B: July 13, 1943 in St. Catharines, Ontario
D: March 30, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia
John Zaritsky worked as a newspaper reporter for seven years before exploring film. In 1970, he received a Ford Foundation Fellowship to study at the Washington Journalism Center for six months. In 1972, he won a National Newspaper Award for his investigative reporting at The Globe and Mail. In addition to the 1982 Academy Award for his documentary Just Another Missing Kid, Zaritsky’s thought-provoking films received more than 40 industry and major film festival awards, including seven Gemini Awards, a Hot Docs Special Jury Award, Cable Ace Award, Whistler Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, and several Emmy and additional Gemini nominations. His work has been broadcast in 35 countries and screened at more than 40 film festivals around the world, including Sundance, TIFF, VIFF, IDFA in Amsterdam, Hot Docs and South by Southwest. Zaritsky shared his experience and skills when he taught documentary studies at the University of British Columbia and as Artist in Residence at Berkeley. He was 79 when he died of heart failure at Vancouver General hospital. The image above was taken at the 2010 Hot Docs festival in Toronto. |
Features & TV Movies: The Loser’s Game (TV-1977) Just Another Missing Kid (TV-1981) Born in Africa (TV-1990) Ski Bums (2001) Men Don’t Cry: Prostate Cancer Stories (TV-2003) Leave Them Laughing (2010) TV Series: |
