Ken Kimmelman

Ken Kimmelman
Ken Kimmelman in 2012
Born	August 6, 1940 Bronx, New York City
Occupation(s)	Filmmaker, animator, educator
Years active	Since 1958
Known for	Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana

Ken Kimmelman is an American filmmaker, animator, and Aesthetic Realism consultant, known for his poetry film Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana , ^[1] based on the prize-winning poem by Eli Siegel. ^[2] Historian Howard Zinn said of this film, "It matches, in its visual beauty, the elegance of Siegel's words, and adds the dimension of stunning imagery to an already profound work of art." ^{[3] [4]} He received an Emmy Award for his public service film, The Heart Knows Better, and produced Brushstrokes, for the United Nations. ^{[5] [ non-primary source needed ]}

Kimmelman has had a long career in animation and film. He won an Emmy for his contributions to Sesame Street, and was nominated twice as a director of the animated TV series Doug. He has directed episodes of various animated TV series, including Clifford’s Puppy Days, Daria ^[6] and The Wild Thornberrys , and was also involved in creating motion picture trailers for The Godfather, Scarface, and Star Trek. Additionally, he has produced award-winning educational films for children, including Thomas Comma, based on a radio drama by Martha Baird about the adventures of a lonely comma looking for the right sentence. ^[7]

Early life and career

Ken Kimmelman was born on August 6, 1940, in Crotona Park East Hospital in the Bronx to Bernard Kimmelman and Ida Moskowitz Kimmelman. He grew up in Washington Heights and attended the High School of Industrial Arts (now the High School of Art and Design). In 1958 he began his career in the animation studio of CBS Terrytoons in New Rochelle, NY, working on Mighty Mouse and other cartoons. He soon moved on to TV commercials, including animation for the classic Ajax "White Tornado", and other freelance work.

From 1960 on, he produced, designed and animated numerous films for the Sesame Workshop television shows Sesame Street , The Electric Company , and 3-2-1 Contact . From 1966–1970, he worked for NBC making promotional films and specials, including Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music and the Jerry Lewis special. He worked on various TV series, including The Danny Thomas Show , I Spy , The Virginian , Hollywood Squares , The Monkees and Run for Your Life . He was the Director of Animation for the NBC special Damn Yankees! He made motion picture trailers for films, including The Dirty Dozen , From Russia with Love , The Godfather Parts I and II , Serpico , The Great Gatsby , Star Trek , The Sting , Papillon , Conan the Destroyer , Mommie Dearest , Heaven's Gate , The Cotton Club , Scarface , Body Heat , and more.

He designed and produced two short films shown as rear-screen projections representing the dreams and nightmares of the title character in the New York City Opera's production of Alberto Ginastera's Beatrix Cenci at Lincoln Center. ^[8]

Artistic Development & Teaching

A pivotal point in Kimmelman's life and career was his study of Aesthetic Realism with its founder, Eli Siegel, the American poet and philosopher who defined beauty and explained the relation between art and life. His documentary film of Siegel teaching, People Are Trying to Put Opposites Together, was shown on WNET-TV, Channel 13 in New York City in 1968 and 1969. He he has spoken, in Masters classes, educational conferences and film festivals, and written in professional journals about the profound impact this study has had on his life and work. ^{[9] [10]}

In his own films, Kimmelman uses humor and the beauty of art to encourage a fair way of seeing others. In 1989, he produced Asimbonanga, a film against apartheid funded by the United Nations. ^[11] The following year, the UN commissioned Brushstrokes, an animated film for people of all ages, with original jazz music and vocals by Major Holley and tap dance rhythms by Jimmy Slyde. ^[12] Kimmelman has taught film and animation at New York University and the School of Visual Arts, and currently, on the faculty of the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, teaches the film course "If It Moves, It Can Move You: Opposites in the Cinema."

Filmography & screenplays

Films (Partial list)

