Colin Low (filmmaker)

Colin Archibald Low OC RCA (born July 24, 1926) is a Canadian animation and documentary filmmaker.

Born in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. Low attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Calgary Institute of Technology, now known as the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.^[1] His career at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal spanned over six decades, on more than 200 productions, most often as director, producer or executive producer. He is currently retired and living in Montreal. Low was at birth a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church).His father was a Lay Minister and his ancestors arrived in Cardston, Alberta from Utah.^[2] He and his wife Eugenie, who were married in the late 1940's were married by a Catholic priest and were recognized as Catholic.

Early work

Low's 1952 animated short, The Romance of Transportation in Canada, won a Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, a special BAFTA Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons.^[3][4]

His 1954 documentary Corral received was named best documentary at the Venice Film Festival.^[5] He followed that with a second documentary shot in southern Alberta, the 1960 film Circle of the Sun, which marked the first time the Kainai Nation's sacred Sun Dance was filmed.^[6]

Influence on Ken Burns

Low received his second Palme d'Or for best short film at the Cannes Film Festival, along with another BAFTA award and Oscar nomination for his 1957 documentary, City of Gold, on the Klondike Gold Rush, co-directed with Wolf Koenig. City of Gold made use of slow pans and zooms across archival photos and has been cited by Ken Burns as a key inspiration for the so-called Ken Burns effect.^[7][8]

Influence on Stanley Kubrick

In 1960, Low and Roman Kroitor co-directed Universe, capturing the attention of Stanley Kubrick, who was preparing to make 2001: A Space Odyssey. Low was invited to work on 2001 but had to decline due to his work on In the Labyrinth, a multi-screen production for Expo 67. Some of Low's ideas were incorporated in 2001.^[9]

Challenge for Change

Low worked with the people of Fogo Island, Newfoundland to shoot 27 films for the Challenge for Change program, using media as a tool to bring about social change and combat poverty.^[10]

IMAX

Low was involved in a series of firsts in the wide-screen genre. The experimental multi-screen production In the Labyrinth helped lead to the creation of the IMAX format. Low co-directed the first IMAX 3D production Transitions for Expo 86 in Vancouver, as well as co-directing Momentum, the first film in 48 frames per second IMAX HD for Expo 92 in Seville, Spain.

His son Stephen Low is also a noted IMAX filmmaker.

Awards

In 1972, he received the Grierson Award at the Canadian Film Awards for "an outstanding contribution to Canadian cinema."^[11]

In 1996, Low was made a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to cinema in Canada and around the world. In 1997, he was given the Prix Albert-Tessier, given to individuals for an outstanding career in Québec cinema. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

In 2002, the Large Format Cinema Association presented Low and the NFB with its Abel Gance Award for outstanding work in large format filmmaking.^[12]

References

External links

• Colin Low at the Internet Movie Database
• Colin Low at National Film Board of Canada
• Film Reference Library entry
• Watch films by Colin Low online
• Colin Low: Recollections from a Distinguished Career, NFB.ca