Director, Producer, Animator, Cinematographer

(b. October 17, 1927 Dresden, Germany)

Wolf Koenig was the consummate professional during his forty-seven-year career at the NationalFilm Board and made distinguished contributions to documentary and animation as a director, animator and producer.

Koenig emigrated with his family in 1937 from Germany to Galt (now Cambridge), Ontario, and left to join the NFB in 1948 after a Board crew shot an agricultural film at his family’s farm. He soon established himself as a multi-faceted talent in the early fifties when he filmed Norman McLaren’s Academy Award®-winning Neighbours (1952), animated Colin Low’s The Romance of Transportation in Canada (1953) and served as the cinematographer on Low’s Corral (1954).

He began directing films in the late fifties and was one of the principal contributors (along with Low, Terence Macartney Filgate, Roman Kroitor and Tom Daly) to the development and expression of both the Unit B style of documentary and the highly influential Candid Eye series, a key movement in the development of direct cinema. An intuitive documentary director capable of making sharp observations and witty juxtapositions between seemingly mundane aspects of modern life, Koenig’s significant contributions to the documentary form extend to several non-fiction classics he co-directed, including City of Gold (1957), The Days Before Christmas (1958), Lonely Boy (1962) and Stravinsky (1965). Koenig frequently collaborated with Kroitor, forming a creative partnership that would result in many of the NFB’s finest productions.

The sort of complete filmmaker the NFB traditionally relied on for key projects, Koenig demonstrated throughout his career an ability to startle and amuse, not just in his films but in his professional life as well. He served as executive producer of English animation during some of the Board’s finest years – from 1962 to 1967 and again from 1972 to 1975 – and shifted seamlessly among film forms and among on-set roles. He contributed in key positions to a variety of greatly admired projects: his animation on Low and Kroitor’s Universe (1960) earned kudos from director Stanley Kubrick, who utilized many of Koenig’s techniques in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968); he acted as cinematographer on Arthur Lipsett’s Experimental Film (1963) and N-Zone (1970), films greatly admired by George Lucas; and his credits as a producer ranged from Academy Award®-nominated animated short films (The Drag, 1965; What on Earth!, 1966; The House that Jack Built, 1967) to important documentaries such as Alanis Obomsawin’s Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, which was named Best Canadian Feature Film at the 1993 Festival of Festivals (now the Toronto International Film Festival®).

Koenig retired from the NFB in 1995 to Westport, Ontario, where he makes furniture and remains sporadically active in the independent film sector. He received numerous international awards and accolades during his career, including a 1984 Genie Award for Best Theatrical Short (Ted Baryluk’s Grocery) and six Canadian Film Awards: Film of the Year and Best Arts and Experimental Film for City of Gold (1957), Film of the Year and Best General Information Film for Lonely Boy (1962), Best TV Information Film for Stravinsky (1965) and Best Documentary Short Film for The Hottest Show on Earth (1977).

