Kenneth Barr

Son of music instructor Betty Gentry, Kenneth Barr spent his early childhood in an artistic household. He spent these formative years exploring numerous disciplines including fine art and music before finding his passion in acting. He performed as an actor from the age of eight winning awards and accolades appearing in numerous stage productions as well as the odd television and film roles. At age 14 his first novel, Realm, was briefly published by the now defunct company The Literary Collective. The novel, a graphic splatter-punk horror story, was immediately pulled by the company when discovering the authors true age, (having originally assumed Barr to be much older due to the graphic depictions of violence and his command of the English language within the manuscript). Barr also created an entire line of independent comic books through his early teen years selling them from his locker in school. Though none of his subsequent work was published, Barr continued writing novels, novellas and short stories through his teens. Some of these works were used as basis for experiments in early film projects, most of which skewed towards the post-apocalyptic or horror genres. The first successfully completed was 1989's Meatlocker, a survival-horror picture akin to Tobe Hooper's seminal The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Though he continued his fine art pursuits, his focus became increasingly exclusive to film. In a 2002 interview Barr described the shift as inevitable, "Film was really the ultimate amalgamation of all my artist pursuits. It was art, and comics, and literature and performance all rolled into one." Barr's perchance for dark material could have its basis in his later childhood. An ever deteriorating and tumultuous home life forced Barr onto the streets while still in his early teens. Though he was able to maintain his education until his graduation in 1993, he was left to fend for himself through his high school years. The works he produced during this time included a number of early film shorts culminating in his first feature Mister Monsterman in 1993. The period also showed a significant shift in genre from the more fantasy based stories to a grittier street-film filled with violence, betrayal and crime. Since 1993 Barr has amassed a repertoire of more than 150 additional screenplays covering a variety of genres. 14 of his screenplays have been purchased and produced by various independent companies across North America, though to date only a handful have seen wide distribution. A student of the entire craft, Barr studied and consumed any piece of information he could get his hands on regarding film production. He exposed himself to every facet of the process and learned from the ground up. Even as a novice Barr showed a heightened aptitude for editing and cinematography, pursuits he would carry forward professionally. From his graduation in 1993 to the incorporation of his production company IDIOM Inc. in 1999, Barr went through a period he described as "Upheaval personified". In this time Barr attended Vancouver Film School, though he would have to depart only 2 months after starting due to financial reasons. Barr would return to Edmonton, Alberta and met Edward Barnfield shortly after forming an immediate friendship and bond. Together the two men embarked on numerous ventures through the latter part of the decade including the thriller RIDDLE FLAME in 1997. Since incorporating IDIOM Inc. in 1999 Barr has produced five features: Lyrics To Dying (2002), Reroute (2003), Todd Standing's Sylvanic (2005), ODC (Ordinary Decent Criminal) (2008) and The Academy (2009). In 2006 Barr began filming and releasing DVD's for Edmonton-based independent wrestling organization MPW (Monster Pro Wrestling). The venture spawned a successful television show, MPW Madness, which ran for 13 episodes between October and December 2006. Barr worked almost entirely alone creating the series, (2 additional cameramen were hired during shows) and produced each episode without a shred of financial assistance within a 5 day period each week. By the end of its run the show had amassed a weekly audience of more than 900,000 viewers across Canada. Not bad for a program that had roughly a $600.00 budget per month, which was entirely used to tape the live shows. Barr continues to broaden the breadth of his film language. For The Academy in 2009, Barr taught himself digital compositing when the company he originally hired to do the work abruptly quit the project. He spent the next 6 months creating and placing the elements for more than 2,100 separate shots through a hit-and-miss learning process. There is a love of film and the process of creating something new that motivates Barr as he states in a 2010 interview, "There isn't a part of filmmaking I don't love. From designing and building the sets, to creating the visual effects I'm passionate about every single detail. I think you have to be to make it work as an independent producer. When you're on your tenth month of post production, that passion of the mundane is what gets you through."