Brian McKenna

Brian McKenna (born in Montreal, August 8, 1945)

In a crowded field, Brian McKenna has been called one of Canada’s top documentary filmmakers. He is best known for his provocative prize-winning films on Canadian history and exploration of the world at war.

He is a founding producer of CBC's Oscar and Emmy award-winning documentary program, the fifth estate, where he worked from 1975-1988. McKenna is a former parliamentary correspondent for the Montreal Star.

He has been a frequent collaborator with his brother Terence, also a filmmaker, in particular on the 3-part series The Valour and the Horror. The most controversial segment in the series concerned strategic bombing during World War II.

His lasting contributions have been provocative, prize-winning reporting of Canada’s wars, including the War of 1812, the First and Second World Wars, and Korea.

Among his lengthy documentary film achievements, McKenna also co-authored the Penguin Books biography of former Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau.

McKenna has written for Saturday Night, Weekend Magazine, the Literary Review of Canada, Cité libre, the Toronto Star and Maclean's.

Selected Filmography and Awards

McKenna has been awarded a combined nine Gemini and prix Gemeaux awards and is the winner of a lifetime achievement Gemini and the Pierre Berton Prize for Canadian History. He has received three Nellie awards for best documentary writing. His hour-long 1983 investigation on the assassination of JFK drew the largest audiences for the fifth estate in the show's history.

"In many respects, Brian McKenna's extensive commitment to broadcasting Canada's stories laid the groundwork for future major television projects with Canadian history at their core. But what makes him so honourable to me, is his passion to telling exceptional stories of everyday Canadians - so that all of us can better see ourselves in our history," said Deborah Morrison, president and C.E.O. of Canada's National History Society, who bestows the annual Pierre Berton award.

His work on the controversial documentary series, The Valour and the Horror, with his brother Terence McKenna, uniquely earned prizes for Best Direction, Best Writing and Best Documentary Series in English and French (Prix Gemeaux).

Denounced by England’s tabloid press, the series caused an uproar when it was shown in Great Britain, winning acclaim from the Guardian, the Times and the Telegraph: "It was a brave film to make" wrote novelist A.N. Wilson, "and a brave film to show."

...
Wikipedia