Film and video work includes

The Gentle Art of Film Projection, 1950 (animator)
Sing with the Commodores No. 1, Canadian Talent Showcase series, 1951 (co-editor with Nicholas Balla)
Sing with the Commodores No. 2, Canadian Talent Showcase series, 1951 (co-editor with Nicholas Balla)
Sur le pont d'Avignon, 1951 (director)
Showcase series, 1952 (co-animator with Robert Verrall)
Farm Calendar, 1955 (co-cinematographer with Jean Roy, Walter A. Sutton, Donald
Wilder, Grant Crabtree)
Gold, Canada Carries On series, 1955 (writer; cinematographer; editor)
The Structure of Unions, Labour in Canada series, 1955 (co-writer with Robert Verrall)
Fish Spoilage Control, 1956 (writer)
Forest Fire Suppression, 1956 (animator)
L'Année B la ferme, 1957 (co-cinematographer with Jean Roy, Walter A. Sutton, Donald Wilder, Grant Crabtree)
Country Threshing, Candid Eye series, 1958 (director; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
The Days Before Christmas, Candid Eye series, 1958 (co-director with Terence Macartney-Filgate, Stanley Jackson; co-editor with Roman Kroitor, René Laporte; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
A Foreign Language, Candid Eye series, 1958 (co-producer with Roman Kroitor, Tom Daly)
Memory of Summer, Candid Eye series, 1958 (co-cinematographer with Terence Macartney-Filgate, Georges Dufaux; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
Pilgrimage, Candid Eye series, 1958 (cinematographer; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
Police, Candid Eye series, 1958 (co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
La Battaison, 1959 (director; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
Emergency Ward, Candid Eye/Documentary 60 series, 1959 (cinematographer; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
End of the Line, Candid Eye/Documentary 60 series, 1959 (co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
Glenn Gould - Off the Record, Candid Eye/Doctumentary 60 series, 1959 (co-director with Roman Kroitor; cinematographer; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
Glenn Gould - On the Record, Candid Eye/Doctumentary 60 series, 1959 (co-director with Roman Kroitor; cinematographer; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
The Cars in Your Life, Candid Eye/Documentary 60 series, 1960 (co-producer with Roman Kroiter) a.k.a. a Down and 24 Months to Pay
I Was a Ninety-pound Weakling, Documentary 60 series, 1960 (co-director and co-cinematographer with Georges Dufaux; co-producer with Roman Kroiter)
Interview with Linus Pauling, 1960 (cinematographer)
Festival in Puerto Rico, Candid Eye series, 1961 (co-director and co-editor with Roman Kroitor)
University, Explorations series, 1961 (co-producer with Roman Kroiter)
The Living Machine, Explorations series, 1962 (cinematographer)
Experimental Film, 1963 (co-cinematographer with Gilles Gascon)
Fundamentals of Fish Spoilage, 1962 (writer)
The Great Toy Robbery, 1963 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Pipers and A', 1963 (co-cinematographer with Guy Borremans, Roger Moride, Edward McConnell, James Wilson, Roy Nolan, Michael McKennirey)
Age of the Buffalo, 1964 (cinematographer)
Canadian Businessmen, 1964 (co-director with Roman Kroitor)
Villeneuve, peintre-barbier, Les Artistes canadiens series, 1964 (co-cinematographer with Bernard Gosselin)
The Drag, 1965 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Steeltown, 1966 (co-director with Rex Tasker; cinematographer)
The House that Jack Built, 1967 (co-producer with Jim MacKay)
King Size, 1968 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
People of the Buffalo, 1968 (cinematographer)
Population Explosion, 1968 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Rx for Export, 1968 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Standing Buffalo, 1968 (producer)
The Cartoon Film, 1969 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Le Québec vu par Cartier-Bresson, 1969 (co-editor with Rex Tasker)
To See or Not to See, 1969 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Ashes of Doom, 1970 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Best Friends, 1970 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Pillar of Wisdom, 1970 (co-cinematographer with Paul Leach, Martin Duckworth, John Spotton)
Where There's Smoke, 1970 (co-director with Don Arioli, Reg Dougherty, Karl Duplessis, Les Halman, Blake James, Michael Mills, Grant Munro, Kaj Pindal, Dennis Sawyer, Al Sens, Robert Verrall; co-animator with Kaj Pindal, Michael Mills, Blake James, Al Sens)