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Awards
2005	Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana	Director	Eli Siegel's 1925 award-winning poem, as read by the author, accompanied by archival stills, live-action, special effects; Music composed by Edward Green. "Ken Kimmelman's reproduction, on film, of Eli Siegel's magisterial poem, is an extraordinary achievement. It matches, in its visual beauty, the elegance of Siegel's words, and adds the dimension of stunning imagery to an already profound work of art."--Howard Zinn [13] 15+1⁄2 min.	Avignon Film Festival-Best US Short Berkeley Film & Video Festival-Grand Festival Award in the Arts Bellagio New Cinema from the World Film Festival-Best Inspirational Film & Best Video Poetry Florence Film Awards-Best Inspirational Short Film Cannes Film Festival- Best Short Inspirational Film[ citation needed ] Stanley Kubrick Film Awards, London-Best Experimental Short Film Milan Gold Awards-Best Inspirational Short Film La Dolce Vita Film Awards, Italy-Best American Inspirational Film International Academy Arthouse Film Awards, Spain-Best Inspirational Film The Scandinavian Film Critics Awards-Best Director & Best Editing Berlin International Film Festival-Best International Video Poetry Paris International Short Film Festival-Best Editing Indie Filmmaker Week in Nice-Best International Filmmaker Portland Moviemakers Awards-Best Inspirational Film
1999	What Does a Person Deserve?	Director	A public service film against homelessness and hunger; Music composed by Edward Green; B&W and Color photo montage; 109 sec.	Silver Cindy Award(1999) Best PSA for the year 2000-Santa Clarita International Film Festival United Nations Association Film Festival, Stanford University, CA.
1994	The Heart Knows Better	Director & Animator	Animated anti-prejudice film based on a statement by Eli Siegel. Shown worldwide on TV, movie theatres, professional sports arenas. 35 mm color, 60 sec.	Emmy Award for Outstanding National Public Service Announcement Cindy Award Bronze Award-Charleston International Film Festival UN High Commission on Human Rights selected for Human Rights Day in Geneva (2001) Florence Film Awards-Silver Award-Inspirational Paris Film Awards-Silver-Animation International Gold Awards-Gold Award, Super Short Film
2012	Riding on Duke's Train	Co-author with Mick Carlon	Screenplay for animated feature film about Duke Ellington.	Screenplay awards: Harlem International Film Festival-Socially Relevant International Film Festival Williamsburg International Film Festival American Filmmatic Arts Awards Kids First Film Festival International Monthly Film Festival Courage Film Festival International New York Film Festival American Film Awards Only the Best Film Awards 8 & Half Film Awards Luis Buñuel Memorial Awards
2010	Thomas Comma	Director & Animator	The adventures of a lonely comma looking for the right sentence. Story by Martha Baird; Music composed by Edward Green.	Grand Festival Animation Award—Berkeley Film Festival Platinum Remi Award—Worldfest Houston
1990	Brushstrokes	Director & Animator	Animated anti-prejudice film produced for the United Nations; Original jazz & vocals by Major Holley; tap dance rhythms by Jimmy Slyde. 35 mm, color, 6-1/2 minutes.	Coe Award for Best Children's Film, ASIFA East Film Festival Hollywood Gold Awards-Best Animated Film London Movie Awards-Best Animation International Gold Awards-Gold Award, Animation Naples Film Awards, Italy-Best Animated Film Grand Prix of Italy, Venice-Best American Animated Short New Cinema Festival, NY-Best Animation International Network Film Festival-Best Animated Sort Casino Film Festival, Cannes-Gold Award Animation New York Movie Awards-Gold Award, Animation Springfield, IL-Route 66 Film Festival-Best Animation
1989	Asimbonanga	Director	Funded by the United Nations; photo montage, cell animation & optical effects choreographed to Asimbonanga written by Johnny Clegg, performed by Joan Baez. 35 mm, Color, 6-1/2 minutes	Director's Choice Award-Atlanta Film Festival Paul Robeson Award-Newark Black Film Festival Gold Star Award-Sacramento Film Festival Real Choice Award-Humboldt Film Festival 2nd Prize-Concept-ASIFA East Film Festival
1968	People Are Trying to Put Opposites Together	Director	Documentary of Eli Siegel teaching an Aesthetic Realism class. 16mm, B&W, 21 min.	Televised on WNET-TV, Channel 13, October 14, 1968

Television (Partial list)

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Awards
2000	Twinkle Twinkle	Director & Animator	Animated short included in HBO special, Kids Say the Punniest Things, hosted by Rosie O'Donnell	Emmy Award for animated short
1992-94	Doug	Director/designer/animator	Jumbo Pictures	Nominated twice for an Emmy as Director Nominated for an ACE Cable Award
1971-present	The Wild Thornberrys Daria Clifford's Puppy Days	Director/designer/animator	Hanna-Barbera's Joke Book	various awards
1969-present	Contributions to Sesame Workshop	Director/designer/animator	Animated children's films for "Sesame Street" and "Elmo's World"	Emmy Award for contributions to Sesame Street.

References

1. "Ken Kimmelman". IMDb.
2. "Hot Afternoons Have Been in Montana - Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO)". emro.lib.buffalo.edu. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
3. "Big Sky Film Festival".
4. "Live from Cannes: Ken Kimmelman and Laura Bloom".
5. "Brushstrokes Film Description". www.unaff.org.
6. "Ten Perfect Sitcoms that Don't have a Single Bad Episode".
7. Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation, by David Crystal
8. Henahan, Donal (March 16, 1973). "In City Opera 'Cenci,' Production Is Star of the Show". The New York Times– via NYTimes.com.
9. Kimmelman, Ken (December, 1968)"Kimmelman, Filmmaker, Finds New Esthetic in Film Art--Making ONE of Opposites" (Making Films in New York), p.24-25.
10. The National Cartoonists Society Album (1980 edition), compiled by Charles Green and Mort Walker, p. 79.
11. "Asimbonanga Film Description". www.unaff.org.
12. "Brushstrokes Film Description". www.unaff.org.
13. "Aesthetic Realism and the Literary Cinema of Ken Kimmelman". apps.mla.org.