Peter Raymont (born February 28, 1950) is a Canadian filmmaker and producer and the president of White Pine Pictures, an independent film, television and new media production company based in Toronto. Among his films are Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire (2005), A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman (2007), The World Stopped Watching (2003) and The World Is Watching (1988). The 2011 feature documentary West Wind: The Vision of Tom Thomson and 2009's Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould were co-directed with Michèle Hozer.
Peter Raymont | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Peter Raymont February 28, 1950 |
| Occupation(s) | film director, screenwriter, producer, film editor & cinematographer |
| Years active | 1971-present |
| Spouse | Lindalee Tracey (May 14, 1957 - October 19, 2006) her death |
| Website | http://www.whitepinepictures.com/ |
Education
Raymont attended Crighton Street School, Rockcliffe Park Public School and Lisgar Collegiate Institute. He graduated from Trinity College School in Port Hope in 1968.
At Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario he was honoured with the Tricolour Award for contribution to the university community. Raymont graduated from Queen's University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science and Film Studies.[1] Raymont is a graduate of The Canadian Centre for Advanced Film Studies in North York, Ontario (First Year, 1988), now the Canadian Film Centre. He was a co-founder of the Canadian Independent Film Caucus, now The Documentary Organization of Canada and is a member of The Directors' Guild of Canada and The Canadian Media Producers' Association.
Early career
Raymont's career began at age 21 at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal. From 1971 to 78, he worked as an editor, director and producer. While at the NFB, Raymont also taught film and video production in the Canadian Arctic. In 1978, Raymont moved to Toronto and established his independent film and television production company, Investigative Productions now operating as White Pine Pictures. He co-partnered the company for many years with his late wife, award-winning filmmaker and author Lindalee Tracey.
Career
Raymont was executive producer of the television drama series The Border, which he co-created with Lindalee Tracey, Janet MacLean and Jeremy Hole, and Cracked, a Toronto-based police procedural which explores the intersection of the law and mental illness.[2] Cracked's 2 seasons are also broadcast in France, Germany, USA and elsewhere.
Raymont's documentary feature Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire was honoured with the 2005 Audience Award for World Cinema Documentaries at The Sundance Film Festival and the 2007 Emmy Award for Best Documentary.[3] A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman]' was longlisted for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Genius Within premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, followed by invitational presentations at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam (IDFA) and several other festivals worldwide (Full Frame, Vancouver, Seattle, Sydney, Melbourne, Hawaii, Bermuda). The film opened theatrically across Canada, USA and Australia in 2010, playing in over 50 US cities. A two-hour version of the film was broadcast on the PBS series American Masters in December, 2010. Genius Within won the 2010 Gemini Award for Best Biography Documentary presented by the Canadian Academy of Cinema and Television, and was short-listed for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[4]
In 2015 Raymont received an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from Trent University[5]
In 2019 he was named the winner of the Don Haig Award at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Blue | Director/Producer |
| 1971 | Have You Ever Been North of Princess Street? | Director/Producer |
| 1972 | Just Another Job The Point: Community Legal Clinic | Editor |
| 1973 | The Innocent Door | Associate Producer/Editor |
| 1974 | The Coldspring Project | Producer/Editor |
| 1975 | Sikusilarmiut Lumsden The Forest Watchers Natsik Hunting | Director/Producer Director Director Producer |
| 1977 | The Hunters River: Planet Earth Whale Hunting Flora: Scenes from a Leadership Convention | Producer Director Producer Director |
| 1978 | Reflections of a Leadership Convention The Art of the Possible | Director |
| 1979 | History on the Run: The Media and the ’79 Election | Director/Producer |
| 1981 | Magic in the Sky | Director/Producer |
| 1982 | Arctic Spirits Falasha: Agony of the Black Jews | Director/Producer Director |
| 1983 | On to the Polar Sea: A Yukon Adventure Prisoners of Debt: Inside The Global Banking Crisis | Director/Writer |
| 1985 | With Our Own Two Hands | Director/Producer |
| 1986 | At The Brink: The Cuban Missile Crisis | Director |
| 1987 | The Brokers The Politics of Aid | Director/Producer Director |
| 1988 | The World Is Watching | Director/Writer |
| 1989 | Only The News That Fits | Director/Producer |
| 1990 | As Long As the Rivers Flow (5 x 1hr Episodes) Between Two Worlds | Producer |
| 1992 | Voices From the Shadows | Director/Producer |
| 1993 | Chasing the Dream | Director/Producer |
| 1994 | Hearts of Hate: The Battle for Young Minds | Director/Producer |
| 1995 | Abby, I Hardly Knew Ya The Skeptic’s Journey | Producer Director |
