Montreal movie entrepreneur Mel Hoppenheim has died

Melvin “Mel” Hoppenheim, renowned Montreal filmmaker, cinematographer, philanthropist and entrepreneur, has died.

“He was a Canadian film industry pioneer and a visionary with a outstanding record of accomplishments, which includes the building of MELS Studios,” said MELS Studios on its Facebook webpage.

The Quebec Film and Tv Council also termed him a pioneer on its Facebook site, saying  “he was also a philanthropist who contributed to the journey of Quebec’s many skills, creators and specialists.”

Born in 1937, Hoppenheim grew up in Montreal and died Wednesday surrounded by his household. He experienced a prolonged background not just in the meat and movie sector, but also in offering back to the local community.

According to his obituary, Hoppenheim was deeply dedicated to the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation and experienced served on its board because 1989. He and his spouse, Rosemary Schirmer, were generous donors to the institute.

He wore several other hats in the group, which include serving as chair of the Blended Jewish Appeal (CJA) and on the Montreal Kid’s Clinic board.

Born in 1937, Hoppenheim started Panavision Canada in 1965, offering cameras and other capturing devices to the tv and movie marketplace. Six years later, he opened a further place in Toronto, and then Vancouver 5 several years soon after that. 

In 1988, he obtained the Expo Theatre in Montreal’s Cité du Havre district, near Habitat 67, and designed 5 studios which would come to be MELS Cité du Cinema, furnishing what has been touted as the major sound and stage studios in North The united states. 

For 33 a long time, Hoppenheim worked carefully with his partner, Michel Trudel.

“Mel, you have been a pretty fantastic partner. Thank you for these fantastic years,” Trudel wrote on Facebook.

“You will remain in our memories forever.”

As his small business continued to grow, Hoppenheim, father of eight, ongoing to give back.

In 1997, Hoppenheim donated $1 million to Montreal’s Concordia College to assistance the the school’s movie courses and the…