Wolf Koenig | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1927-10-17)October 17, 1927 |
| Died | June 26, 2014(2014-06-26) (aged 86) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupations | Film director,cinematographer,film producer,animator |
| Years active | 1951 –1996 |
Wolf Koenig (October 17, 1927 – June 26, 2014) was a Canadianfilm director,producer,animator,cinematographer, and a pioneer inDirect Cinema at theNational Film Board of Canada.[1]
Born inDresden, Germany, Koenig emigrated to Canada with his family in 1937, when they fledNazi Germany. They settled in 145-acre (0.59 km2) farm along theGrand River, outside what is now known asCambridge, Ontario. In 1948, a local representative for theCanadian department of agriculture needed the family's tractor to demonstrate a new tree-planting machine. As the young Koenig pulled the machine across a field, he noticed a smallfilm crew from the NFB's former agricultural film unit, recording the demonstration. After filming was complete, he approached the men, who included directorRaymond Garceau, and told them he loved films, especially animation, and hoped to work in filmmaking. They suggested he send in ajob application and approximately six weeks later he received a letter offering him the position of a junior splicer for $100 per month.[2][3]
His younger brotherJoe Koenig was also a filmmaker.
Koenig quickly established himself as a multi-talented artist, filmingNorman McLaren'sNeighbours (1952), animatingColin Low'sThe Romance of Transportation in Canada (1953) and serving ascinematographer on Low'sCorral (1954). Koenig co-directed several historically significant NFB documentaries during, includingCity of Gold (with Low, 1957),The Days Before Christmas (1958),Lonely Boy (with Kroitor, 1962) andStravinsky (1965). Along withTerence Macartney-Filgate,Roman Kroitor andTom Daly, he was also one of the principal contributors to the NFB'sCandid Eye series, which was influential in the development of direct cinema.[2][3]
Koenig made major contributions to a range of notable projects. He was also the cinematographer forArthur Lipsett'sExperimental Film (1963) andN-Zone (1970), both admired byGeorge Lucas.
Koenig served as executive producer of the NFB's English animation unit from 1962 to 1967 and again from 1972 to 1975. His credits as an animation producer included theAcademy Award nomineesThe Drag (1966),What on Earth! (1966) andThe House That Jack Built (1967). Koenig also producedAlanis Obomsawin's documentaryKanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, named Best Canadian Feature Film at the 1993 Festival of Festivals (nowToronto International Film Festival).
Koenig retired from the NFB in 1995 toWestport, Ontario, where he made furniture and remained sporadically active in film.
He received numerous honours awards during his career, including a 1984 Genie Award for Best Theatrical Short as producer ofTed Baryluk's Grocery and sixCanadian Film Awards: Film of the Year and Best Arts and Experimental Film forCity of Gold, Film of the Year and Best General Information Film forLonely Boy, Best TV Information Film forStravinsky and Best Documentary Short Film forThe Hottest Show on Earth (1977).
Koenig died June 26, 2014, inToronto[3][4] at the age of 86.
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