OBIT - RICHARD PORTMAN

Academy Award winning sound mixer Richard Portman has died. He passed on the 28th of January due to complications following a fall. One of the most influential figures in sound design in the global film industry, Portman pioneered new techniques in sound re-recording mixing, and was the very first artist to mix an entire feature by himself. During his career, he won one Oscar from 11 nominations and two BAFTAs from five. Among the titles on which Portman worked are such indisputable classics as Harold and Maude, The Godfather, The Way We Were, Papillon, Young Frankenstein, 3 Women, Star Wars, The Deer Hunter and Heaven's Gate. A true maverick, and a great loss indeed for film. We'll value Portman's invaluable contribution to cinema for many years to come.

OBIT - JOHN HURT

After a noble battle with pancreatic cancer, legendary British actor John Hurt has died. He passed on the 27th of January, five days after his 77th birthday. This most prolific and talented of British actors has enjoyed renown across the globe for decades as one of the finest performers of his generation, securing his reputation with frequent appearances on stage and screen alike, right up to his death. Hurt won a scholarship to prestigious acting school RADA in 1960, leading to an extraordinary career in the dramatic arts. From early roles in film and TV, his first major part was in the 1966 Best Picture Oscar winner A Man for All Seasons, though his stardom was sealed in the UK with a leading role in 1975's The Naked Civil Servant. With over 50 years in the profession, he starred in a great many of the defining films of the time, including 10 Rillington Place, Alien, Heaven's Gate, The Hit, 1984, The Field, Dead Man, Dogville, Only Lovers Left Alive and the recent Jackie. He is remembered also for appearing in the Harry Potter films as wand-maker Mr. Ollivander, and for Oscar-nominated turns in Midnight Express and The Elephant Man. Those films also earned Hurt Golden Globe nominations and BAFTA awards, in a career that also brought him an honorary award from the British Academy and a knighthood in 2015. We will mourn Hurt's passing for some time - he was a true great, and his final, as-yet unreleased performances, will be cherished indeed.

OBIT - MICHAEL CIMINO

Acclaimed and iconic, filmmaker Michael Cimino has died. He passed yesterday, the 2nd of July 2016, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 77 years of age. One of the brightest lights in the 'New Hollywood' of the 1970s, Cimino's success truly flourished after he abandoned the commercial populism of his earlier work and made one of the most influential films of the decade. 1978's celebrated The Deer Hunter is often regarded as his magnum opus, and won five Oscars. Alas, 1980's Heaven's Gate, which came in highly delayed and over-budget, was a huge box office bomb, almost led to the collapse of its studio, United Artists, and was branded one of the worst films of all time by some critics upon release. Subsequent re-evaluation of the film, and its several re-edits, has seen a reversal in its perception, and it is now considered a misunderstood masterpiece. But the damage to Cimino's ascendant career had been done; his following four films all disappointed critics and tanked with audiences; there were Razzie nominations and straight-to-video releases, and he hadn't made a full-length feature since 1996 when he died. Despite such an ignominious middle and end to his career, Cimino will nevertheless be remembered as a visionary, a bold and distinctive talent who created some of the most essential films of the 20th Century. He will be missed indeed.