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Ovidio G. Assonitis is a Director, Scriptwriter and Associate Producer Egyptien born on 18 january 1943 at Alexandria (Egypte)

Ovidio G. Assonitis

Ovidio G. Assonitis
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Birth name Ovidio Gabriel Assonitis
Nationality Egypte
Birth 18 january 1943 (81 years) at Alexandria (Egypte)

Ovidio Assonitis (born on January 18, 1943 in Alexandria, Egypt) is an independent film producer and businessman with over 35 years of experience in the entertainment industry.

Biography

Catering to the South East Asia market, Assonitis began an extensive distribution network company in the mid-1960s and in the 10-year period distributed more than 900 films from offices in Thailand, Honk Kong, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia. His former partners and associates include HRH Prince Anusom Yukol in Thailand (brother of the King of Thailand), John Litton in the Philippines (President of Mever films, Theater owner and former President of the Philippines Film Festival), the Shaw Brothers in Singapore, Alex Tedja In Indonesia, Kong Cho Yee (Edko Enterprises) in Hong Kong.

From the 1970s to 2000s Assonitis has financed and produced some 53 films. Many of these were joint ventures with American International Pictures (USA), Nippon Herald Films Inc and Toho-Towa (Japan), with worldwide releases through Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, Warner Brothers and United Artists. The 1974 horror classic Beyond the Door distributed by Film Ventures International grossed worldwide in excess of USD $40 million, a tremendous achievement at that time. In 1980 Mr Assonitis produced Piranha II: The Spawning, which was released through Warner Brothers and Columbia pictures. This was the movie that launched the career of director James Cameron, who went on to direct the blockbuster hit Titanic. In 1989, Assonitis became the second major stockholder chairman and CEO of Cannon Pictures Inc (USA).

In 1990 Assonitis assigned to Universal Pictures the remake of the European classic Scent of a Woman, which was released worldwide in 1993, starring Al Pacino and directed by Martin Brest. Since his resignation as CEO of Cannon Inc, Assonitis has produced 6 movies, became President of Titan Inc (USA), Titan Serendib Inc (Malaysia and Sri Lanka), Ka Film Investment (KFI) (Rome) and stockholder of Buskin film (Rome). Aside from the Entertainment Industry, Assonitis has several major commercial projects in South East Asia, including Malaysia.

He is a keen philanthropist and eager to combine business with a positive development of the economic and social infrastructure of countries in Asia.

Best films

Piranha II: The Spawning
Piranha II: The Spawning
(1982)
(Director)

Usually with

Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli
Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli
(13 films)
Franco Micalizzi
Franco Micalizzi
(5 films)
Edward L. Montoro
Edward L. Montoro
(2 films)
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen
(3 films)
James Cameron
James Cameron
(1 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Ovidio G. Assonitis (22 films)

