a nominee for Best Director, and winner of

Best Screenplay Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

with his cowriter Gerald Wexler, at the

16th Genie Awards The 16th Genie Awards were held on January 14, 1996, to honour films released in 1995."Two films divide Genie spoils". '' The Globe and Mail'', January 15, 1996. The ceremony took place in Montreal at Société Radio-Canada's Studio 42. For the f ...

for ''Margaret's Museum''. Due to the effects of

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

, Ransen chose to die with medical assistance in

Salt Spring Island, British Columbia Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settl ...

on September 4, 2021.

Filmography

Feature films

*''Running Time'' (1974) *'' Bayo'' (1985) *''

Falling Over Backwards ''Falling Over Backwards'' is a Canadian comedy film, directed by Mort Ransen and released in 1990. Plot The film stars Saul Rubinek as Mel Rosenblum, a newly divorced schoolteacher suffering a mid-life crisis, who decides to reconstruct the happ ...

'' (1990) *'' Margaret's Museum'' (1995) *''Touched'' (1999) *''Ah...the Money, the Money, the Money'' (2001) *''Bastards'' (2003)

Documentaries

*''The Teacher: Authority or Automaton?'' (1961) *''Jacky Visits the Zoo'' (1962) *''Among Fish'' (1964) *''Zero Point One'' (1964) *''The Transition'' (1964) *''The Inner Man'' (1964) *''Fighting Fit'' (1964) *''John Hirsh: A Portrait of a Man and a Theatre'' (1965) *''Labour College'' (1966) *''No Reason to Stay'' (1966) *''The Circle'' (1967) *''

Christopher's Movie Matinée ''Christopher's Movie Matinée'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Mort Ransen and released in 1968. Depicting the youth counterculture hippie movement in the Toronto district of Yorkville, the film was unusual in that it directly engag ...

'' (1968) *''Falling from Ladders'' (1969) *'' You Are on Indian Land'' (1969) (recredited to Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell in 2016) *''The Burden They Carry'' (1970) *''Untouched and Pure'' (1970) *''The Three I's'' (1970) *''Overspill'' (1970) *''Mortimer Griffin and Shalinsky'' (1985)

Television

*'' Street Legal'', episode "A Matter of Honour" (1987) *'' Shades of Love: Sincerely, Violet'' (1987) *'' Shades of Love: The Emerald Tear'' (1988) *'' Shades of Love: Tangerine Taxi'' (1988)

References

External links

*
Watch films directed by Ransen at NFB.ca
1933 births 2021 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian documentary film directors Canadian male screenwriters Canadian television directors Film directors from Montreal High School of Montreal alumni National Film Board of Canada people Writers from Montreal People with dementia Deaths by euthanasia {{Canada-film-director-stub