Kensington Communications
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 that explores gender fluidity throughout the living world. Kensington has won a number of awards for these and other programs. 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- Museum Secrets - A 22-episode series that goes into museums and looks at the stories behind the museums' artifacts. Awarded Best Factual Series at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards.
- Shameless Idealists - a five-part series that profiles celebrity changemakers and social activists. Produced in collaboration with Free the Children
- Diamond Road, 3-part documentary series produced for TVOntario, History Television, Discovery Times, ZDF, Arte and Special Broadcasting Service Australia; awarded best documentary series, Gemini Award.
- City Sonic, 4 x 30 minutes and 20 5-minute episodes, 2009
- 72 Hours: True Crime, 3 seasons from 2005-2007.
- Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science, 5 seasons from 1997-2003.
- The Sacred Balance, with broadcaster-environmentalist David Suzuki which is also accompanied by an interactive media site, Sacred Balance.com; awarded best science environment program, Houston Worldfest, Yorkton Short Film festival and many others.
- Fluid: Life Beyond the Binary
- Why We Dance
- Nature's Cleanup Crew
- The Shadow of Gold - co-production with Films à Cinq, Paris
- Champions vs. Legends - co-production with Berlin Producers and PreTV
- Risk Factor
- The Equalizer - co-production with Berlin Producers
- Raw Opium: Pain, Pleasure, Profits
- Return to Nepal with Bruce Cockburn
- Almost Home: A Sayisi Dene Journey ; awarded best Social Political documentary and Kathleen Shannon Award at Yorkton Film Festival.
- My Beat: The Life and Times of Bruce Cockburn
- River of Sand ; awarded best Canadian film at Vues d'Afrique film festival
- Separate Lives, awarded best science, environment or nature documentary, Gemini Award
- A Place in the World ; awarded Vision Humanitarian Award, Hot Docs
- Mariposa: Under a Stormy Sky—an examination of 1960s folk music and the Mariposa Folk Festival
- One Warm Line—a portrait of the legendary Canadian folk singer, Stan Rogers
- Pacific Rim: A Park and its People
- On the Run: Growing up with Alcohol; Awarded Best Film from the National Foundation for Alcoholism Communications Awards
- Out of the Past
- Stepdancing: Portrait of a Remarried Family ; Awarded 1987 Blue Ribbon in the American Film and Video Festival
- Seeds
- Fragile Harvest
- Joe David/Spirit of the Mask half-hour documentary for CBC)
- Childhood's End
Recognitions
Awards
;2014;2013: Canadian Screen Award, Best Sound in an Information/Documentary Program or Series, Museum Secrets
;2008: Canadian New Media Awards, Best News Information, Diamond Road Online
;2005 & 2007: Worldmedal – Docudrama, 72 Hours: True Crime
;2004: Golden Sheaf Award – Best Documentary, Social/Political Almost Home
;2004: NFB Kathleen Shannon Award, Almost Home
;2004: Platinum Award – Ecology/Environment/Conservation, Sacred Balance Show 3 Fire of Creation
;1998: Gemini Award – Science, Technology, Nature, Separate Lives
;1997: HotDocs – Vision TV Humanitarian Award, A Place in the World
;1995: Award of Excellence – Best Variety, The Biggest Little Ticket