Jamie Travis
Encyclopedia
Jamie Travis is a Toronto-based filmmaker who has written and directed award-winning short films, music videos and television commercials. He received international recognition for his two short film trilogies: The Patterns Trilogy and the Saddest Children in the World trilogy. His six short films all premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
. His work has had numerous retrospective screenings at festivals and art galleries.
With Patterns (2005) – a playful avant-garde send-up of the suspense genre in which a woman waits anxiously for a phone call – Travis was awarded the Vancouver International Film Festival
's prize for Best Western Canadian Director of a Short Film. Patterns was followed by two sequels, Patterns 2 (2006) and Patterns 3 (2006), which transformed the austere formalism of the first installment into a boy-meets-girl romp, complete with song, dance and documentary interludes. Other festival highlights include the BFI's London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
and the Hamptons International Film Festival
, where Patterns 3 took home the award for Best Short Film.
A dark comedy about a nine year-old who plans to close his birthday party with a suicide, The Saddest Boy in the World (2006) firmly planted Travis on the international map. The film was met with favorable press, with upwards of 150 festival screenings and multiple awards, including Best Canadian Short at the Calgary International Film Festival
, Best Short Film at the Victoria Film Festival
in British Columbia, and Audience Favorite at the NexT International Short Film Festival in Bucharest.
Travis concluded his Saddest Children in the World trilogy with The Armoire (2009), in which a game of hide and seek goes awry. Upon its premiere, the film received an honourable mention for Best Short Film at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
and a coveted spot on the list of Canada's Top Ten – a list of the country's top films as voted by critics and media professionals. It has also gone on to win Best Live-Action Short at the 2010 Nashville Film Festival
and Best Short Film at the 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival
.
Jamie Travis has also directed music videos for renowned Canadian indie artists Tegan and Sara
and crafted television commercials for prominent brands and organizations. He is currently developing his feature film debut.
The Armoire will be included in issue no. 12 of Wholphin, a quarterly DVD magazine created by Dave Eggers
and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's
publishing house.
Interviews
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. His work has had numerous retrospective screenings at festivals and art galleries.
Career
Jamie Travis’ graduating short film, Why the Anderson Children Didn't Come to Dinner (2003), is a surrealist portrayal of three young siblings forced to endure their mother's bizarre culinary abuses. The film earned numerous awards, including Best Production Design at the Leo Awards, Best Script at the Golden Sheaf Awards and Best Canadian Film at Montreal's Prends ça court! Film Series.With Patterns (2005) – a playful avant-garde send-up of the suspense genre in which a woman waits anxiously for a phone call – Travis was awarded the Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
's prize for Best Western Canadian Director of a Short Film. Patterns was followed by two sequels, Patterns 2 (2006) and Patterns 3 (2006), which transformed the austere formalism of the first installment into a boy-meets-girl romp, complete with song, dance and documentary interludes. Other festival highlights include the BFI's London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
The London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival takes place every spring in London, England. It began as a season of gay and lesbian films at the National Film Theatre in 1986 and 1987 under the title "Gay's Own Pictures", curated by Peter Packer of the Tyneside Cinema, and was renamed the London...
and the Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to express their vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton and attracts roughly 15,000 visitors annually...
, where Patterns 3 took home the award for Best Short Film.
A dark comedy about a nine year-old who plans to close his birthday party with a suicide, The Saddest Boy in the World (2006) firmly planted Travis on the international map. The film was met with favorable press, with upwards of 150 festival screenings and multiple awards, including Best Canadian Short at the Calgary International Film Festival
Calgary International Film Festival
The Calgary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for ten days in late September and early October...
, Best Short Film at the Victoria Film Festival
Victoria Film Festival
The Victoria Film Festival is a publicly attended film festival in Victoria, British Columbia running for ten days in February. The festival shows both Canadian and international films and unreels 150 films with 55 Features on 6 screens around Victoria. It attracts a continually growing audience,...
in British Columbia, and Audience Favorite at the NexT International Short Film Festival in Bucharest.
Travis concluded his Saddest Children in the World trilogy with The Armoire (2009), in which a game of hide and seek goes awry. Upon its premiere, the film received an honourable mention for Best Short Film at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and a coveted spot on the list of Canada's Top Ten – a list of the country's top films as voted by critics and media professionals. It has also gone on to win Best Live-Action Short at the 2010 Nashville Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival , held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance...
and Best Short Film at the 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
.
Jamie Travis has also directed music videos for renowned Canadian indie artists Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
and crafted television commercials for prominent brands and organizations. He is currently developing his feature film debut.
Filmography
- Why the Anderson Children Didn't Come to Dinner (2003)
- Patterns (2005)
- Patterns 2 (2006)
- Patterns 3 (2006)
- The Saddest Boy in the World (2006)
- The Armoire (2009)
Music videos
- "Back in Your Head" by Tegan and SaraTegan and SaraTegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
(2007) - "Hell" by Tegan and SaraTegan and SaraTegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
(2010)
DVD
Kimstim is releasing The Patterns Trilogy along with Why the Anderson Children Didn’t Come to Dinner and The Saddest Boy in the World in one comprehensive package on August 3.The Armoire will be included in issue no. 12 of Wholphin, a quarterly DVD magazine created by Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
publishing house.
External links
- thearmoire.ca
- thepatternstrilogy.com
- modernfamily.ca/saddest-boy
- modernfamily.ca/andersonchildren
- youtube.com/jamietravistube
Interviews