Bio
Brit Kewin is a Toronto-based filmmaker who directs, shoots, and edits documentary and narrative fiction. With her brother, Nick, she comprises one half of a sibling team who are interested in creating mutually concocted realities that veer just south of normality. Their films concern families, couples, and communities on the edge of dark truths and painful open secrets. Brit loves using genre to slide sideways into topics that matter.
Brit comes from a documentary film background with a M.A. in visual anthropology from Goldsmiths College, University of London. She is a recipient of a Women In The Director’s Chair program scholarship, is a companion member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers and has had her films screened at a number of festivals.
Videos
Questionaire
Why did you get involved in this project?
This project seemed like a quick and fun way to make something new during the early days of the pandemic. It was a way to virtually connect and create with strangers.
Did the one week turn-around for the work help or hinder your creativity?
I struggled with the one week turn-around. Starting with someone else's images and no other context was different from how I typically work. Once I decided to let go and not overthink where I was headed, I had fun with the edit. I got to play around with layering and obscure effects that I don't typically use when editing.
How did you feel about working on a project where you didn’t know who you were collaborating with?
It's not the first time I've worked with strangers remotely on a collaborative project. What was unique about this time was not having an end goal or road map. Usually in similar situations each person is doing their part and we are using our skills toward a brief or a shared vision. This was interesting because each person could take their part in any direction they chose. For me, this put more emphasis on the process than the result in a way that was refreshing.
Has being involved in the project changed your thoughts on creativity?
Being involved as an editor with images created by someone else encouraged me to play during a video edit in a way that I typically reserve for other art forms such as drawing, painting, and illustration. I don't know that it changed my thoughts on creativity per se, but it reminded me that I can (and should) bring that sense of play that I had while making art as a child to the video work that I do now as an adult.