Martin Bockner, a career Canadian film distributor and a key executive of the original team behind Astral Communications, succumbed to emphysema five days before the Toronto International Film Festival. He was 70.

‘Prior to Harold Greenberg, Martin was Astral. At one point, he was one of the most influential guys in the [Canadian distribution] business,’ says Richard Borchiver, coo of Paragon Entertainment and a longtime friend of the family.

Poker-playing, tough, determined, Bockner was a part of the business when it was more about handshakes than contracts. He began his film career in 1945 as a booker for United Artists, and was scooped shortly thereafter by the late Izzy Allen to work for what was the newly formed, small Canadian independent film distribution company, Astral Films.

He remained with Astral for the next quarter-decade, rising through the echelons as film salesman, sales manager, general sales manager and finally vice-president under president Jerry Solway of what was, by 1971, the publicly traded Astral Communications.

After Solway’s death the next year, Bockner became president and ceo of Astral, overseeing the company which now included a substantial television library, production and coproduction participation (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz), and its mainstay film distribution operations. Astral at this point represented and subdistributed American International Pictures, the u.k.’s Commonwealth United, resulting in Astral bringing La Dolce Vita to Canada for an unprecedented two-year theatrical release.

Making deals with Famous Players execs George Destounis and Jack Berstein was particularly satisfying for his father, says Michael Bockner. ‘I don’t know how many deals were made around the card table, but I’m sure it helped. They used to drive him crazy, but he made points and got the screens.’

In 1974, Bockner formed his own indie distribution company, Saguenay Films which dealt Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Well’s F for Fake, among others. It was particularly difficult when Saguenay fell victim to the squeezed distribution market, says Borchiver.

‘He was a very honest business man who really understood the business and the values worldwide. He was very gruff, but if you knew him, it was a veneer. He was incredibly generous. When the independent distribution business took a turn for the worse, it was difficult. I’m not sure he ever fully recovered from that.’

Bockner turned his life-long passion for the distribution business into a lobby effort to raise political support for local distributors. In 1981, he assumed the role of president of the new independent producers and distributors lobby the Association of Canadian Movie Production Companies.

Together with Daniel Weinzweig, (now head of Mayfair Entertainment) Bockner put together a working paper for then Minister of Communications Flora MacDonald proposing new film legislation to impose levies on films distributed by foreign-owned companies in Canada.

The report fell on deaf ears. It wasn’t, however, the last the government would hear from Bockner on this particular topic. Francis Fox, John Roberts, Marcel Masse and MacDonald would be at the receiving end of his proposed policy legislation, some enacted, some not, but earning Bockner in the process the distinction of being perceived as an obstacle by mmpa lobbyist Jack Valenti.

‘He wanted Canada to have a presence in the film industry internationally,’ says Bockner. ‘To do that, he meant strengthening the distributors versus allowing the distribution sector to be controlled by Telefilm. He fought against the distribution business becoming the facility through which to send the films. He wanted distribution to be the business mechanism to propel films.’

Bockner is survived by his wife, Susan Doyle-Bockner, son Michael, siblings Lawrence, Christopher and Daniel, and three grandchildren.