burns the fire

Writer/Director Brenda Keesal follows her own road. Her wickedly funny, emotionally-charged work introduces a bold, new voice to the big and the not-so-little screens. Brenda’s first film as writer/director and producer was WANKER; the story of a compulsive masturbator looking for a life. It won a Silver Plaque at the Chicago Film Festival, was the Closing Film of the New Orleans Film & Video Festival, garnered cult status and rave reviews, and was voted one of the best movies of the year in Canada.

Her second, the critically-acclaimed, polarizing JACK & ELLA; a Jewish woman and a Black man win a house and are invaded by their neighbors – played in festivals all over the world, enjoyed sold-out runs in Toronto and Montreal, and played on Canada’s top movie channels. JACK & ELLA’s DVD is being released in consultation with independent film maverick Peter Broderick (Paradigm, Next Wave).

Voted one of Montreal’s favorite filmmakers, Brenda is currently writing for television and the internet, busting it out with her signature style. Her TV projects include: A FINE FAMILY; a brave comedy about a nouveau-riche Jewish family who wheel and deal with God to get more out of life, and the super-sized FAT LIKE ME; a fat family try to revive a dying deli. BE HAPPY; the latest feature film she wrote and is directing- follows a depressed happiness guru whose latest bestseller turns everyone around her inside out- is being produced by uber-indie producer Avi Federgreen whose latest feature SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL (written & directed by Michael McGowan) is opening the Toronto Film Festival in 2010.

Brenda graduated from Montreal’s prestigious Concordia University film school with a BFA in Film Production, a minor in Creative Writing, and a vision all of her own.

Represented in Film & Television by Sarah Cooper of The Saint Agency

T: 416-944-8200, sarah (at) thesaintagency (dot) com