Jamie Lawrence

Jamie Lawrence made his first film at age six. He has gone on to balance a run of award-winning short films with a career directing commercials. With his 2008 short, multi award-winning romance Somewhere Only We Know, Lawrence showed he could tell a story without any dialogue at all. He followed it with offbeat comedy Darryn Exists, which screened at the NZ Film Festival and received an Honourable Mention at the Nashville Film Festival, and his award-winning mother and son drama Cub. In 2008 Lawrence won a scholarship — and raised $30,000 in sponsorship — to study screenwriting and acting at the New York Film Academy.

Everything about this short film is meticulous and classy ... it’s eminently watchable and ultimately hopeful. Cub is a perfect example of a director using every moment wisely as they tell a story. Francesca Rudkin picks her favourites from the 2015 Show Me Shorts Film Festival, 1 November 2015