A Sad Loss for the Audiovisual industry, Peter Davis

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Peter Davis, a true friend and colleague of FOCAL International.

Here's an excerpt from his obituary published on 13 December 2025, in The Vancouver Sun & The Province:

Peter Davis spent a lifetime telling the stories of others as a filmmaker, author, photographer, and archivist. An extremely well-read autodidact, he had a Shakespeare quote or a pun for every occasion. He spoke several languages, but in all of them he chose his words carefully—he was most comfortable communicating in writing or with a camera. He was a world traveler who knew how to draw a story out of anyone, and he made lasting connections everywhere he went, whether with the post office clerk or world leaders.

He founded Villon Films in 1970 and produced dozens of socio-political documentary films, telling stories that covered a wide range of topics, from history, biography, culture, and government, to ecology, health and science. Throughout his career he was arrested and jailed for shining light on oppression and injustice.

Peter died peacefully in his bed at home, as he wished, at the age of 92. He will be deeply missed by Joy, Meka (Jon) and Emma (Avram), his grandchildren (Abigail, Rebekah, Sarah, Peter, Finnegan and Asher), several nieces and nephews, and the many friends and community members he kept careful contact with in Mount Pleasant and around the world.

Villon Films was featured in an Archive Zones 2013 article and in the Summer 2023 issue of FOCALPoint (pages 24-26).

We are deeply saddened by this news and send our sincere condolences to Peter's family, friends, and colleagues.

Rest in peace, Peter.