Burlington College has announced that award-winning film director, producer, and writer Jay Craven will be the speaker and honorary degree recipient during the 34thAnnual Commencement Ceremony on May 16, 2015. Kingdom County Productions co-founder Jay Craven is an award-winning director, writer, and producer whose narrative films includeHigh Water, Where the Rivers Flow North;A Stranger in the Kingdom; In Jest; The Year That Trembled; Disappearances; Northern Borders, and most recently, Peter and John. Craven also directed, produced, and co-wrote the Emmy Award-winning public television comedy series,Windy Acres—and theQueen City Radio Hour, a comedy and music variety show performed before a live audience and broadcast over Vermont Public Radio. His documentaries includeAfter the Fog: Interviews with Combat Veterans and Gayleen.
Burlington College president Carol Moore says, “I have known Jay for more than a decade from the Northeast Kingdom. He is an icon there, particularly for his film A Stranger in the Kingdom and his work in building Catamount Arts. He has opened the world of the arts and film to the citizens of the Kingdom and beyond."
Craven’s awards and recognitions include two New England Emmys for Windy Acres; 1995 Producers’ Guild of America NOVA award for Most Promising New Motion Picture Producer of the Year Where the Rivers Flow North; 1998 Vermont Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts; a MacDowell Colony Fellowship; two National Endowment for the Arts Regional Film fellowships; and two NEA Film Production Grants. His films have been screened at the Smithsonian, Lincoln Center, Harvard Film Archive, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Cinematheque Francaise, Cinemateca Nacional de Venezuela, the Constitutional Court of Johannesburg, and Beijing Normal University. His films have shown in major film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, and AFI Fest.
Additionally, Craven founded and directedCatamount Arts in St. Johnsbury and for years directed its wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary film and performing arts producing, presenting, and educational programs. He writes regular arts commentaries for the Caledonian Record and Vermont Public Radio. He is also a tenured professor of Film Studies at Marlboro College.
Craven is being awarded an honorary degree of humane letters in recognition of his contributions to the local and broader artistic communities.
Burlington College 34th Commencement Ceremony Details
Commencement will take place on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place at our 351 North Avenue, Burlington location. Please let us know if you will be sending a reporter or photographer.