Cinematographer.
Born at Winnipeg in 1947 to Rose Kaplan (1912-1988) and Nathan Elkin (1915-1988), he grew up in the River Heights community and graduated from Grant Park High School. He then attended the University of Manitoba, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. While at university, he took up photography as a hobby, but in 1973 got his hands on a 16mm movie camera, which changed his life. He became passionate about shooting film and managed to turn an Opportunity for Youth grant into his first film, Profits and the Puck.
After marrying Norma Bailey, with whom he went on to have two sons, the couple formed a production company called Flat Land Films, and in the early 1980s they co-directed a number of short documentaries set in Winnipeg, including Chasing the Eclipse, The New Mayor, and It’s Hard to Get It Here. He then continued his career as a documentary cameraman, travelling the world for the CBC and the National Film Board, and eventually became an award-winning cinematographer. He worked on films such as Red Team, Nostradamus, The Last Winter, Lost in the Barrens, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick, and director Russell Crowe’s first film, For the Moment. He was also one of the founders of the Winnipeg Film Group in 1974.
He spent his summers at the Willow Island cottage at Gimli, where he continually strived to make the perfect burger.
He died at Winnipeg on 8 June 2012.
“Ian Elkin,” IMDb.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 9 June 2012.
“Cinematographer had ‘incredible eye’,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 June 2012.
“Ian Elkin,” Geni world Family Tree.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 4 March 2026
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