Christmas at Moose Factory, 1971 (producer)
In a Nutshell, 1971 (co-producer with Robert Verrall)
Pavilion, 1971 (producer)
Exeter, 1972 (producer)
Hard Rider, 1972 (producer)
Tilt, 1972 (producer)
Ananse's Farm, 1973 (producer)
Family Planning in Ghana, 1973 (executive producer)
The Family that Dwelt Apart, 1973 (producer)
The Innocent Door, 1973 (co-producer with Peter Raymont)
Man: The Polluter, 1973 (co-director with Don Arioli, Hugh Foulds, Chuck Jones, Kaj Pindal, Frank Nissen, Pino van
Lamsweerde, Milan Blazekovic, Zlatko Bourek, Ndeljko Dragic, Boris Kolar, Aleksandar Marks, Vladimir Jutrisa, Dusan
Vukotic, Ante Zaninovic; producer)
The Myth and the Reality, 1973 (producer)
Pictures Out of My Life, 1973 (producer)
Prairie: Passing Through, 1973 (co-executive producer with Peter Jones)
Ten: The Magic Number, 1973 (producer)
Tickets s.v.p, 1973 (co-producer with Tom Daly)
About Puberty and Reproduction, 1974 (co-producer with Dorothy Courtois)
About VD, 1974 (co-producer with Dorothy Courtois)
All the Years of Her Life, 1974 (producer)
Anywhere to Everywhere, 1974 (producer)
Bossa Bop, 1974 (producer)
The Coldspring Project, 1974 (co-producer with Peter Raymont)
The Flight of the Snows, 1974 (writer)
Icarus, 1974 (producer)
The Light Fantastick, 1974 (co-cinematographer with Rupert Glover; producer)
Perspectrum, 1974 (co-producer with Dorothy Courtois)
Propaganda Message, 1974 (co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
Satellites of the Sun, 1974 (executive producer)
We/Nous, 1974 (producer)
Who Are We?, 1974 (producer)
Aucassin and Nicolette, 1975 (executive producer)
Enemy Alien, 1975 (executive producer)
The Energy Carol, 1975 (executive producer)
Face of the Earth, 1975 (producer)
Forecast for Survival, 1975 (executive producer)
The Hecklers, 1975 (executive producer)
The Housewife, 1975 (executive producer)
Natsik Hunting, 1975 (co-producer with Peter Raymont)
Prison, 1975 (co-producer with Don Rennick)
Sikusilarmiut, 1975 (executive producer)
Tax: The Outcome of Income, 1975 (co-producer with Rupert Glover)
Through a Broken Pane, 1975 (producer)
A Token Gesture, 1975 (executive producer)
You've Read the Book - Now See the Movie, 1975 (executive producer)
Firelight, 1976 (producer)
Lady Fishbourne's Complete Guide to Better Table Manners, 1976 (co-producer with Derek Lamb)
The Lion and the Mouse, 1976 (producer)
Metrix "Wind", 1976 (producer)
What Do You Do?/What Are You Doing?, 1976 (executive producer)
Amisk, 1977 (executive producer)
Fashion Designer, Canada Vignettes series, 1977 (producer)
Physiotherapist, Canada Vignettes series, 1977 (producer)
Veterinarian, Canada Vignettes series, 1977 (producer)
Deep Threat, 1977 (co-producer with Zlatko Grgic)
Extinction of the Dinosaurs, 1977 (producer)
The Hottest Show on Earth, 1977 (co-director with Terence Macartney-Filgate, Derek Lamb; co-writer with Derek Lamb,
David Suzuki, Don Arioli, Ian Ball, William Weintraub; co-producer with Jeffrey Schon, Derek Lamb)
No Apple for Johnny, 1977 (co-producer with Dorothy Courtois)
The Pearson Building, 1977 (co-cinematographer with Terence Macartney-Filgate)
Poets on Film No. 1, 1977 (executive producer)
Poets on Film No. 2, 1977 (executive producer)
Poets on Film No. 3, 1977 (executive producer)
Spinnolio, 1977 (producer)
The Vacant Lot, 1977 (co-cinematographer with Andreas Poulsson, Robert Humble)
Oh Canada, 1978 (co-producer with Roman Kroitor, Robert Verrall, Dorothy Courtois)
The Ballet Master, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
The Dentist, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
Easter Eggs, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
Eve Lambart, 1978 (cinematographer; co-executive producer with Kathleen Shannon)
Faces, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
The Maple Leaf, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
The Performer, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (co-cinematographer with Barry Perles, Don Virgo)
The Photographers, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
Sodbusters, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
Trading Post, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
The Violin Maker, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
Voyageurs, Canada Vignettes series, 1978 (producer)
Winter - Dressing Up, Canada Vignettes series, 1979 (co-producer with Robert Verrall, Louise Gallagher)