Display filmography as list

Director

Piranha II: The Spawning
Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)
, 1h34
Directed by James Cameron, Ovidio G. Assonitis
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Horror, Romance
Themes Films about animals, Natural horror films
Actors Tricia O'Neil, Lance Henriksen, Carole Davis, Leslie Graves, Ricky Paull Goldin
Rating38% 1.908421.908421.908421.908421.90842
Sometime after the first film, off the coast of a Caribbean island, a young couple flee a hotel to have sex in the sea. But they swim into a sunken wreck which is also a piranha lair and they are both killed and eaten by the unseen piranha.
Madhouse
Madhouse (1981)
, 1h33
Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis
Origin USA
Genres Horror, Slasher
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Jerry Fujikawa
Rating55% 2.7536452.7536452.7536452.7536452.753645
Julia (Trish Everly, in her only film role) is a young teacher for deaf children living in Savannah, Georgia. She has horrid memories of her childhood, which was scarred by her sadistic twin sister Mary (Allison Biggers). At the urging of her uncle, Father James (Dennis Robertson), Julia visits Mary, suffering from a severe skin disease, in a mental institution. The meeting does not go well and Mary vows to make Julia "suffer as she had suffered". As their mutual birthday approaches, several of Julia's friends and neighbors begin to die gruesome deaths, some of which are committed by a mysterious Rottweiler dog that has some sort of connection to Mary. But is Mary really the killer?
Tentacles
Tentacles (1977)
, 1h32
Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis
Origin Italie
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Horror
Themes Films about animals, Environmental films, Natural horror films, Films about cephalopods
Actors John Huston, Shelley Winters, Bo Hopkins, Henry Fonda, Delia Boccardo, Cesare Danova
Rating37% 1.8639251.8639251.8639251.8639251.863925
Ocean Beach, a seaside tourist resort, has come under attack by a giant octopus, which captures and devours human swimmers and boaters, picking the skeletons clean of flesh and bone marrow. Marine expert Will Gleason (Bo Hopkins) and crusading newspaper reporter Ned Turner (John Huston) suspect the construction of an underwater tunnel by the Trojan company, owned by Mr. Whitehead (Henry Fonda). Trojan has been using radio signals that have been "above regulated levels", somehow maddening the octopus and causing it to attack human beings. In the end, the octopus is killed by Gleason's pair of killer whales.
Beyond the Door
Beyond the Door (1974)
, 1h49
Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis
Genres Horror
Actors Juliet Mills, Gabriele Lavia, Richard Johnson, Edward L. Montoro
Rating47% 2.3594352.3594352.3594352.3594352.359435
Jessica Barrett is a young mother in San Francisco. Her family and friends begin to notice odd behavior around the time she falls pregnant with her third child. As the strangeness intensifies, Jessica begins to display signs of demonic possession including spinning her head all the way around and projectile vomiting.

Scriptwriter

Choke Canyon
Choke Canyon (1986)
, 1h34
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Action
Actors Stephen Collins, Janet Julian, Bo Svenson, Lance Henriksen, Nicholas Pryor, Robert F. Hoy
Roles Writer
Rating53% 2.664882.664882.664882.664882.66488
Dr. David Lowell's (Collins) research is carried out in the canyon country of southern Utah and must be conducted at the same time Halley's Comet is passing over the earth. A corporation trying to find a remote place to illegally dump nuclear waste throws him off his land and destroys his laboratory. He spends the rest of the film committing ecotage against the company and trying to recover his land.
Piranha II: The Spawning
Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)
, 1h34
Directed by James Cameron, Ovidio G. Assonitis
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Horror, Romance
Themes Films about animals, Natural horror films
Actors Tricia O'Neil, Lance Henriksen, Carole Davis, Leslie Graves, Ricky Paull Goldin
Rating38% 1.908421.908421.908421.908421.90842
Sometime after the first film, off the coast of a Caribbean island, a young couple flee a hotel to have sex in the sea. But they swim into a sunken wreck which is also a piranha lair and they are both killed and eaten by the unseen piranha.
Madhouse
Madhouse (1981)
, 1h33
Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis
Origin USA
Genres Horror, Slasher
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Jerry Fujikawa
Roles Writer
Rating55% 2.7536452.7536452.7536452.7536452.753645
Julia (Trish Everly, in her only film role) is a young teacher for deaf children living in Savannah, Georgia. She has horrid memories of her childhood, which was scarred by her sadistic twin sister Mary (Allison Biggers). At the urging of her uncle, Father James (Dennis Robertson), Julia visits Mary, suffering from a severe skin disease, in a mental institution. The meeting does not go well and Mary vows to make Julia "suffer as she had suffered". As their mutual birthday approaches, several of Julia's friends and neighbors begin to die gruesome deaths, some of which are committed by a mysterious Rottweiler dog that has some sort of connection to Mary. But is Mary really the killer?
The Visitor
The Visitor (1979)
, 1h39
Directed by Giulio Paradisi
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Themes Films set in the future, Demons in film, Films about extraterrestrial life, Films about extraterrestrial life, Alien invasions in films, Disaster films
Actors John Huston, Mel Ferrer, Glenn Ford, Lance Henriksen, Sam Peckinpah, Shelley Winters
Roles Story
Rating52% 2.6018052.6018052.6018052.6018052.601805
The film opens with vague impressions of nature and supernatural forces before centering on a Christ-like figure telling a story to a group of bald pupils, most of whom are children. He tells a story about cosmic forces in conflict. In particular, he warns about the threat of Sateen, an evil inter-spacial force of immense magnitude. The film cuts to The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia where two fictional teams are playing a basketball game. The owner of the Atlanta team, Raymond Armstead (Lance Henriksen), sits courtside and promises an interviewer that the team will win at all costs. Since Raymond is a new owner and the source of his wealth is unknown, the interviewer presses him on the source of his wealth. He eventually answers that the money comes "from God".
Beyond the Door
Beyond the Door (1974)
, 1h49
Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis
Genres Horror
Actors Juliet Mills, Gabriele Lavia, Richard Johnson, Edward L. Montoro
Roles Story
Rating47% 2.3594352.3594352.3594352.3594352.359435
Jessica Barrett is a young mother in San Francisco. Her family and friends begin to notice odd behavior around the time she falls pregnant with her third child. As the strangeness intensifies, Jessica begins to display signs of demonic possession including spinning her head all the way around and projectile vomiting.

