Jamie Travis
Jamie Travis (born August 13, 1979) 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 shorts, all of which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, have drawn comparisons to filmmakers such as David Lynch, Todd Solondz, Peter Greenaway and Wes Anderson. Travis’ growing body of work has already earned numerous retrospective screenings at festivals and art galleries worldwide.
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 Montréal'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'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 London BFI Gay & Lesbian 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 Independent Film and Video 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), where an 11 year-old boy plays a game of hide and seek in which his friend is never found. 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 the Audience Award for 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 helmed music videos for renowned Canadian indie artists Tegan and Sara and crafted characteristically stylish television commercials for prominent brands and organizations. He is currently developing his highly anticipated 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 Sara (2007)
"Hell" by Tegan and Sara (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 in the third quarter of 2010.
The Armoire will be part of issue no. 12 of Wholphin (DVD), a quarterly DVD magazine created by Dave Eggers and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's publishing house.
External Links
modernfamily.ca/andersonchildren
Interviews
blogto.com/filmmakers/jamie_travis
http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Hideseek_with_filmmaker_Jamie_Travis_at_TIFF-7429.aspx