Winter - Starting the Car, Canada Vignettes series, 1979 (co-producer with Robert Verrall, Louise Gallagher)
Why Men Rape, 1979 (co-producer with Douglas Jackson; co-editor with Douglas Jackson, Susan Shanks)
You're Under Arrest!, Challenge for Change/Société nouvelle series, 1979 (co-director with Don Arioli; cinematographer;
editor)
Coming Back Alive, 1980 (co-director with Paul Cowan, Rosemarie Shapley, Bill Mason; co-producer with Roman Kroitor)
Nose and Tina, 1980 (producer)
Baxter Earns His Wings, 1981 (co-producer with Rosemarie Shapley)
A Right to Refuse?, People at Work series, 1981 (cinematographer; co-producer with Caroline Leaf)
Where the Buoys Are, 1981 (co-director with Paul Cowan, Rosemarie Shapley, Bill Mason; producer) An Equal Opportunity, People at Work series, 1982 (cinematographer; co-producer with Caroline Leaf)
End Game in Paris, 1982 (cinematographer; producer)
One Out of Three Is a Fishboat, 1982 (co-producer with Andy Thomson)
Ted Baryluk's Grocery, 1982 (co-producer with Michael Scott)
What Do We Do Now?, 1982 (co-producer with Andy Thomson)
Laughter in My Soul, 1983 (co-editor with Rosemarie Shapley; co-producer with Halya Kuchmij)
Incident at Restigouche, 1984 (co-editor with Allan Collins)
John Cat, 1984 (director; writer; co-editor with Gil Cardinal)
This is Only a Test, 1984 (co-producer with Dale Phillips, Tom Radford, Anne Wheeler)
Discussions in Bioethics: A Chronic Problem, 1985 (producer)
Discussions in Bioethics: Critical Choice, 1985 (producer)
Discussions in Bioethics: The Courage of One's Convictions, 1985 (producer)
Discussions in Bioethics: Family Tree, 1985 (producer)
Discussions in Bioethics: Happy Birthday, 1985 (producer)
Discussions in Bioethics: If You Want a Girl Like Me, 1985 (producer)
Discussions in Bioethics: The Old Person's Friend, 1985 (producer)
Discussions in Bioethics: Who Should Decide? 1985 (producer)
Acid Rain, 1986 (producer)
Connection, 1986 (director; editor)
Wednesday's Children: Alex, 1987 (producer)
Wednesday's Children: David, 1987 (co-producer with Joe MacDonald)
Deadlines, People and Science series, 1987 (co-producer with Julie Stanfel)
Wednesday's Children: Jenny, 1987 (producer)
Wednesday's Children: Mark and Donny, 1987 (producer)
Wednesday's Children: Robert, 1987 (co-producer with Signe Johansson)
A Test of Time, People and Science series, 1987 (co-producer with Julie Stanfel)
Wednesday's Children: Vicky, 1987 (producer)
Wednesday's Children: A Video Guide, 1987 (producer)
Waiting for the Flies to Die, People and Science series, 1987 (co-producer with Julie Stanfel)
Toxic Waste, Perspectives in Science series, 1988 (co-cinematographer with Roger Rochat)
Academy Awards Clip, 1989 (director; producer)
The Buddy System, Without Work series, 1989 (co-producer with Rohan Persaud, Penny Ritco) The Drive Away, Without Work series, 1989 (co-producer with Penny Ritco)
Is Everyone Here Crazy, Without Work series, 1989 (co-producer with Penny Ritco, Michael Sulyma)
Killing Time, Without Work series, 1989 (co-producer with John Helliker, Penny Ritco)
Not by Choice, Without Work series, 1989 (co-producer with Penny Ritco)
Sidetracked, Without Work series, 1989 (co-producer with Alyson Drysdale, Penny Ritco)
Listen to Us... Part 1 - Telling it All, 1991 (co-director and co-producer with Sally Bochner)
Listen to Us... Part 2 - About Group Homes, 1991 (co-director and co-producer with Sally Bochner)
Listen to Us... Part 3 - Chelsea/Naseem/Sandy, 1991 (co-director and co-producer with Sally Bochner)
Listen to Us... Part 4 - Robyn/Nathan/Vinnie/Eric, 1991 (co-director and co-producer with Sally Bochner)
Carol's Mirror, Playing Fair series, 1992 (co-producer with Penny Ritco)
Mela's Lunch, Playing Fair series, 1992 (co-producer with Penny Ritco)
Hey, Kelly!, Playing Fair series, 1992 (co-producer with Penny Ritco)
Pierre LefPvre on Acting, 1992 (co-director with Brian Dooley; co-producer with Penny Ritco)
Walker, Playing Fair series, 1992 (co-producer with Penny Ritco)
District 25, 1993 (co-producer with Robert Craig)
When Shirley Met Florence, 1994 (co-producer with Judith Merritt)
Eldon Rathburn: They Shoot... He Scores, 1995 (co-cinematographer with Tony Ianzelo; co-producer with Judith Merritt,
Don Haig)
The Pinnacle and the Poet, 1995 (co-producer with Judith Merritt, Don Haig)
Silence & Storm, 1995 (co-producer with Judith Merritt, Colin Neale, Don Haig, Sally Bochner, David Wilson)
Someone to Talk To - Peer Helping in High School, 1996 (co-producer with Judith Merritt, Don Haig)
Show Girls, 1998 (cinematographer)