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United States Ken Burns is a renowned American documentarian, celebrated for his deeply researched and cinematically rich explorations of American history and culture for over four decades. He and his collaborators have created some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, many of which have been distributed by PBS.
For more than 35 years, WETA has proudly partnered with Ken Burns to bring landmark documentaries to the nation via public television.
Since 2007, Bank of America has proudly sponsored the work of Ken Burns and Florentine Films, which blend education and art to create influential documentaries.
SJI Associates has partnered with PBS to create key art for several of Ken Burns' acclaimed documentaries.
Faculty Member Allen Moore from MICA has partnered with Ken Burns on numerous projects such as The Civil War, The Congress, Thomas Jefferson, and Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.
Florentine Films studio offers visits through a partnership with the travel company Tauck.
Belmont University sponsored Ken Burns' highly anticipated documentary "Country Music," which premiered in 2019.
Ken Burns' new documentary, "The American Revolution," kicked off the Karsh Institute's Democracy360, with an exclusive preview and panel conversation.
Apple chief Steve Jobs negotiated to give Burns Apple equipment in exchange for his implicit endorsement, which Burns donated to nonprofit organizations for his films (in relation to the 'Ken Burns effect' software feature).
Kenneth Lauren Burns was born on July 29, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. His early life was marked by frequent moves with his academic family and the profound loss of his mother to breast cancer when he was eleven, an event he credits with shaping his career. Burns began his filmmaking journey upon receiving an 8mm camera for his 17th birthday, which he used to create a documentary about an Ann Arbor factory. He later attended Hampshire College, studying film and design, and working in a record store to fund his education. In 1976, Burns co-founded Florentine Films in Walpole, New Hampshire, a production company that would become the home for his extensive body of work.
Burns quickly established a distinctive style of documentary filmmaking, characterized by his artistic use of archival materials, still photographs brought to life with slow zooms and pans (now known as the “Ken Burns effect”), period music, and narratives read by professional actors. This approach moved away from a “Great Man” view of history, focusing instead on broader cultural and human experiences. His early works, such as the Oscar-nominated “Brooklyn Bridge” (1981) and “The Statue of Liberty” (1985), gained recognition and were broadcast on PBS. His significant breakthrough came with “The Civil War” (1990), an eleven-hour documentary that achieved unprecedented popularity and critical acclaim, breaking ratings records for public television and grossing over $100 million. This series solidified his reputation as a master storyteller of American history.
Following “The Civil War,” Burns continued to produce a prolific array of documentaries covering diverse American subjects, including “Baseball” (1994), “Jazz” (2001), “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” (2009), “The Vietnam War” (2017), and “Country Music” (2019). His projects often involve extensive collaboration with historians and writers, most notably Geoffrey C. Ward. Burns’s work is distinguished by its meticulous research, emotional depth, and consistent focus on themes of identity, struggle, and resilience within the American narrative. His films have earned numerous prestigious awards, including multiple Emmy Awards and Grammy Awards, and have secured his place as one of America’s most influential documentary filmmakers.
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