Kensington Communications

Kensington Communications Inc
Logo
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
Founded1980 in Kensington Market, by Robert Lang
Executive ProducerRobert Lang
Writer & Web DeveloperAllen Booth

Kensington Communications is a Toronto-based production company that specializes in documentary films and documentary/factual television series. Founded in 1980 by president Robert Lang, Kensington Communications Inc. has produced over 250 productions from documentary series and films to performing arts and children's specials. Since 1998, Kensington has also been involved in multi-platform interactive projects for the web and mobile devices.

The company's recent productions include two one-hour science documentaries: Why We Dance, and Nature's Cleanup Crew, about the busy urban scavengers who clean up the mountains of waste humans leave behind, both for CBC's The Nature of Things and Arte. Fluid: Life Beyond The Binary, a one-hour documentary for CBC's The Nature of Things hosted by Mae Martin, in association with Gay Agenda (production company) that explores gender fluidity throughout the living world.[1] Kensington has won a number of awards for these and other programs (see Awards section for details). Among Kensington's recent interactive projects are: the mobile app, Risk Navigator; Scopify, a mobile app which allows visitors to the Royal Ontario Museum to get an augmented experience of some of the museum's artifacts; and Museum Secrets Interactive, with web videos, games and information.

Filmography

Television Series

One-off Documentaries:

  • Why We Dance (CBC, ARTV, Explora, SWR and Arte)
  • Nature's Cleanup Crew (CBC, ZDF, Arte)
  • The Shadow of Gold (TVO, Canal D, Arte France, SVT) - co-production with Films à Cinq, Paris
  • Champions vs. Legends (CBC, SRC, Arte, ARD, ORF) - co-production with Berlin Producers (Germany) and PreTV (Austria)
  • Risk Factor (TVO, Canal D, Knowledge Network)
  • The Equalizer (CBC, SRC, Arte, ZDF) - co-production with Berlin Producers
  • Raw Opium: Pain, Pleasure, Profits (TVO, ZDF Arte, Canal D, SBS)
  • Return to Nepal with Bruce Cockburn (documentary channel)
  • Almost Home: A Sayisi Dene Journey (CBC); awarded best Social Political documentary and Kathleen Shannon Award at Yorkton Film Festival.
  • My Beat: The Life and Times of Bruce Cockburn (CBC)
  • River of Sand (TVO/Vision); awarded best Canadian film at Vues d'Afrique film festival
  • Separate Lives (Discovery/TLC/BBC), awarded best science, environment or nature documentary, Gemini Award
  • A Place in the World (Vision/SCN); awarded Vision Humanitarian Award, Hot Docs
  • Mariposa: Under a Stormy Sky—an examination of 1960s folk music and the Mariposa Folk Festival (CTV)
  • One Warm Line—a portrait of the legendary Canadian folk singer, Stan Rogers (CBC)
  • Pacific Rim: A Park and its People (Discovery Channel's Parks Series)
  • On the Run: Growing up with Alcohol; Awarded Best Film from the National Foundation for Alcoholism Communications Awards
  • Out of the Past (TVOntario, PBS, Access Alberta)
  • Stepdancing: Portrait of a Remarried Family (CBC); Awarded 1987 Blue Ribbon in the American Film and Video Festival
  • Seeds
  • Fragile Harvest(CBC's The Nature of Things, NFB)
  • Joe David/Spirit of the Mask half-hour documentary for CBC)
  • Childhood's End (for TVO)
  • Fluid: Life Beyond the Binary (CBC's The Nature of Things)

Recognitions

Awards

2014
Canadian Screen Award, Best Factual Series, Museum Secrets (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television) [6]
Canadian Screen Award, Best Picture Editing in an Information Program or Series, Museum Secrets (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television) [7]
2013
Canadian Screen Award, Best Sound in an Information/Documentary Program or Series, Museum Secrets (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)[8]
Digi Awards, (Nomination) Best in Mobility, ScopifyROM[9]
2008
Canadian New Media Awards, Best News Information, Diamond Road Online[10][11]
Gemini Award – Best Documentary Series, Diamond Road[12]
Platinum Award – Best Feature Documentary, Diamond Road (Houston Worldfest)[13]
2005 & 2007
Worldmedal – Docudrama, 72 Hours: True Crime (New York Festivals)[14][15]
2004
Golden Sheaf Award – Best Documentary, Social/Political Almost Home (Yorkton Festival)[16]
2004
NFB Kathleen Shannon Award, Almost Home (Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival)[17]
2004
Platinum Award – Ecology/Environment/Conservation, Sacred Balance Show 3 Fire of Creation (Houston Worldfest)[18]
1998
Gemini Award – Science, Technology, Nature, Separate Lives (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)[19]
1997
HotDocs – Vision TV Humanitarian Award, A Place in the World [20]
1995
Award of Excellence – Best Variety, The Biggest Little Ticket (Alliance for Children and Television)[21]


References

  1. ^ Mama, Michelle (Mar 27, 2024). "Why we prioritized hiring queer crew for an episode of The Nature of Things". CBC Docs. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Museum Secrets on History Television". Archived from the original on 2011-12-24.
  3. ^ http://www.museumsecrets.tv/ Museum Secrets Official Site
  4. ^ http://diamondroad.tv/index_tvo.php/ Diamond Road on TVO
  5. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/program/72_hours_true_crime_hd/ 72 Hours: True Crime on CBC
  6. ^ "2014 Award Winner List". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  7. ^ "2014 Award Winner List". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  8. ^ "Awards Database". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  9. ^ "Digi Awards - Best in Mobility". nextMEDIA. nextMEDIA3.0. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  10. ^ "www.bullfrogfilms.com". Bullfrog Films. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  11. ^ "Top 15 - 2008 Canadian New Media Awards". Backbone Magazine. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  12. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards database". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  13. ^ "2008 Worldfest Winner's List" (PDF). Worldfest Houston. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2009. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  14. ^ "New York Festivals Awards Database". New York Festivals. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  15. ^ "New York Festivals Awards Database". New York Festivals. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  16. ^ "2004 Canadian Golden Sheaf Award Winners". Yorkton Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  17. ^ "2004 Canadian Golden Sheaf Award Winners". Yorkton Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  18. ^ "Houston Worldfest Houston Winners 2004" (PDF). Worldfest Houston. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2007. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  19. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards Database". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  20. ^ "1997 Hot Docs Awards Archive". Hot Docs. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.
  21. ^ "Bizet's Dream and Watatow take ACT Awards". Playback Magazine. Retrieved Dec 3, 2013.