John McKay

John McKay has taught film/video production and theory courses at the graduate, undergraduate, and college level for three decades in Concordia University's Communication Studies Department and Champlain College's Visual Arts Department. He has an M.A. in Media Studies and has studied at the British Film Institute.

One of his major areas of interest is media and Third-World development. He has worked in the documentary format in several developing countries. He shot a documentary in Liberia, West Africa, about primary health care issues in Ganta and Suo Coco Leprosy centers. He has co-produced/directed and shot two documentaries dealing with Maya women in the central highlands of Guatemala. These two documentaries are in the collections of university libraries and museums worldwide and have won several major awards.

His most recent project deals with the culture, art forms, and traditions of the Kuna people of the San Blas archipelago in Panama. He also works on a freelance basis as a writer/researcher for several organizations, including the National Film Board of Canada.

Films

• Between Light and Shadow: Maya Women in Transition
• Daughters of Ixchel: Maya Thread of Change