A young Indigenous musician and his rock band bring mumble punk to the Interstellar Rodeo.
A rock 'n' roll survival story of a different stripe.
Jesse Jams
TREVOR ANDERSON FILMS
Produced with the support of TELUS
World Premiere: Outfest Fusion, Los Angeles
Crew photo by Fish Griwkowsky
BACKGROUNDER
Mine and Jesse’s story began in 2012 when I became the Team Leader at his group home and started a punk rock band shortly thereafter. None of the youth knew how to play anything and neither did I but we hit the jackpot for volunteers from the Edmonton music community (Ben Disaster & Lyle Bell), were joined by a few more outstanding musicians, and the rest is history.
In 2013, Jesse moved on and I moved on, but we always stayed in touch. I began documenting his life on film in 2016 thinking that one day we would make a short doc but that probably never would have happened as neither Jesse nor I knew anything about making films. Enter caped director, Trevor Anderson, and now you have the rest of the story. It was an experience of a lifetime with a genuinely great crew. We are absolutely thrilled with how his story turned out and so grateful for how it is being received around the world.
ACADEMY OF CANADIAN CINEMA & TELEVISION NOMINATED BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY - 2021 https://www.academy.ca/2021/jesse-jams/
CANADIAN CINEMA EDITORS AWARD https://sarahtayloreditor.com/new-blog/cce-award-for-jesse-jams
VIMEO STAFF PICK - 2020
BEST CANADIAN SHORT - 2020 Calgary Underground Film Festival http://povmagazine.com/blog/view/narrowsburg-tops-cuff-winners
THE LODESTAR AWARD - 2020 Dawson City International Short Film Festival. The Lodestar Award is given to the best Canadian or International film which exemplifies the guiding principles of the art of independent short film/video making — freedom of expression, authenticity, exemplary artistry despite limitations, and clarity of vision.
EXCLAIM! MAGAZINE - Jesse Jams is a Life-Affirming Glimpse into the Life of an Edmonton Mumble Punk https://exclaim.ca/film/article/jesse_jams_and_the_flams_documentary_trevor_anderson_film_review
BEATROUTE MAGAZINE - Nine Indigenous Artists Making Music You Want to Hear https://beatroutemedia.com/2020/06/30/9-indigenous-artists-you-need-to-hear/?fbclid=IwAR2_Jei9Rrhz7d0yH6zMNGD2gxnBq-vMsRQm6SimBMOxNplhtHCUqBLEmO8
QUEERLY.COM - What to watch: John Stewart’s Savage Humour & How to Watch FRAMELINE44 at Home. https://www.queerty.com/watch-jon-stewarts-savage-humor-watch-frameline44-home-20200625
CBC RADIO: A New Doc Shares Music & Hope https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-17-edmonton-am/clip/15775852-a-new-doc-shares-music-and-hope
CBC ARTICLE: 'Mumble punk' musician Jesse Jams' survival story featured in new documentary https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/jesse-jams-punk-music-documentary-1.5564505
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Indigenous mumble punk artist uses music to heal https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/indigenous-mumble-punk-artist-jesse-jams-uses-music-to-heal/
EDMONTON SUN: Indigenous mumble punk artist uses music to heal http://sunmedia.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/showarticle.aspx?&article=6f60221f-71ac-4603-841b-fef8df9bc803&viewmode=2&page=4
The power that arts and music has to lift the human spirits, heal the broken hearts, and save the noteworthy lives of marginalized youth, is immeasurable.
Penny Frazier