Saddest Boy in the World

S Y N O P S I S

Timothy Higgins, picked last for the team, is the saddest boy in
the world. Friendlessness, suburban complacency and prescription drugs have conspired against the youngster to make this his worst year yet. Musical Chairs and birthday cake can't save him now— at his ninth birthday party, Timothy prepares for a show-stopping suicide.

D I R E C T O R J A M I E T R A V I S

Jamie Travis has built a strong reputation in Canada’s independent film scene as a director of precise vision. His short films have consistently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, travelled well on the international film festival circuit, won prestigious awards and aired nationally on television. Comparisons have ranged from Peter Greenaway to David Lynch to Alfred Hitchcock. Recurring themes of childhood frailty and self-conscious suspense—alongside his painstakingly designed interiors—have established Jamie as “an indie auteur-to-watch.” Why the Anderson Children Didn’t Come to Dinner (2003), his graduating film from UBC, screened at over sixty international film festivals, aired on the CBC and PBS and earned him numerous awards, including the 2004 Leo Award for Best Production Design in a Short Drama and the 2004 Golden Sheaf Award for Best Script. For Patterns (2005), Jamie was awarded the Vancouver International Film Festival’s top short film prize—for Best Western Canadian Director of a Short Film. Jamie’s new films—The Saddest Boy in the World, Patterns 2 and Patterns 3—all had their world premieres at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Darker, clearer and more extravagant than his previous efforts, the films represent a creative launching pad to his first feature. Based in Vancouver, BC, Jamie is currently working on his first feature script.

T H E S A D D E S T B O Y I N T H E W O R L D / Director - Jamie Travis

Producer - Randy Steven White & Constantine Carmichel / Starring - Benjamin B.Smith, Kirsten Robek, Haily Conner

Language - English / Length - 13:30 min / Distributer - Modern Family Productions

Prizes

Best Short Film, Calgary International Film Festival

Best Short Film, Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival

Audience Favourite, NexT International Short Film Festival Bucharest, Romania

Special Jury Mention, Festival de Cinema des Americques (Quebec City)

“a miniature masterpiece”

- The Torontoist

“cruelly funny”

- Toronto Sun critic Bruce Kirkland