Kristjanson nominated for film awards

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/04/2018 (2971 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A kid’s imagination can be just the door to success for a local film director and producer.

The North End’s Trevor Kristjanson has been nominated with his short film Boy Toys twice in the Manitoba Windy Independent Film Awards that will be held on Sat., April 7.

Boy Toys, released in August 2015, is running for the On Screen Manitoba Screenplay Award and NSI Short Fiction Award. The film is also running for the Production Design Award with production designer Desiree Deleau.

Kristjanson and his friend who grew up in Gimli Bjorn Jakobson wrote the film’s story a while ago, but Kristjanson said he was so excited to produce that he used up his own money to do it.

“You’re so determined to do something, and I just couldn’t wait for the right moment or the money. I just had to do it,” he told The Times. 

And he is glad he did it. The film went on to notable screenings such as CBC Short Film Face Off in 2017 and won an award at the Yorkton Film Festival in 2016.

“It makes me think that every project I got into with that mindset and work ethic will pay off one way or the other.”

The story of two Ken Dolls who are unaware of why things are happening the way they are could be “weird and wacky,” but the audience has seemed to enjoy the six-minute comedy.

“It’s an honour to be nominated and respected amongst your peers, or recognized at least. You make so many films and you work so hard and sometimes it feels like it’s some kind of a futile effort because it’s so much work and it’s so little reward. I’m very proud to be nominated (for the Windy Awards).”

Kristjanson started making movies with his friends when they were teenagers, and while it was originally just for fun, the experience gave the 28-year-old director the taste for filmmaking. The love for cinematography and editing took him to an acting school here in Winnipeg that was part of the Academy of Broadcasting.

There he met local filmmakers Rebecca Gibson, Danishka Esterhazy, and others who encouraged him to do bigger things. They pushed him in the right way, and he decided to make films with Jakobson and together they’ve gone on to work with “big people in Winnipeg.”

“It’s definitely a huge challenge, which I like. I like to imagine something and be able to bring it to life. It’s a creative outlet that I need to badly. I couldn’t imagine my life without making movies or being an actor,” he continued. 

The 3rd annual Windy Awards take place on April 7 at 6 p.m. at the Winnipeg Film Group’s Cinematheque (304 – 100 Arthur St.). Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/product/2018-windy-awards-gala/

To watch Boy Toys, go to vimeo.com/trevorbifrost/boytoysb