Kurt Kuenne is a renowned filmmaker and composer, celebrated for his exceptional work in both fiction and documentary films. He earned his academic credentials from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, where he received the prestigious Harold Lloyd Scholarship in Film Editing. Additionally, he studied film scoring under the guidance of renowned classic film composers Buddy Baker and David Raksin at the USC School of Music.
Kuenne's professional journey began with his feature film "Scrapbook" in 1999, which earned him a spot on Filmmaker magazine's 25 New Faces of Indie Film feature. He followed this success with "Drive-In Movie Memories" in 2001, a documentary about outdoor movies that premiered at the 2001 Telluride Film Festival and received national exposure on PBS.
In 2002, Kuenne received the AMPAS Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his screenplay "Mason Mule". The same year, his screenplay "Explode" reached the quarterfinals. He then directed a series of black and white short musical comedies, including "Rent-A-Person" in 2004, "Validation" in 2006, "Slow" in 2007, and "The Phone Book" in 2008, which collectively won over 40 awards at more than 120 film festivals worldwide.
Kuenne's passion project, the documentary "Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father", was completed in 2008 after six years of dedication. The film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and was released by Oscilloscope Laboratories and MSNBC Films. It was named one of the Top 5 Documentaries of 2008 by the National Board of Review, won numerous awards, and appeared on more than 40 critics' lists of the Ten Best Films of 2008. The film's impact was profound, inspiring the creation of Bill C-464 in Canadian Parliament, which reformed Canada's criminal code when it became law on December 15, 2010. An epilogue detailing this process, "The Legacy of Dear Zachary: A Journey to Change Law", was released online in 2013.
Kuenne collaborated with actor TJ Thyne on the fiction feature "Shuffle" in 2011, a mystery/fantasy about a man experiencing his life out of order. The film was released by Screen Media Films and won numerous awards at film festivals worldwide, including the 2013 Frank Capra Award.
As a composer, Kuenne has re-scored the restoration of the silent classic "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1925) and written the book, music, and lyrics for the stage musical adaptation of Frank Beddor's New York Times-bestselling novel "The Looking Glass Wars".
