Ovidio G. Assonitis, a visionary entrepreneur and filmmaker, was born in the vibrant city of Alexandria, Egypt. With a storied career spanning over five decades, Assonitis has navigated the entertainment industry with remarkable ease, leaving an indelible mark on the global cinematic landscape.
In the mid-1960s, Assonitis embarked on an ambitious venture, establishing a comprehensive distribution company catering to the South East Asia market. Over a 10-year period, his company distributed an astonishing 900 films from offices in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Throughout the 1970s to 2000s, Assonitis has been instrumental in financing and producing 53 films, collaborating with major and mini-major studios, including American International Pictures, Film Ventures International, Trans World Entertainment, Nippon Herald Films Inc, and Toho-Towa. His films have been released worldwide through esteemed distributors such as Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and United Artists.
One of Assonitis' most notable directorial endeavors is the cult horror classic, Beyond the Door (1974),starring Juliet Mills and Richard Johnson. The film's worldwide box office gross exceeded $40 million, solidifying its position as the highest-grossing independent release of the year. This remarkable achievement was followed by a string of successful pictures, including Tentacles (1977),The Visitor (1979),and Madhouse (1981).
In 1981, Assonitis produced Piranha II: The Spawning (1982),which marked the debut of acclaimed director James Cameron. This was followed by Choke Canyon (1986),The Curse (1987),Sonny Boy (1989),Curse II: The Bite (1989),and Beyond the Door III (1989),all of which were released under an exclusive deal with RCA Columbia.
Assonitis' business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit led him to become the second major stockholder, Chairman, and CEO of Cannon Pictures Inc. in 1989. Under his leadership, the company experienced a remarkable turnaround, with films such as Lambada (1990),Midnight Ride (1990),Fifty/Fifty (1992),and No Place to Hide (1992) contributing to the company's financial resurgence.
In 1990, Assonitis assigned Universal Pictures the remake rights to the European classic, Scent of a Woman (1974). The resulting film, Scent of a Woman (1992),starred Al Pacino and was directed by Martin Brest, earning four Academy Award nominations, with Pacino winning the Best Actor award.
Aside from his illustrious career in the entertainment industry, Assonitis has several significant commercial projects in South East Asia, including Malaysia. He is a dedicated philanthropist, committed to combining business with positive economic and social development. His latest venture, Embryo: Beyond the Door, marks a triumphant return to the horror genre after over two decades.
