Donald Ranvaud, Italian-born British journalist and film producer, Died at 62

  Media, Writer

Donald Ranvaud was born on December 5, 1953, and died on September 5, 2016.

He was a British film producer and film journalist.

He had produced roles on a number of Oscar-nominated films including The Constant Gardener (2005), City of God(2002), Central Station (1998) and Farewell My Concubine[6] (1993).

Donald was best known for his work in the Latin American film industry, especially in Brazil and Bolivia.

From 1976–88, Ranvaud taught at the University of Warwick (English and comparative literature) and the University of East Anglia (film studies) and also at the College of South Wales (film theory).

And at the same time, he also worked as a freelance journalist for MFB, Sight and Sound, The Guardian, La Repubblica, Cahiers du cinéma and American Film, as well as founding the independent cinema and media magazine Framework, which he edited until 1988.

Donald has published several books on Italian cinema and directed documentary items for C4 magazine programmes and RAI 1, including portraits of Paul Schrader, Raul Ruiz, Cui Jian, Laurie Anderson and David Mamet.

During 1988 Ranvaud established the European Script fund with Renee Goddard as part of the MEDIA Programme of the Commission of the European Community, where he stayed on for 18 months, during which time the Media Programme was fully integrated into EC policy.

As of 1989 Donald started to work as a producer full-time, working with directors and in countries that would soon become prominent in the world of independent film: in China from 1989 to 1993, he produced Life on a String and Farewell My Concubine; in Latin America from 1994 to present, he produced Central do Brasil, Familia Rodante, Xango, Lavoura Arcaica, Babilonia 2000, Madame Sata, and City of God, garnering a total of 12 Oscar nominations. He was also executive producer on The Constant Gardener by Fernando Meirelles in Kenya.

He was on the jury of the 2016 Montreal World Film Festival.

Donald was found dead of a heart attack in his hotel room on the last day of the festival.

Donald Ranvaud passed away at 62 years old.