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'' and ''The Saddest Children in the World''.
His six short films all premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival, and his work has had numerous retrospective screenings at festivals and art galleries.
Life and career
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'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
The Victoria Film Festival is a publicly attended film festival in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada running for ten days in February. The festival shows both Canadian and international films and unreels 150 films with 55 Features on 6 scree ...
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 Canadian Short Film at the
2009 Toronto International Film Festival
The 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 10 and September 19, 2009. The opening night gala presented the Charles Darwin biography ''Creation''. ''The Young Victoria'', based ...
, and a coveted spot on TIFF's year-end
Canada's Top Ten list. 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.
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.
Travis lived in Vancouver for over 25 years. He is Jewish on his father's side. He is out as
gay.
"Jamie Travis opens Montreal’s Image+Nation film fest"
'' Daily Xtra'', October 20, 2009.
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)
*'' Kouchibouguac'' (2011)
*'' For a Good Time, Call...'' (2012)
*''Finding Carter
''Finding Carter'' is an American teen drama television series that aired on MTV for two seasons from July 8, 2014, to December 15, 2015. The series stars Kathryn Prescott as Carter Stevens, a teenage girl whose life is torn apart when she disco ...
'' (2014)
*'' Faking It'' (2014-2016)
*'' Scream: The TV Series'' (2015-2016)
*''Star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
'' (2018)
*''Angry Angel
''Angry Angel'' is a 2017 American romantic comedy-drama television film written by David Iserson and directed by Jamie Travis. The film premiered on Freeform on November 27, 2017, as part of the channel's annual ''Countdown to the 25 Days of Chr ...
'' (2017)
*'' The Bold Type'' (2017-2019)
*'' Claws'' (2017-2019)
*''Charmed
''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...
'' (2018)
*'' Dare Me'' (2020)
*'' Panic'' (2021)
* ''Yellowjackets
A yellowjacket is a black-and-yellow vespid wasp.
Yellowjacket(s) or Yellow Jacket(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Yellow Jacket, Colorado, an unincorporated town
* Yellow Jacket, Florida, an unincorporated area in Dixie County, Florida
Arts, e ...
'' (2021)
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 on August 3.
''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.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Travis, Jamie
1979 births
Film directors from Toronto
Writers from Toronto
Living people
21st-century Canadian screenwriters
Canadian gay writers
Canadian LGBT screenwriters
LGBT film directors
Canadian television directors
Canadian male screenwriters
LGBT television directors
Gay screenwriters
21st-century Canadian LGBT people