Plant and Animal Genome XXV Conference

January 13 - 18, 2017

Plenary Lecture: Scott Kennedy

Academy Award nominee Scott Hamilton Kennedy is a writer, director, producer, cameraman, and editor. He has worked on everything from documentary and scripted film with legends like Roger Corman, music videos like Jimmy Cliff’s international hit “I Can See Clearly Now,” to commercials, motion capture animation, scripted and reality television. His documentary work includes Oscar Nominated The Garden, which tells the story of the complicated struggle over the nation’s largest community garden; Independent Spirit Award Nominee OT: our town—about the first play in 25 years at Dominguez High School in Compton; and the critically acclaimed Fame High, which follows four students through a year at one of the most respected and competitive performing arts high schools in the country. Set for release in 2017, Scott’s latest documentary is Food Evolution, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Amidst the ideological war over how to safely and sustainably feed a global population that is expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050, Food Evolution uses the controversial GMO debate and scientific inquiry as a lens to look at some of the most urgent questions facing our food system today. Scott resides in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles with his wife Catherine Borek, their two daughters Tessa and Eden, and their dog Pepper.