John Spotton

John Spotton C.S.C. (January 1, 1927 – March 3, 1991) was a Canadian filmmaker with the National Film Board of Canada.

A versatile artist who worked as a director, producer, cinematographer and editor, Spotton was best known for his role in developing the Direct Cinema genre of documentary and in the application of those techniques in narrative fiction films, in particular Nobody Waved Good-bye (1964), in which he served as cinematographer and editor.

An early member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), Spotton briefly working as a cameraman for a private company, joined the NFB in 1949 and worked there for the rest of his life, with the exception of a three-film stint with Parker Film Associates, and a two-year period in the 1970s when he worked with Potterton Productions.[citation needed ] He was executive director of the NFB's Ontario Centre from 1982 until 1988.

Until it closed in 2002, The NFB's theatre in Toronto was named The John Spotton Theatre. Until 2017, the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film was the 'NFB John Spotton Award'.

Spotton drowned at the age of 64 while on vacation in Cuba. He was survived by his wife Doris.

For the National Film Board of Canada

The Hutterites (1964)

Buster Keaton Rides Again (1965)[10]

Memorandum (1965)[11]

The Forest (1966)[12]

Never a Backward Step (1966)[13]

Thanks for the Ride (1983)[14]

Dad's House, Mom's House (1985)[15]

Final Offer (1985)[16]

Left Out (1985)[17]

The Umpire (1985)[18]

Mr. Nobody (1987)[19]

A House Divided: Caregiver Stress and Elder Abuse (1988)[20]

Peep and the Big Wide World (1988)[21]

Transplant, the Breath of Life (1990)[22]

Village of Idiots (1999)[23]