Jay Craven is an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and former professor of film studies at

Marlboro College Marlboro College was a private college in Marlboro, Vermont. Founded in 1946, it remained intentionally small, operating as a self-governing community with students following self-designed degree plans culminating in a thesis. In 1998, the colle ...

. He is based in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. Craven is known for creating films on modest budgets, adopting many of the novels of author

Howard Frank Mosher Howard Frank Mosher (June 2, 1942 – January 29, 2017) was an American author of thirteen books: eleven fiction and two non-fiction. Much of his fiction takes place in the mid-20th century and all of it is set in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermon ...

to film. He often casts from a regular troupe of Vermont actors including

Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress. Of Cree and Métis heritage, in 2009 she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a s ...

and Rusty DeWees, but has also worked with

Rip Torn Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned roughly 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' (1983). Tor ...

and

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

. Craven founded and runs Kingdom County Productions and recently launched Catamount Arts performing arts program, New England's largest independent arts producer and presenter. He is married to Bess O'Brien, who is also a co-founder of Kingdom County Productions. Craven attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

for undergraduate studies, where he developed a lifelong friendship with

Howard Zinn Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922January 27, 2010) was an American historian and a veteran of World War II. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College, and a political science professor at Boston University. Zinn ...

. He later went on to

Goddard College Goddard College was a Private college, private college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle. The college offered undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With predecessor ins ...

. He lives in the

Northeast Kingdom The Northeast Kingdom (also, locally, "The Kingdom" and abbreviated NEK) is the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, approximately comprising Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties and with a population of 64,764 at the 2010 census. T ...

with his family.

Filmography

* ''

Where the Rivers Flow North ''Where the Rivers Flow North'' is a 1993 American drama film directed by Jay Craven and starring Rip Torn, Tantoo Cardinal, Treat Williams and Michael J. Fox. It is based on Howard Frank Mosher's novel of the same name. Plot Log-driver Noel Lor ...

'' (1994) * ''

A Stranger in the Kingdom ''A Stranger in the Kingdom'' is a 1997 American drama film directed by Jay Craven and starring Ernie Hudson, David Lansbury, Martin Sheen and Jean Louisa Kelly. It is based on the novel of the same name by Howard Frank Mosher. Cast * Ernie Hud ...

'' (1998) * ''In Jest'' (1999) * ''

The Year That Trembled ''The Year That Trembled'' is a 2002 American romantic war drama film directed by Jay Craven and starring Jonathan Brandis, Marin Hinkle, Martin Mull, Meredith Monroe and Fred Willard. It is based on Scott Lax's novel of the same name. Cast *Jon ...

'' (2002) * '' Disappearances'' (2006) * ''

Northern Borders ''Northern Borders'' is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Jay Craven, and based on Howard Frank Mosher's novel of the same name. It stars Bruce Dern, Geneviève Bujold and Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. Plot In 1956, Austen Kittredge ...

'' (2013) * ''

Peter and John ''Peter and John'' is a 2015 American drama film written and directed by Jay Craven and starring Jacqueline Bisset and Christian Coulson. It is based on Guy de Maupassant's novel '' Pierre and Jean''. Plot Cast * Jacqueline Bisset as Julia Rol ...

'' (2015) * '' Wetware'' (2018) * '' Lost Nation'' (2024)

References

Interview with New England FilmFaculty page at Marlboro CollegeKingdom County Productions

External links

* * ay Craven at Marlboro College http://www.marlboro.edu/academics/faculty/craven_jay/br>
(photo/caption) Goddard College alumni People from Barnet, Vermont Living people Film directors from Vermont Year of birth missing (living people) {{Vermont-stub