Writer / Director — Photographer — Austin, Texas
A witness who learned to step into the frame. Three careers — technology, photography, cinema — converging into a singular, uncompromising directorial voice.
A Michigan Yankee who made Austin home in 1978, David Lykes Keenan is deep into his third career as a writer/director. After riding the city's tech boom and building a software company in 1986 — later sold in 2020 — he began a ten-year run as a respected street photographer and is now a full-fledged filmmaker -- in his 70's.
His Kickstarter-funded street photography book FAIR WITNESS (2014) defined his visual philosophy: a voyeur who finally stepped into the light. His short Bodies of Water (2018), starring Ellar Coltrane, screened in more than 20 festivals worldwide. The Tiny, Texas short came in 2024.
Now, with Tiny, Texas feature shot in Spring 2025 and slated for a 2026 release, and two bold feature scripts in development, Keenan is fully committed to his third act.
The following bodies of work cover roughly 2002 to 2016 and form the visual DNA that defines every frame of the films that came later.
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But no more.
In my street photography — from the voyeuristic distance of FAIR WITNESS to the startling three-foot intimacy of LOOK At Me — I slowly learned that my camera didn't have to be a shield, it could be an invitation.
This led to the making of my short films — and now to my first, very personal feature film.
The story of Tiny, Texas mixes hints of Hoosiers and Billy Elliot with The Last Picture Show and Brokeback Mountain. Its look is through a single 50mm lens — exactly as with my street photography.
It's a story of fathers and sons — be they biological, adopted, or chosen — interwoven with tragedy, awakening, and nostalgic Texana."
Open to screenwriting and co-production opportunities. Tiny, Texas comes in 2026 with much more to follow — Learning to Swim and EX-PAT. Inquiries from both investment and creative collaborators are welcomed.