Producer

Sabrina Goes to Rome
Sabrina Goes to Rome (1998)
, 1h24
Directed by Tibor Takács
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Fantasy
Actors Melissa Joan Hart, Eddie Mills, Tara Strong, Nick Bakay, Richard Steven Horvitz
Roles Producer
Rating54% 2.7243152.7243152.7243152.7243152.724315
If Sabrina cannot open a mysterious antique gold locket and release the power trapped within, her Aunt Sophia will be lost forever. "The secret to the locket lies in Rome", her father says. Sabrina heads for Italy and the Eternal City of Rome, for what was supposed to be "two cat-less weeks" to herself. Unknown to her she is accompanied by Salem who has stowed away in her backpack. Sabrina finds an unexpected roommate: Gwen, a British witch with a talking guinea pig named Stonehenge (nicknamed "Stony"). At the inn where she is staying, Sabrina learns that her Aunt Sophia was banished and trapped in the locket because she fell in love with a mortal who betrayed her and revealed to a friend that she was a witch. Later while traveling the city, she meets Paul, the gorgeous American photographer who catches her before she falls into the famous Trevi Fountain. Together, Sabrina and Gwen set out to solve the mystery of the locket. When Paul and his friend Travis witness Sabrina doing magic, while turning a walking statue to stone (that Gwen brought life by accident) they come up with an idea to sell the story. In the end Paul doesn't betray Sabrina, which sets Aunt Sophia free, as the locket says "Trust your heart".
American Ninja 5
American Ninja 5 (1993)
, 1h42
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Adventure, Martial arts
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films
Actors David Bradley, Pat Morita, James Lew, Norman Burton
Roles Producer
Rating30% 1.5246551.5246551.5246551.5246551.524655
Lee Reyes plays Hiro, Master Tetsu's (Pat Morita)'s grandnephew, who is the last of the true ninja. His granduncle sends him to apprentice under Joe Kastle, (David Bradley), who is the American Ninja, to gain experience. Hiro cares only for his Game Gear and has little interest in the ways of the ninja. Joe in addition to being the American Ninja also owns a boat. In order to meet the American Ninja, Lisa (Anne Dupont) "varnishes" his boat when in fact she was asked to "tarnish" it. While having dinner Lisa is kidnapped by Viper (James Lew) and a host of multi-colored ninjas, and so the American Ninja and Hiro sneak onto a plane to Venezuela to save her. It is revealed that Lisa is the daughter of a scientist, under the employ of Glock (Clement von Franckenstein), who is being forced to develop a nerve gas for a Latin American despot. Before the American Ninja and Hiro can rescue Lisa and her father from "Viper", the mysterious ninja that appears and reappears with a puff of smoke, the American Ninja must reawaken the ancient ninja tradition within Hiro with a 5-minute training montage. Viper is defeated in a climactic airplane battle scene, and Joe returns to Los Angeles to kiss Lisa on the bow of his boat.