Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: To the extent that Pittsburgh has a film bibliography, Jean-Pierre Nutini's name appears on every page.
Just look on the international movie database website: He was a crew member on all of the major films, and some minor ones, that have been made here in the past 20 years, from "Lorenzo's Oil" to "Wonder Boys" to "The Dark Knight Rises."
But Mr. Nutini, who died July 10 of cancer at age 57 in his Squirrel Hill home, also had another calling: to bring Mexican art and culture to Pittsburghers through Mexico Lindo Y Galeria de Artesanias, a shop on Murray Avenue operated by him and his wife, Lisa DiGioia-Nutini.
2 comments:
It is sad to see that someone who meant so much to the film industry and the culture of Pittsburgh has died. So young, only 57, and he still did so much, the article names him as a strong supporter of unions and a strong force in the cultural world of Pittsburgh. It is sad to hear of his untimely death and the affect his death will surely leave on the city.
It is interesting to see how the worlds of theatre lighting and film lighting overlap through the life of Jean-Pierre Nutini, who also managed to incorporate art collecting and cooking into his schedule. I had a teacher who once told me that scenic engineering for theatre production is a lot like cooking, and Nutini cooked for his entire crew- so did he really ever stop working? As (arguably) the most notable gaffer in Pittsburgh of the era, Jean-Pierre worked on some large films, but it would be nice to know what tied him so closely to the area. Often times, people who work for the film industry retire early, but Nutini kept at it for a very long time. Getting involved in the acting side of film as well as the technical side is also a rarity, as the crossover is not easily managed, especially when sticking to strictly union work. Though it is sad that Nutini had to die so young, his field of work will ensure that the time and effort he put into film will be exhibited for years to come.
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