Montreal: Prominent individuals in the Canadian production industry are joining together to ensure an industry award is named in honor of Don Haig, who passed away at his Toronto home on Saturday, March 2 at the age of 69.

Born in Winnipeg in 1933, Haig was highly respected across the country and was known for his selfless mentoring to generations of young Canadian filmmakers.

Affectionately called the ‘godfather of Canadian film,’ Haig’s career spanned some 45 years and more than 500 films at the CBC, the National Film Board, where he became executive producer of the English documentary studios and was involved in more than 135 films, and in the private sector through his own company, Film Arts.

As many as 800 people, a picture of the industry over the past 30 years, attended the March 6 funeral in Toronto. A commemorative luncheon followed. Haig specifically requested no eulogies.

Haig began his career in Winnipeg at MGM Canada. He joined the CBC as a film editor in the mid-1950s, working on series such as This Hour Has Seven Days and The Fifth Estate. He founded Film Arts in 1963 and had various partners including Douglas Leiterman and Allan King.

His filmography includes Brigitte Berman’s Oscar-winning documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got, Patricia Rozema’s I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Ron Mann’s Comic Book Confidential and Twist, and Gemini Award winner Timothy Findley: Anatomy of a Writer, coproduced with the NFB.

Haig had an encouraging word for all, says Allan King, past president of the Directors Guild of Canada and president of Allan King Associates. He says the Films Arts office at 461 Church Street became ‘a kind of club or meeting place for everybody in film to watch rough cuts and watch fine cuts. He was an extraordinarily generous and open person. When people needed services finishing a film, he helped. When people needed money to finish their film, he helped.’

Nelvana CEO Michael Hirsh also recalls Haig’s mentoring qualities and professional commitment. ‘He was incredibly generous and he had a sign up in his editing house which read, ‘If you don’t come in on Sunday, then don’t come in on Monday.’ ‘

Hirsh says Haig was open to all forms of filmmaking. ‘The interesting thing about Don, as an editor helping young filmmakers, was that he was not judgmental. He helped all of us regardless of whether he liked our film or not. And he did it just to be helpful because he loved the business and loved the art.’

‘Don was a very quiet and modest person,’ says longtime partner Bill Schultz. ‘He did not look back, he always looked to the future, to new projects and new challenges.’

Last spring when Haig became very ill, Schultz was named the sole beneficiary of Film Arts’ assets.

Haig, who died of cancer, leaves behind Schultz, his mother Kathleen and two brothers, Brian and Ron.