Introduction
Trevor Mack (born June 28, 1992) is a Canadian Tsilhqot'in filmmaker.
He is best known for writing, directing, and producing the short films The Blanketing, Clouds of Autumn, and In the Valley of Wild Horses.
Film career
At 15 years old, Mack started his pursuit in film by editing together footage from the popular Xbox video game series Halo to create montages in which he posted to on-line forums and YouTube. As he gained popularity with his Halo montages, he helped co-found a freelance video editing, motion graphics, and videography group called 'Viral Design' who produced product promotional videos for companies such as Red Bull, SteelSeries, and Gunnar Optiks.
In 2011 Mack started the 'MOPA' film program at Capilano University in North Vancouver, BC. Having failed his first year, Mack dropped out in his second year of courses.
The day after he dropped out of film school he started working with the Provincial Health Services Authority in a suicide-awareness pilot program titled 'Cuystwi'. Mack and several other artists traveled to reserves in British Columbia that registered for the pilot program to teach children how to express themselves through filmmaking.
The Blanketing (2013)
In the fall of 2011, Mack started a Crowd funding campaign asking for funds for his first short film The Blanketing. After 10 months of development and pre-production he began principal photography in the summer of 2012.
After he premièred the short film in his home town of Williams Lake, British Columbia on May 3, 2013, the short film was accepted into the following film festivals:
- 2013 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
- 2013 Toronto Independent Film Festival
- 2013 Vancouver Indigenous Media Arts Festival
- 2013 Red Nation Film Festival
- 2014 Square Pegs IV Film Festival
Clouds of Autumn (2015)
After receiving a production grant from Canada Council for the Arts, Mack started principal photography for Clouds of Autumn in August 2014. The short film deals with affects Canadian Indian residential schools have had on First Nations families in Canada.
The film had its North American première at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and also screened at the following festivals, among others:
- 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival
- 2015 Ottawa International Film Festival
- 2015 Tacoma Film Festival
- 2015 Whistler Film Festival
- 2015 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
- 2016 Air Canada enRoute Film Festival
ʔEtsu (Grandmother) (2017)
With only a $500 budget, Mack collaborated with actor Elias Louie (Clouds of Autumn) in the summer of 2017. The short film is a POV-styled portrait of child abuse and family relations on an isolated reserve in Canada. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and played at the 2017 Vancouver International Film Festival.
In The Valley of Wild Horses (2018)
Partnering with the Xeni Gwe'tin First Nations, a community apart of the Tsilhqot'in nation, Mack co-directed the short documentary with fellow Indigenous filmmaker Asia Youngman. The film follows the Xeni Gwet'in Youth Wagon trip, a 200-km, 8-day horse-and-wagon trip beginning from Nemiah Valley and ending at Williams Lake. The film premiere at the 2018 Vancouver International Film Festival, among others:
- 2019 Las Cruces International Film Festival
- 2019 Māoriland Film Festival
- 2019 Salt Spring Film Festival
- 2019 Powell River Film Festival
Awards
In October 2015, the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival awarded 'Best Canadian Short Drama' to Clouds of Autumn.
In September 2016,Festival Cine Alter'Natif awarded 'Prix Jeunesse' to Clouds of Autumn
In November 2016, the Air Canada EnRoute Film Festival awarded 'Achievement in Cinematography' to Clouds of Autumn.