Aaron James Sorensen (born June 6, 1966) is a Canadian musician, writer,

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

living in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Alberta. He has written, produced and directed several films and a mini-series. He is the front man for the alt-country band Aaron James & the Cultivators.

Early life

Sorensen was born in

Peace River, Alberta Peace River, originally named Peace River Crossing and known as in French, is a town in northwest Alberta, Canada. It is along the banks of the Peace River at its confluence with the Smoky River, the Heart River and Pat's Creek. It is approxima ...

. He played guitar from a young age. Sorensen attended the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, where he studied acting."Campus Radio makes Canadian premiere Friday night"
. ''Edmonton Examiner'', Kevin Maimann, October 14, 2011

Career

Sorensen worked as a school teacher and economic-development officer at the Woodland Cree First Nation in Alberta. He directed and wrote the script for the feature film ''Hank Williams First Nation'', released in 2005. He was also the producer and editor. The film premiered in competition at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

's AFIfest in Los Angeles. Sorensen won "Best Director" honors at the 2005

American Indian Film Festival The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated solely to Native American/First Nations films and prepared the way for the 1979 formati ...

, and "Best Music in a Feature Film" at the 2005 Nashville Film Festival. Sorensen won the 2005 AMPIA award for Best Screenwriter. In 2006, ''Hank Williams First Nation'' was adapted into a mini-series of the same name for Canadian broadcaster APTN. Sorensen wrote, directed and produced the series. In 2007, he released ''Cranberry Wind'', an album of original Americana/roots songs. Sorensen moved to Los Angeles, where he studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, and then to Austin, Texas, where he wrote, directed, produced and edited the 2011 indie comedy film ''Campus Radio''. It follows the adventures of campus radio DJ and indie-rock band manager, Xavier P. Thortenberry, as he tried to find a new the lead singer for his band. The film received limited theatrical release in the US and Canada. ''40 Below & Falling'', a screenplay written by Sorensen was released to television in 2016. In 2017 Sorensen finished post–production on a film ''Get Naked!''

Discography

* ''Cranberry Wind'' (2007), released under the name Aaron James.

Filmography

* ''Hank Williams First Nation'' (2005) * ''Campus Radio'' (2011) * ''40 Below & Falling'' (2016) * ''Get Naked!'' (2017) * ''Guitar Lessons'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Aaron James Living people Film directors from Alberta 21st-century Canadian screenwriters People from Northern Sunrise County Canadian country singers Musicians from Alberta Canadian male film actors Canadian emigrants to the United States 1966 births Canadian male screenwriters Writers from Alberta