National Geographic expedition to New Guinea brings Campbell River raised cameraman Ian Kerr international recognition.
Now based in Vancouver, Kerr was awarded the Emmy for “Outstanding Cinematography- News Coverage/ Documentaries” at the 32nd annual Emmy Awards for News and Documentaries.
Kerr’s work was recognized for the film “Lost Mummies of New Guinea”, a National Geographic Explorer documentary shot in March 2010. The film follows the expedition of two Western scientist and Ulla Lohman, a German photographer, into the land of the Anga people—possibly the last culture with living memory of human mummification and where some plan to revive the tradition.Filming was based in a town that had electricity only three days a year. Roads were appalling and they spent as much time pushing their vehicles as driving. The most valuable item in the camera kit was the hair dryer, which Kerr used most mornings to defog his lenses.
Despite those challenges, the film tells a story of a culture which has been all but forgotten by time and sheds light on the ancient practice of mummification.
Born in Vancouver and raised in Campbell River, Kerr began working in television at age 16 at community cable station CRTV in Campbell River. He later graduated from BCIT in 1993 and began working as a news cameraman at a Vancouver news station before making the transition to documentary and commercial projects and working around the world. Kerr is also a Sessional instructor of Advanced Cinematography at Simon Fraser University.