Jason LaRay Keener

Jason LaRay Keener
Born	Jason LaRay Keener (1985-05-12) May 12, 1985 (age 39) Centre, Alabama, United States
Website	https://www.youtube.com/@JasonLaRayKeener

Jason LaRay Keener (born May 12, 1985) is an American music composer and filmmaker from Alabama.[1][2]

Reining Nails & Catfish with Falcon Wings

In 2006, Keener founded his production company, Reining Nails.[3][4] From 2006 to 2009, he directed several Southern Gothic-inspired surrealistic short films. His film Hallelujah! Gorilla Revival featured guest voice-overs from filmmakers Cory McAbee, Damon Packard, Todd Rohal and Jamie Stewart of the bands Ten in the Swear Jar, Xiu Xiu and Former Ghosts.[5] The film won Best Experimental Short at the 2009 Nashville Film Festival,[6] as well as Best Alabama Short Film and the Kathryn Tucker Windham Storytelling Award at the 11th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.[7]

In 2009, Keener released a DVD+R EP of his short films entitled Catfish with Falcon Wings.[8][9] Catfish with Falcon Wings has been remixed by Brighter Death Now as projection for live shows.[10]

In 2011, the short films of Catfish with Falcon Wings were curated alongside films by Woody Allen, Jean-Luc Godard, Harmony Korine, and David Lynch as part of a film series on problems in contemporary society. The series was programmed by the Pavilion Unicredit Art Gallery in Bucharest, Romania .[11]

The Unreinable Compulsion

The Unreinable Compulsion, described as a psychological drama about an irrational murder,[12] was Keener's first feature-length film. The film was self-financed and never distributed. The film starred Jarrod Cuthrell and features actor and dentist George Hardy (Troll 2, Best Worst Movie) as himself.

Keener cites Robert Bresson, John Carpenter, Unsolved Mysteries, Flannery O'Connor, and Edward Hopper as the primary influences for the style and tone of the film,[13] in which a young man in a small town gives in to his irrational desire to recreationally murder a stranger.

Synopsis

After loner Dewayne Sykes (Jarrod Cuthrell) decides to give in to his irrational desire to recreationally murder a stranger, he begins his search for a random victim and finds one in “Miss Fit” (Jen Stedham), a young jogger he spies at a park. After briefly familiarizing himself with her neighborhood and schedule, he puts his plan into action and commits a murder that will haunt him in ways he could not anticipate.[12]

Collinsville Trade Day, 1988

It is a found-footage short film featuring his grandfather, Charles Keener, based on footage Charles shot in 1988 of a popular outdoor market in the Northeast Alabama town of Collinsville. The short film premiered at the 2015 Nashville Film Festival.

Synopsis

In 1988, Charles Keener took a video camera to Collinsville, AL to document the town's outdoor market for his young grandson (LaRay Keener). 26 years later, this newly discovered footage has been edited by the grandson into a short documentary.[14]

Discography[15]

• Prayers to the Prayer Tree (2023)
• Rurnt (2021)
• Where the dog hid while it happened. (2020)
• Odds are we're even. (2020)
• I tried. (2020)

Filmography[16]

Feature films

• The Unreinable Compulsion (2013)

Short films

• Collinsville Trade Day, 1988 (2014)
• Hollow Porcelain Fish Chamber[17] (2009)[18]
• Hallelujah! Gorilla Revival[5] (2008)[19]
• Hail Cracking Cobra Eggs (2007)[20]
• The Man with Apple-Shaped Boxing Gloves[21] (2006)[22]

As actor

• Laura Panic[23] (2007)[24]
• The Man with Apple-Shaped Boxing Gloves (2006)

As music composer

• Hollow Porcelain Fish Chamber (2009)
• Hallelujah! Gorilla Revival (2008)
• 1000 Year Sleep[25] (2007)[26]
• Hail Cracking Cobra Eggs (2007)
• The Man with Apple-Shaped Boxing Gloves (2006)

References

1. "Q&A with Jason Laray Keener, director of "Catfish with Falcon Wings" …". Archived from the original on 12 September 2011.
2. "Jason LaRay Keener | Composer, Director, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
3. "Reining Nails [us]". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
4. "Filmmaker Keener happy where he is". Anniston Star. 2009-08-14. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
5. "Hallelujah! Gorilla Revival (2008)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
6. "Home « Nashville Film Festival Nashville Film Festival". Nashvillefilmfestival.org. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
7. "Sidewalk Film Festival". Sidewalkfest.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
8. "Local filmmaker to premier DVD in Birmingham". Anniston Star. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
9. Ginger Swan (2009-06-07). "'Catfish with Falcon Wings' surrealist films to screen at Bottletree | al.com". Blog.al.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
10. Deaf, Last Day (2016-04-29). "Brighter Death Now". Last Day Deaf. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
11. "The Discreet Charm of Political Activism by Stefan Voicu". Pavilion. 2011-12-13.
12. "The Unreinable Compulsion (2013)". Reining Nails. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
13. "Pictures Underground interview with Jason LaRay Keener". Picturesundergroundfilm.blogsport.com. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
14. "Collinsville Trade Day, 1988". IMDb. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
15. "Jason LaRay Keener - Topic". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
16. "Jason LaRay Keener | Composer, Director, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
17. "Hollow Porcelain Fish Chamber (2009)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
18. "Hollow Porcelain Fish Chamber on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 2009-09-25. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
19. "Hallelujah! Gorilla Revival (2008)". YouTube. 2009-11-03. Retrieved 2013-10-27.^[dead YouTube link]^[dead YouTube link]
20. "Hail Cracking Cobra Eggs on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 2009-03-20. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
21. "The Man with Apple-Shaped Boxing Gloves (2006)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
22. "The Man with Apple-Shaped Boxing Gloves on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 2009-03-05. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
23. "Laura Panic (2008)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
24. "Laura Panic". YouTube. 2008-06-20. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
25. "1000 Year Sleep (2007)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
26. "1000.Year.Sleep.2007". YouTube. 2008-09-27. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2013-10-27.

External links

• Official Artist Channel | YouTube
• Apple Music
• Spotify
• Jason LaRay Keener at IMDb
• The Unreinable Compulsion trailer
• AL.com review of Catfish with Falcon Wings
• Anniston Star: Filmmaker Keener happy where he is Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
• Anniston Star: Local filmmaker to premier DVD in Birmingham