Lulu Keating, Thunder Bay

2005

Lulu Keating is an Antigonish native who studied theatre and film in Nova Scotia and Ontario. According to Lulu her real film education began when she joined the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative in Halifax.

She has been writing, directing and producing films since her first two-minute film in 1980. She has been teaching workshops in all aspects of film since 1979, including teaching film production in Oxford, England. Her work has taken her to Japan (Rita MacNeil in Japan) and Zimbabwe (The Midday Sun). She has worked with CBC Television and the National Film Board of Canada, as well as running her own independent Red Snapper Films. She was born in Antigonish and works in Halifax.

Lulu received her first Canada Council Grant to make her educational short, City Survival, which was screened at the 1983 Atlantic Film Festival. Shortly after, she formed her own production company, Red Snapper Films, and paired up with producer Chris Zimmer to do a documentary about Rita McNeil. Lulu also teamed up with Chris to shoot her first feature film, The Midday Sun (1989), a largely autobiographical drama based on her experiences volunteering in Zaire. The film was the first Canadian feature ever shot in Africa, and one of only a few Canadian features up to that point ever shot outside of Canada.

Lulu has made a variety of films; from tele-films to animations; from educational videos to rock videos. She has also done a variety of documentary pieces. The Moody Brood, an experimental ode to her parents and ten siblings, has been shown around the globe and has won several awards including the Rex Tasker Award for "Best Documentary" at the 1999 Atlantic Film Festival. Lulu has also done documentary pieces for the History Channel, including a fascinating look at Halifax's most notorious brothel owner, Madame Ada.

Lulu has always been strongly involved in the Atlantic filmmaking community, serving as President of AFCOOP's Board of Directors, and participating on various committees and workshops. She is proud to be a founding member of the Linda Joy Media Arts Society, where she remains active as board member. Lulu has organized workshops and seminars in the community, and has recently taught at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She remains active as a filmmaker and is currently working on an experimental animated drama entitled Whatsoever Things Are True. True to the coop spirit, when not directing her own films Lulu can often be found bringing her energy and experience to the sets of other independent films; in recognition of this she has been awarded a Lifetime Membership to AFCOOP.

Selected Publications:

• Lessons from an African Episode in The Pottersfield Portfolio, 1987.
• Paul Wong Can't Be All Wrong in Parallelogram, 1981.
• The Independent Film Groups in Journal of Canadian Studies, 1981.

Selected Productions:

• Come On In: Women's Centres in Nova Scotia. Director. Connect: Women's Centres in Nova Scotia, 1994.
• Towards the Light: The Art of Linda Johns. Director. CBC Television, 1993.
• Ann and Maddy. Director/Co-producer. Red Snapper Films, E.F. and F. Productions, 1992.
• Serendipity. Director. Atlantic Filmmakers' Co-operative Workshop Production, 1991.
• In Service. Co-writer/Director. Red Snapper Films, 1990.
• The Midday Sun. Writer/Director. Missing Piece Productions, 1989.
• Enterprising Women. Researcher/Writer/Co-director. National Film Board of Canada, 1987.
• Rita MacNeil in Japan. Director. Red Snapper Films, 1985. Broadcast on CBC Television.
• Starting Right Now. Co-writer/Director. Red Snapper Films, 1985.
• Funny Things People Can Do To Themselves. Director/Editor. Red Snapper Films, 1984.
• City Survival. Co-writer/Director/Producer. Red Snapper Films, 1983. Recieved a Canada Council grant in 1982.
• Inside Out
• Lulu Keating's Notes
• Fourth Annual Women’s Film Festival, Sept. 18, 2002
• The Moody Brood
• All Things Nice
• How to use your van as a pinhole Camera

Purchase Lulu Keating Books Online at Amazon.ca (click the book)