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 200 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 productions include Scopify, a mobile app which allows visitors to the Royal Ontario Museum to get an interactive look at many of the museum's artifacts; Museum Secrets, a television series that explores museums across the globe, and Shameless Idealists, a five-part series produced in association with Free the Children, that features interviews with changemakers and social activists like Richard Branson, Magic Johnson, and Nelly Furtado. Since its foundation in 1980, Kensington has won a number of awards for these and other programs (see Awards section for details).
In 2015-16, Kensington Communications produced The Equalizer, the first of two one-hour documentaries in coproduction with Berlin Producers for broadcast on CBC’s The Nature of Things, SRC Explora and ZDF/Arte. The Equalizer broadcast premiere date was March 3, 2016 on CBC TV; it will be broadcast again leading up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
In 2015, Kensington coproduced The Drop: Why Young People Don't Vote a one-hour documentary for TVOntario and CPAC exploring the subject of young peoples’ relationship to voting.
Currently they are producing a one-hour POV documentary for TVOntario and Canal D called Risk Factor.
Television Series
Museum Secrets (History TV, UKTV, Historia, BBC) - A 22-episode series that goes into museums all over the world (e.g. the Louvre, the American Museum of Natural History, the Vatican) and looks at the stories behind the museums' artifacts. Awarded Best Factual Series at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards.
Shameless Idealists (CTV) - a five-part series that profiles celebrity changemakers and social activists.
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.
72 Hours: True Crime, 3 seasons from 2005-2007 (CBC/TLC).
Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science, 5 seasons from 1997-2003 (Discovery/CTV/TLC).
The Sacred Balance (CBC/PBS), 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.
One-off Documentaries:
Raw Opium: Pain, Pleasure, Profits (TVO, ZDF Arte, Canal D, SBS)
Return to Nepal with Bruce Cockburn (documentary channel)
Almost Home: A Sayisi Dene Journey (CBC); awarded best Social Political documentary and Kathleen Shannon Award at Yorkton Film Festival.
My Beat: The Life and Times of Bruce Cockburn (CBC)
River of Sand (TVO/Vision); awarded best Canadian film at Vues d'Afrique film festival
Separate Lives (Discovery/TLC/BBC), awarded best science, environment or nature documentary, Gemini Award
A Place in the World (Vision/SCN); awarded Vision Humanitarian Award, Hot Docs
Mariposa: Under a Stormy Sky—an examination of 1960s folk music and the Mariposa Folk Festival (CTV)
One Warm Line—a portrait of the legendary Canadian folk singer, Stan Rogers (CBC)
Pacific Rim: A Park and its People (Discovery Channel's Parks Series)
On the Run: Growing up with Alcohol; Awarded Best Film from the National Foundation for Alcoholism Communications Awards
Out of the Past (TVOntario, PBS, Access Alberta)
Stepdancing: Portrait of a Remarried Family (CBC); Awarded 1987 Blue Ribbon in the American Film and Video Festival
Seeds
Fragile Harvest(CBC's The Nature of Things, NFB)
Joe David/Spirit of the Mask half-hour documentary for CBC)
Childhoods End (for TVO)
Interactive & Digital Projects:
Scopify - A mobile app that allows museum visitors to interact with artifacts.
Raw Opium Online
Museum Secrets Interactive, a rich-media website for the series Museum Secrets.
City Sonic, a multi platform music documentary series (Gemini-nominated).
Diamond Road Online
SacredBalance.com
River of Sand Interactive
Children's Variety Programming
Biggest Little Ticket (CTV/YTV)
Public Service Media
50 Television Public Service Announcements for USC Canada
Public Service Announcement for Climate Action Network
Moving the Banyan Tree, half hour documentary (for USC Canada and CIDA)
Path to Nepal with Bruce Cockburn (for USC Canada)
2014
Canadian Screen Award, Best Factual Series, Museum Secrets (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)
Canadian Screen Award, Best Picture Editing in an Information Program or Series, Museum Secrets (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)
2013
Canadian Screen Award, Best Sound in an Information/Documentary Program or Series, Museum Secrets (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)
Digi Awards, (Nomination) Best in Mobility, ScopifyROM
2008
Canadian New Media Awards, Best News Information, Diamond Road Online
Gemini Award – Best Documentary Series, Diamond Road
Platinum Award – Best Feature Documentary, Diamond Road (Houston Worldfest)
2005 & 2007
Worldmedal – Docudrama, 72 Hours: True Crime (New York Festivals)
2004
Golden Sheaf Award – Best Documentary, Social/Political Almost Home (Yorkton Festival)
2004
NFB Kathleen Shannon Award, Almost Home (Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival)
2004
Platinum Award – Ecology/Environment/Conservation, Sacred Balance Show 3 Fire of Creation (Houston Worldfest)
1998
Gemini Award – Science, Technology, Nature, Separate Lives (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)
1997
HotDocs – Vision TV Humanitarian Award, A Place in the World
1995
Award of Excellence – Best Variety, The Biggest Little Ticket (Alliance for Children and Television)
Notable recognitions include:
Gemini Awards, BANFF, HistoryMakers, DOXA, ReFrame Festival, Himalayas Film Festival, Planet in Focus, International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, Prix Science & Societé, Paris
