JohnKeir
- Producer
- Director
John Keir began his career as a TV reporter, and from the late 70s on was producing and directing an extended slate of documentaries. His CV includes docos about air crashes (Flight 901: The Erebus Disaster), war (Our Oldest Soldier), gender (Intersexion) crime (First Time in Prison) and the Treaty (Lost in Translation). His many collaborations with director Grant Lahood include two short films that won acclaim at Cannes.
Screenography
Biography
John Keir believes the people he documents on screen should have no unpleasant surprises when they see the finished results. His job, as he sees it, is to tell stories as best he can — “and in a way that doesn’t offend the people who trust you with their stories and often their secrets. I want to remain friends with the people I’ve filmed, forever … at the end of the day we rely on those people to be willing to open their hearts, and often share the most extraordinary things with us.” Such confidences will only continue to be shared, he adds, if the last person you put on screen knows they’ve been treated fairly, and will vouch for you when the next prospect is waivering.
Awards
2012 Documentary Edge Festival
Best New Zealand Feature Documentary: Intersexion
2006 Qantas Television Awards
Best Sports or Event Coverage: Māori Television Anzac Day Coverage - Nā Rātou, Mō Tātou
“It has been exactly the job that I wanted it to be, where you don’t have to look forward to knock-off time or smoko … You meet people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet, and every day is different. ”