Alek Keshishian ( hy, Ալեք Գևորգի Քեշիշեան, born 30 July 1964) is an Armenian-born American film and commercial director, writer, producer and music video director. His 1991 documentary, ''
Madonna: Truth or Dare'' was the highest-grossing documentary of all time until 2002; it "changed the way filmmakers explored the world of celebrity" and had a "profound impact on LGBTQ representation in film."
Early life and education
Keshishian was born in Beirut to Cecile Keshishian (née Simonian), and Kevork Keshishian, a pediatrician. The family immigrated to the United States in 1969. They lived briefly in Brookline, Massachusetts, and then moved to
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusett ...
.
Immersed in the Armenian community, the Keshishians often housed Armenian refugees, and Keshishian and his younger sister, Aleen, grew up speaking English and Armenian. Both siblings acted as children and toured with the New Hampshire Children's Theatre, American Children's Theatre, and the "I Like the U.S. of A" national touring company.
Keshishian attended
St. Paul's School and Harvard University, graduating with honors in 1986. His senior thesis was a pop-opera adaptation of ''
Wuthering Heights
''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent r ...
''. The production, which included music by
Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...
and Madonna, received significant attention.
Career
Music videos, ''Truth or Dare'', ''With Honors''
Keshishian moved to Los Angeles following his graduation, where he directed music videos for artists including
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...
,
Run-DMC and
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
.
In 1991, when he was 26, Madonna called him; she had seen ''Wuthering Heights'' on VHS and followed his career. Four hours after they spoke, Keshishian went to a rehearsal for the ''
Blond Ambition World Tour
The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album '' Like a Prayer'' (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film ''Dick Trac ...
''.
Initially commissioned by HBO to shoot backstage footage of Madonna at the start of the ''Blond Ambition'' tour in Japan, Keshishian filmed "everything, off and on stage."
The strength of the Japanese footage, as well as the rapport between Keshishian and Madonna, led to making ''Truth or Dare'', which became the biggest grossing documentary of its time. In an article that marked the 30th anniversary of the film's release, the ''Guardian'' reported that Keshishian was "less fascinated by Madonna’s admittedly impressive onstage show than by the freewheeling circus of her backstage life, surrounded by her self-described “family” of assistants, adjuncts and predominantly queer backup dancers...Keshishian likened the crew to the bawdy ensemble of a
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most ...
film; ''Truth or Dare'', in turn, fashioned itself as the ''La Dolce Vita'' of rockumentaries, chaotically freeform and in thrall to sensuality and decadence, and shot largely in limber, grainy black-and-white for maximum vérité cred."
In 1991 Keshishian directed the feature film ''
With Honors'', which starred
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films '' ...
,
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...
, and
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in '' Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of f ...
. While it topped the box office the week of its release, the critical response to the film was lukewarm.
Commercial work, ''Love and Other Disasters'', ''My Mind and Me''
At age 29, Keshishian moved to London, where he focused on photography and commercials. He produced work for clients including
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...
,
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and then ...
,
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post ...
,
Brut by
Fabergé,
Aprilia
Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...
,
Baileys, and
Max Factor
Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, Inc. It was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Maksymilian Faktorowicz.
Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billion in 2017 dollar ...
. He also wrote, directed, and produced the independent film ''
Love and Other Disasters
''Love and Other Disasters'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written and directed by Alek Keshishian. It had its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2008, the film had its UK premiere in London as the gala screen ...
''. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was shown as the gala screening for the
London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, formerly known as the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (LLGFF), is the biggest LGBTIQ+ film festival in Europe. It takes place every spring in London, England. It began in 1986, as a season of gay and ...
.
Outfest
Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...
also screened the film.
After returning to the US in 2006, he directed commercials and special projects including
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
's two
Smartwater campaigns. He also directed the comedic shower shorts that featured
Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Joy Handler (born February 25, 1975) is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show '' Chelsea Lately'' on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series ...
with
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was the world's highest-paid actress in 2010 and 2014. In 2010 ...
and
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ( ...
.
In 2011, with Madonna, he co-wrote the screenplay for the film ''
W.E.''.
In 2015 Keshishian directed the music video for Selena Gomez' song "
Hands to Myself". Gomez, managed by Keshishian's sister Aleen, was a fan of ''Truth or Dare.'' In 2016, with the intention of making a documentary, Keshishian shot live and behind-the-scenes footage of Gomez during her first tour. The documentary project was eventually shelved; Keshishian said in a later interview that Gomez was not in a "great place" at that time.
In 2019 Gomez asked him to shoot a trip she was making to Kenya on behalf of a charity and the documentary was reintroduced. Keshishian shot more than 200 hours of verite footage for the film. Titled ''My Mind and Me'', it was released in 2022.
In a review in the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
,'' Chris Azzopardi wrote that the film was "sincere and soul-baring" and that Keshishian "worked the same kind of magic on Madonna for ''Truth or Dare,''" noting that ''My Mind and Me'' "looks outward, framing struggle as the human condition."
Films
*''
Madonna: Truth or Dare'' (1991) – documentary
*''
With Honors'' (1994)
*''
Love and Other Disasters
''Love and Other Disasters'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written and directed by Alek Keshishian. It had its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2008, the film had its UK premiere in London as the gala screen ...
'' (2006)
*''
W.E.'' (2011) – co-writer with
Madonna
*''
Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me'' (2022) – documentary
Music videos (partial list)
*"
(He's Got) The Look" (1988) –
Vanessa Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resigne ...
*"
Dreamin'" (1988) – Vanessa Williams
*"
Don't Be Cruel
"Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in ''Ro ...
" (1988) –
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...
*"
My Prerogative" (1988) – Bobby Brown
*"
Don't Rush Me" (1988) –
Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including " Love Wil ...
*"
Darlin' I
"Darlin' I" is a song by American singer Vanessa Williams, released as the fourth and final single from her debut studio album, '' The Right Stuff'' (1988).
Music video
The music video for the song is filmed in black and white based on the ''I ...
" (1989) – Vanessa Williams
*"
Every Little Step" (1989) – Bobby Brown
*"
On Our Own" (1989) – Bobby Brown
*"
Sacrifice" (1990) –
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
*"
Like a Virgin (
''Truth or Dare'' version)" (1991) –
Madonna
*"
Holiday
A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...
(
''Truth or Dare'' version)" (1991) – Madonna
*"
This Used to Be My Playground" (1992) – Madonna
*"
I'll Remember
"I'll Remember" is a song by American singer Madonna for the 1994 film ''With Honors (film), With Honors''. It was released by Maverick (company), Maverick and Warner Bros. Records on March 8, 1994, as the lead single from the With Honors (fil ...
" (1994) – Madonna
*"
Hold Me" (2000) –
Savage Garden
Savage Garden was an Australian pop duo consisting of Darren Hayes on vocals and Daniel Jones on instruments. Formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1993, the duo achieved international success from the mid-1990s to early 2000s with the No. ...
*"
Insatiable" (2002) –
Darren Hayes
*"
Hands to Myself" (2015) –
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
*"
Save It Til Morning" (2017) –
Fergie
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keshishian, Alek
1964 births
Living people
American film producers
American male screenwriters
American music video directors
Television commercial directors
Writers from Beirut
Writers from Manchester, New Hampshire
Lebanese emigrants to the United States
Lebanese people of Armenian descent
American expatriates in the United Kingdom
Film directors from California
Film producers from California
Hasty Pudding alumni
St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni
Film directors from New Hampshire
Screenwriters from New Hampshire
Screenwriters from California
American people of Armenian descent