To those who know him Canadian director Norman Jewison is as warm and cuddly as Father Christmas. But to Hollywood icon John Wayne, the famed director of "The Cincinnati Kid," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Moonstruck" and "The Hurricane" was "the Canadian Pinko."

"John Wayne didn't like me," laughs the 82-year-old legend as he strolls the beach near his Malibu home with Canada AM's Beverly Thomson.

Infuriated by his 1966 Cold War satire, "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming," Jewison says the conservative, right-wing actor "felt there was a communist under every rock."

In fact, Jewison dodged "The Duke" and his obvious displeasure by escaping up a flight of stairs at one Hollywood cocktail party.

"The drunker he got the more he wanted to punch me out," smiles Jewison.

That's far from the sentiment that filled the air in Hollywood this weekend, where Cher, Faye Dunaway, Eva Marie Saint, Carl Reiner and other stars honoured Jewison's extraordinary career and the 20th anniversary of his baby, the Canadian Film Centre.

"When I came back to live in Canada, I realized there was no centre for advanced film studies," says Jewison, who parlayed a floor director's gig at the CBC in the early 1950s into an A-list Hollywood career that has spanned six decades.

"There was the British Film Institute, the Cin�math�que in Paris, the Australian Film Institute. Even Israel had a film institute....So that's what drove me...to try to establish a place where we could nurture young talent," says Jewison.

In 1988 the Oscar-nominated director launched the Canadian Film Centre to train and promote talent in film, television and new media.

Since its inception, more than 100 short films have been produced under CFC's short dramatic film program. These shorts have captured more than 50 major awards at Canadian and international film festivals.

Feature films have also been produced by select CFC residents, including Clement Virgo's "Rude" (1995), Holly Dale's "Blood and Donuts" (1995), Laurie Lynd's "House" (1995), Colleen Murphy's "Shoemaker" (1996), Vincenzo Natali's "Cube" (1997), and Jim Allodi's "The Uncles" (2000).

"It's very important for Canada to have a thriving film industry," says Jewison.

"I don't think Hollywood right now is interested in the art of filmmaking or telling a good story and I think that's kind of sad. Everything's the bottom line here and in America at the moment, especially in the studios."

Jewison says the corporate thinking behind Hollywood's major studios is "bad for art."

"If you think that film is an art form, and I do, like books and great sculpture, then film is forever, especially now with digital reproductions," says Jewison. "It expresses the soul and passion of people. Their fears. Their joys. Their sorrows...It's probably the most important art form in the last 50 years."

That healthy respect and trust in the actor-director bond "makes good relationships and good films," says Jewison.