Michael Jones (film director)

Michael Jones (1944[1] – March 14, 2018) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter based in Newfoundland. He is known for his films which depicted the island's culture and humour.[2]

Michael Jones
Born(1944-03-28)March 28, 1944
St. John's, Newfoundland
DiedMarch 14, 2018(2018-03-14) (aged 73)
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Occupations

Early life

Jones was born on March 28, 1944, the son of Agnes Dobbin and Michael Jones Sr.[3] He was a brother to satirical Newfoundland writers/actors Andy Jones and Cathy Jones.[1][4][5] Jones attended St. Bonaventure’s College, graduating in 1962. He joined the Christian Brothers and studied at New York's Catholic Iona College. He earned a master's degree at Notre Dame.[3]

Career

Jones took a position as a teacher in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he became involved in filmmaking. He left the Brothers in 1969. He left teaching to train with the National Film Board of Canada’s Atlantic Studio in 1974, and was a founding member of the Newfoundland Independent Filmmaker’s Co-op in 1975.[6] Along with his brother Andy he created the film The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood, which was filmed over a period of ten years.[7][8] He also directed Secret Nation and Congratulations.[9] He was nominated for two Genie Awards for Faustus Bidgood, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.[10]

Mike Jones performed minor roles in all of his films, including the French teacher in Faustus Bidgood.[9] He provided the voice of Leo Cryptus in his film Secret Nation, a sequel to Faustus,[11][12] and played the lead role in William D. MacGillivray's 1983 film Stations.[1] Although he was not a performing member of CODCO - the long-lived comedy troupe which included siblings Andy and Cathy - Jones directed and edited the company's short films including "Dolly Cake", "Sisters of the Silver Scalpel" and "Ship Inn Man".[13]

Death

Jones died March 14, 2018, at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland.[6]

Filmography

As director

As cinematographer
  • When Ponds Freeze Over (1998)
  • Anchor Zone (1994)
  • Multiple Choice (1989)
  • Finding Mary March (1988)
  • The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood (1986)
  • Opposing Force (1986)
  • Linda Joy (1985)
  • Dolly Cake (1976)

References
  1. Wyndham Wise, Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film. University of Toronto Press, 2015. Entry "Jones, Mike, Andy and Cathy".
  2. "'Great friend, an incredible wit, a great mind': Remembering Mike Jones, film pioneer". Meghan McCabe · CBC News · Mar 18, 2018
  3. "Michael Jones was a pioneer of Newfoundland filmmaking". Joan Sullivan, The Globe and Mail, April 6, 2018
  4. "It took 10 years, but Faustus Bidgood has arrived". The Globe and Mail, August 20, 1986.
  5. María Jesús Hernáez Lerena (18 September 2015). Pathways of Creativity in Contemporary Newfoundland and Labrador. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 195–. ISBN 978-1-4438-8333-7.
  6. "Mike Jones, ‘godfather of filmmaking’ in Newfoundland and Labrador, dead at 73". The Telegram, Juanita Mercer Mar 16, 2018
  7. Wyndham Wise (15 December 2001). Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. p. 1999. ISBN 978-1-4426-5620-8.
  8. Eva Šormová (1993). Don Juan and Faust in the XXth Century: Theatre Conference, 27.9. - 1.10.1991, Prague. Department of Theatre Studies, Faculty of Philosophy Charles University. pp. 113–114. ISBN 978-80-901489-6-3.
  9. "Keeping up with the Joneses: It's taken 10 years but Michael Jones has finished his epic, Faustus Bidgood". The Globe and Mail, February 8, 1986.
  10. "Arcand's Decline tops Genie nominations with 13". The Globe and Mail, at the 8th Genie Awardson February 5, 1987.
  11. "Secret Nation's lost Newfoundland". Toronto Star, January 8, 1993.
  12. William Beard; Jerry White (2002). North of Everything: English-Canadian Cinema Since 1980. University of Alberta. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-88864-390-2.
  13. "Secret Nation is a conspiracy movie with a farcical twist". Montreal Gazette, September 26, 1993.
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