| 1997 | Invisible Nation: Policing the Underground The New Ice Age: A Year in the Life of the NHL (6 Episodes Passing the Flame: The Legacy of Women’s College Hospital | Producer Director/Producer Producer |
| 1998 | A Scattering of Seeds (52 x ½ hr Episodes) | Producer |
| 1999 | Rwanda: In Search of Hope | Director/Producer |
| 2000 | Toronto: City of Dreams (3 x 1hr Episodes) | Producer |
| 2001 | Graveyard Shift (6 x ½ hr Episodes) | Director/Producer |
| 2002 | The Undefended Border (3 x 1 hr Episodes) King of Hearts | Director/Producer Director |
| 2003 | Into the Light The World Stopped Watching Arctic Dreamer: The Lonely Quest of Vilhjalmur Stefansson The Hero’s Hero: The Forgotten Life of William Barker The Anatomy of Burlesque (2 x 1 hr Episodes) | Director/Producer Director/Producer Director/Producer Executive Producer/Creative Advisor Producer |
| 2004 | Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire Bhopal: The Search for Justice The Killer Cure | Director/Producer Director/Producer Producer |
| 2005 | The Idealist: James Beveridge, Film Guru | Producer |
| 2007 | A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman Tsepong: A Clinic Called Hope The Border (38 x 1hr Episodes) | Director/Producer Producer Executive Producer |
| 2008 | Worlds Collide: The Saga of Herschel Island I Nuligak: An Inuvialuit History of First Contact Tar Sands: The Selling of Alberta Radical Dreamer: The Passionate Journey of Graham Spry Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma | Producer Producer Producer Director/Producer Producer |
| 2009 | Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould City Sonic (20 Webisodes) | Director/Producer Producer |
| 2010 | Pets on Prozac Experimental Eskimos Winds of Heaven: Emily Carr, Carvers and The Spirit of The Forest The Team Prosecutor | Producer |
| 2011 | West Wind: The Vision of Tom Thomson | Director/Producer |
| 2012 | Cracked Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children | Executive Producer Producer |
| 2014 | Guantanamo's Child Painted Land: In Search of the Group of Seven | Producer |
| 2015 | Premier: The Unscripted Kathleen Wynne Where the Universe Sings: The Spiritual Journey of Lawren Harris | Producer Director/Producer |
| 2016 | All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception and the Spirit of I. F. Stone Girls' Night Out Arctic Secrets (8 x 1 hr Episodes) | Producer Producer Producer, Executive Producer |
| 2017 | We Are Canada (6 x 1 hr Episodes) PTSD: Beyond Trauma The Truth Is In The Stars | Executive Producer |
| 2018 | In the Making (16 x ½ hr Episodes) The Corporate Coup D'État | Executive Producer |
| 2019 | Toxic Beauty Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word after a Word is Power | Executive Producer Executive Producer Director/Producer |
| 2020 | CitizenKid: Earth Comes First | Executive Producer |
| 2021 | Wild Pacific Rescue (3 x 1 hr Episodes) The Price of Cheap Sleeping Warrior | Executive Producer |
| 2022 | Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children Ice-Breaker: The 1972 Summit Series Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On | Executive Producer Producer/Executive Producer Executive Producer |
Awards
- Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary (Guantanamo's Child), 2016
- Academy of Television Arts & Sciences [7]
- NEWS AND DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARD - Best Documentary 2007[8]
- GENIE AWARD[9][10]
Gemini Awards:
- Best Sports Program or Series 1999
- Best History-Biography Documentary, 2004
- Best Direction of a Documentary, 2004
- Best Biography Documentary, 2010
Canadian Film and Television Awards
- Best Documentary 1983
Sundance Film Festival
- AUDIENCE AWARD - World Cinema Documentary, 2005
Philadelphia Film Festival
- JURY AWARD - Best Documentary, 2005
Chicago International Film Festival
- SILVER HUGO - Best Social/Political Documentary 1991
- GOLD HUGO - Best Social/Political Documentary 1988
- GOLD PLAQUE - Social/Political Documentary 1983
American Film Festival, New York City
- Blue Ribbon, Best Social/Political Documentary 1976
- Red Ribbon Social/Political Documentary 1983
Nyon International Documentary Film Festival, Switzerland
- Sesterce d'Argent, 1990
- Ecumenical Prize and Second Public Jury Prize, 1988
Leipzig International Film Festival
- Best Short Documentary 1976
- International Jury Award, 1991
Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels (FIPA), Biarritz, France
- Special Jury Mention, 2004
- Honourable Mention, 2004
Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, ACTRA Awards
- Top Ten Award, 1999
- Best Writing, TV Documentary 1984
Yorkton International Film Festival, Canada
- Best Documentary, Sports/Recreation and Best Cinematography 1985
- Best Broadcast Documentary 1991
- Best Documentary 2010
Alberta Film and Television (AMPIA)
- Best Documentary 1986
International Arctic Film Festival (Rovaniemi, Finland)
- Special Award, Television 1986
23rd International Festival of Short Films (Cracow, Poland)
- Polish National Peace Committee Prize, 1986
National Film and Video Association, Oakland, California
- Bronze Apple 1990, Gold Apple 1991, Bronze Apple 1994, Gold Apple 1995
Worldfest Houston
- Gold, Special Jury Prize, 2001
- Gold Award for Documentary Series 2000
- Special Jury Prize, 2000
- Gold Award for Sports Documentary 1999
- Gold Medal for Best Documentary Television Series 1998
- Silver Award 1992, Certificate of Merit-Finalist 1995
Academy Awards, Los Angeles, USA
- Honourable Mention, Documentary category, 1983
Berlin Film Festival
- Honourable Mention, Peace Prize Committee 1989