Andy Keen
Encyclopedia
Andrew "Andy" John David Keen (born 1969) is a Canadian documentary film
maker. In addition to making the Juno Award
-winning Escarpment Blues
, Keen made the Gemini Award
-nominated documentary Seven Painters Seven Places and Know Your Mushrooms
(2009), directed by Ron Mann
, on which he was director of photography. Keen has worked as director and cameraman on numerous television commercials and music videos, and in
2010 he was honoured with a Webby Award in the category of Activism for a series of on-line videos he produced for The Canadian Stem Cell Foundation. In the summer of 2011 Keen was asked to make a film about Canadian rock giants The Tragically Hip
and their concert in Bobcaygeon. The feature documentary is expected for release in 2012.
, he moved frequently for the first five years of his life until the family settled in Oakville, Ontario. Keen studied at Bishop's University
in Lennoxville, Quebec
, and Ryerson University
in Toronto
, before completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art History) at Concordia University
in Montreal
. A Ken Kesey
inspired bus trip through the United States, where he met Oliver Stone
in New Orleans, decided his career in film. After graduating, Keen moved to Toronto, where he began work in the film and television industry as a production assistant. Keen founded Regular Horse Productions in 1997 to produce documentaries and related works.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker. In addition to making the Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-winning Escarpment Blues
Escarpment Blues
Escarpment Blues is a Canadian concert and documentary film starring singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer. Directed by Andy Keen and produced by Keen, Harmer and Patrick Sambrook, it was released theatrically in 2005 and on DVD in 2006....
, Keen made the Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
-nominated documentary Seven Painters Seven Places and Know Your Mushrooms
Know Your Mushrooms
Know Your Mushrooms is a 2009 documentary film by Canadian director Ron Mann.The 74 minute Sphinx Productions film examines the counterculture Telluride Mushroom Festival, held annually in Telluride, Colorado and some of the mycologists and funghiphiles that gather there such as Larry Evans and...
(2009), directed by Ron Mann
Ron Mann
Ronald "Ron" Mann is a Canadian documentary film director focusing primarily on aspects of Canadian and American popular culture. He does most of his work through his company Sphinx Productions, while also running a film distribution company on the side called 'FilmsWeLike'. Mann has also put...
, on which he was director of photography. Keen has worked as director and cameraman on numerous television commercials and music videos, and in
2010 he was honoured with a Webby Award in the category of Activism for a series of on-line videos he produced for The Canadian Stem Cell Foundation. In the summer of 2011 Keen was asked to make a film about Canadian rock giants The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
and their concert in Bobcaygeon. The feature documentary is expected for release in 2012.
Biography
Born to Bonnie and Martin Keen in Galt, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, he moved frequently for the first five years of his life until the family settled in Oakville, Ontario. Keen studied at Bishop's University
Bishop's University
Bishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language...
in Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville, Quebec
Lennoxville is an arrondissement, or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometers south of downtown Sherbrooke....
, and Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, before completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art History) at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. A Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
inspired bus trip through the United States, where he met Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
in New Orleans, decided his career in film. After graduating, Keen moved to Toronto, where he began work in the film and television industry as a production assistant. Keen founded Regular Horse Productions in 1997 to produce documentaries and related works.
Awards
- Best Picture Editing in a documentary (Gemini AwardGemini AwardThe Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
Nominee) Seven Painters Seven Places (2000) - Music DVD of The year (Juno Awards) Escarpment Blues 2006
- Winner People's Voice Award 2010 Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
Best Website (Activism) www.stemcellcharter.org