Gil Kenan
Encyclopedia
Gil Kenan is a British
-American
-Israeli
film director. Kenan received his MFA
degree from the UCLA Film School in 2002.
but left when he was three for Tel Aviv
then moved to Reseda, Los Angeles at the age of 8.
He went on to study at the film division of the University of California, Los Angeles
.
His student short film, The Lark, caught the attention of Jordan Bealmear who was a trainee at Creative Artists Agency. He brought Kenan's stop-motion claymation/live-action short to Robert Zemeckis
agent, which landed Kenan the director's chair for the 2006 film Monster House
, which Zemeckis executive produced with Steven Spielberg
. Kenan was nominated for a 2006 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for his work on the film.
Kenan's latest film, City of Ember
(2008), is the screen adaptation of Jeanne Duprau
's 2003 novel The City of Ember
. Produced by Tom Hanks
, it was released in October 2008 to mixed reviews and poor box office results.
Kenan will be directing the upcoming movie, Airman
, based on the book by Eoin Colfer
, author of Artemis Fowl and Half Moon Investigations
.
He is currently working as director on the upcoming film Junkers
as director and writer for 20th Century Fox
.
Kenan is married to Eliza Chaikin who served as art director on City of Ember.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
film director. Kenan received his MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree from the UCLA Film School in 2002.
Life and career
Kenan was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
but left when he was three for Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
then moved to Reseda, Los Angeles at the age of 8.
He went on to study at the film division of the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
.
His student short film, The Lark, caught the attention of Jordan Bealmear who was a trainee at Creative Artists Agency. He brought Kenan's stop-motion claymation/live-action short to Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis
Robert Lee Zemeckis is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Zemeckis first came to public attention in the 1980s as the director of the comedic time-travel Back to the Future film series, as well as the Academy Award-winning live-action/animation epic Who Framed Roger Rabbit ,...
agent, which landed Kenan the director's chair for the 2006 film Monster House
Monster House (film)
Monster House is a 2006 computer animated motion capture horror/comedy film produced by ImageMovers and Amblin Entertainment, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Executive produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, this is the first time since Back to the Future Part III that they have...
, which Zemeckis executive produced with Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
. Kenan was nominated for a 2006 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for his work on the film.
Kenan's latest film, City of Ember
City of Ember
City of Ember is a 2008 science fiction-fantasy film based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Jeanne DuPrau. It was directed by Gil Kenan from a screenplay by Caroline Thompson, and stars Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Bill Murray, Mackenzie Crook, Martin Landau and Tim Robbins.-Plot:In the...
(2008), is the screen adaptation of Jeanne Duprau
Jeanne DuPrau
Jeanne DuPrau is an American writer, best known for The Books of Ember, a series of novels for young people. She lives in Menlo Park, California.-Home life:...
's 2003 novel The City of Ember
The City of Ember
The City of Ember is a post-apocalyptic novel by Jeanne DuPrau that was published in 2003. Similar to Suzanne Martel's The City Under Ground published in 1963, the story is about Ember, an underground city that is slowly running out of power and supplies due to its aging infrastructure...
. Produced by Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, it was released in October 2008 to mixed reviews and poor box office results.
Kenan will be directing the upcoming movie, Airman
Airman (novel)
Airman, by Eoin Colfer, is a best-selling historical adventure novel set in the 19th century. It was released in the UK, Ireland and USA in January 2008. The novel was shortlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal....
, based on the book by Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
, author of Artemis Fowl and Half Moon Investigations
Half Moon Investigations
Half Moon Investigations is a novel by the Irish author Eoin Colfer. It was first published in United States in March 2006 and was released in the UK and Ireland on 1 June 2006. The paperback edition was released in the UK on 5 July 2007...
.
He is currently working as director on the upcoming film Junkers
Junkers
Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG , more commonly Junkers, was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced some of the world's most innovative and best-known airplanes over the course of its fifty-plus year history in Dessau, Germany. It was founded there in 1895 by Hugo Junkers,...
as director and writer for 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
.
Kenan is married to Eliza Chaikin who served as art director on City of Ember.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Lark | Director, Writer |
| 2006 | Monster House Monster House Monster House is a Discovery Channel television program that documented the themed remodeling of a residence in a five-day time frame... |
Director, Writer/Performer: "Thou Art Dead" |
| 2008 | City of Ember City of Ember City of Ember is a 2008 science fiction-fantasy film based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Jeanne DuPrau. It was directed by Gil Kenan from a screenplay by Caroline Thompson, and stars Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Bill Murray, Mackenzie Crook, Martin Landau and Tim Robbins.-Plot:In the... |
Director |