Cam Archer (born 1981) is an American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

and

sound designer In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

, currently residing in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a pop ...

. ''Cinemad''

Career

Archer's first success was with his 2003 student produced short film, ''bobbycrush'', about a young boy's unrequited love for his best friend. The film premiered at the 2004

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, received a

Student Academy Award The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an annual competition for college and university filmmakers. Description The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first ...

nomination that same year and inspired much of Archer's future work. After being work-shopped at the 2005 Sundance Screenwriter's Lab, Archer's first feature film, ''

Wild Tigers I Have Known ''Wild Tigers I Have Known'' is a 2006 coming of age drama film written, edited, produced and directed by Cam Archer and starring Malcolm Stumpf, Patrick White, Max Paradise, Fairuza Balk, Kim Dickens, and Tom Gilroy. The film follows Logan, a lo ...

'', premiered at the 2006

and went on to be distributed theatrically in 2007 by

IFC Films IFC Films is an American film production and distribution company based in New York. It is an offshoot of IFC owned by AMC Networks. It distributes mainly independent films under its own name, select foreign films and documentaries under its S ...

. The film follows 13-year-old Logan (Malcolm Stumpf), as he comes to terms with his sexual identity, the hell of middle school, wild mountain lions and life with his single mother (

Fairuza Balk Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist. Influential in popular culture, Balk is known for her portrayals of distinctive " goth-girl" characters, often with a dark edge. She has appeared in numerous in ...

). Cinematographer and frequent Archer collaborator,

Aaron Platt Aaron Platt, (born June 9, 1981) is an American film director and cinematographer. He previously resided in Venice, California, and Brooklyn, New York. He currently resides in Seattle with his wife, Karissa Hochberg, a wardrobe stylist. Platt ...

, received a 2007

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

nomination for his work on the film.

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...

and

Scott Rudin Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American film, television, and theatre producer. His films include the Academy Award-winning Best Picture ''No Country for Old Men,'' as well as ''Uncut Gems'', '' Lady Bird, Fences, The Girl with the Dragon ...

were executive producers on the project. Archer's second feature film, '' Shit Year'', premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, as part of their

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight (french: Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is an independent selection of the Cannes Film Festival. It was started in 1969 by the French Directors Guild after the events of May 1968 resulted in cancellation of the Cannes festiv ...

program. The black and white film follows actress Colleen West ( Ellen Barkin), as she is forced to reexamine her career, her psychological well being and a recent, failed romantic relationship. The film was released theatrically in the fall of 2011 and on home video in the fall of 2012. Between features, Archer has also directed numerous short films and music videos, including collaborations with

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member. Background Tibet has been the only const ...

Emily Jane White Emily Jane White is an American singer and songwriter from Oakland, California who has released six solo albums and toured internationally. Early life White was raised in Fort Bragg, California.Imperial Teen Imperial Teen is a San Francisco–based indie pop group made up of Roddy Bottum (Faith No More), primarily on guitar/vocals; Will Schwartz (also of Hey Willpower), primarily on guitar/vocals; Lynn Truell (née Perko, formerly of Sister Doub ...

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

Julianna Barwick Julianna Barwick is an American musician who composes using electronic loops. Her first album, '' The Magic Place'', was released in 2011. Music career Barwick has said that her music is influenced by her participation in church choir while gro ...

Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...

Mick Turner Mick Turner (born 1960) is an Australian musician and artist. He is the founding mainstay guitarist for Dirty Three and has had art exhibitions around Australia and internationally. Previously he was a member of the Sick Things, the Moodists ( ...

Peaking Lights Peaking Lights are a husband-and-wife music duo who met in San Francisco in 2006 and moved to Spring Green, Wisconsin in December 2007 where they lived until 2009. The couple then moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where they stayed until their return ...

Sarabeth Tucek Sarabeth Tucek is an American singer and songwriter. Her self-titled first album was released in 2007, with a second album ''Get Well Soon'' in 2011. Life and career She was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Manhattan, New York before movi ...

Six Organs of Admittance Six Organs of Admittance is the primary musical project of American guitarist Ben Chasny. Chasny's music is largely guitar-based and is often considered new folk; however, it includes obvious influences, marked by the use of drones, chimes, and ...

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of Stewart (the only constant member since formation) and Angela Seo. The band's name co ...

and

Zero 7 Zero 7 are an English musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. They began as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, '' Simple Things'', was released in 2001 in which their song "Destiny" stayed ...

. Archer's photographs have appeared in several publications, including ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

'', ''

Tokion ''Tokion'' was a Japanese-based magazine covering art, fashion, music and film first published in Japan in 1996, followed by United States, UK, and Hong Kong editions. The magazine's makers also produced the annual Creativity Now Conference, a wee ...

'' and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', among others. In 2012, Archer was awarded a

Creative Capital Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has commi ...

grant to develop a yet-to-be-released (as of 2016) feature-length documentary, tentatively entitled ''Practical Life''.

Filmography

Archer has written and directed his two feature films and all his short films, also editing and producing his first six works. * ''Their Houses'' (2011) (short) * '' Shit Year'' (2010) * ''The Dead Letters:'' ** ''I Hate You For Leaving'' (2010) ** ''Light Dark'' (2009) ** ''Above Below'' (2008) * ''Images For Billie Joe McAllister'' (2006) (short) * ''

'' (2006) * ''American Fame Pt. 2: Forgetting Jonathan Brandis'' (2005) (short) * ''Godly Boyish'' (2004) (short) * ''American Fame Pt. 1: Drowning River Phoenix'' (2004) (short) * ''bobbycrush'' (2003) (short) * ''The Sad Ones'' (2002) (short)

References

External links

Cam Archer's Official Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Cam 1981 births American film directors American photographers American male screenwriters Living people Place of birth missing (living people)

Career

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links