TRAVIS VAN ALSTYNE
“Travis Van Alstyne’s Love of the Land is a beautiful little work. I say “little,” but I don’t mean minor. It’s a story about smallness and quiet, about commitment to place and a rhythm of life that deliberately is off on its own. And I think the work captures the grandeur and consequence as well as the smallness and specificity of this Vermont story in a wonderful way. Romaine Tenney’s life story is powerful. But I’d focus more on the form of Van Alstyne’s film to explain why I loved it. At first, its style feels like finding a treasured old picture book coming to life, which makes the toughness of the story hit harder, when it hits. And hand-drawn animation also feels unexpectedly right for this subject matter: a labor of love and a commitment to time-intensive craft, crackling with quiet life.”
— Ben Davis, Guest Juror
ARTIST BIO
Travis Van Alstyne is an independent filmmaker living in South Burlington and his goal is to bring Vermont stories to life through animation. Since 2022 he has operated the one-man production company, Travis Animates, where he enjoys partnering with artists with a Vermont connection.
Travis grew up in the small southern Vermont town of Chester where, from a young age, he was interested in storytelling and honing his creative talents. He always loved “putting on a show” and was involved in local theater both onstage and behind the scenes. Travis attended the Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia and graduated in 2003 from their animation program with honors.
After college Travis returned to Vermont where he pursued a career in web development, working for iconic Vermont organizations like Vermont Public and Ben & Jerry’s. Travis has devoted his free time to his creative passion, animation, and in 2020 set out to create his first animated short film, “Love of the Land”. The eight minute animated film was based on the true and tragic story of Vermont farmer Romaine Tenney and after four years of work the film was finished in 2024. “Love of the Land” has been screened around Vermont to more than 400 people, been in over 20 film festivals nationally and internationally, won 12 festival awards, it has aired on Vermont Public, and has over 6,500 YouTube views. And, in 2025 Travis was presented with the Richard O. Hathaway Award from the Vermont Historical Society for his work on “Love of the Land”.
Currently, Travis is working on his next animated short, “The Barnard Panther”. This 3D animated journey draws inspiration from the story of Vermont’s last confirmed mountain lion in 1881. “The Barnard Panther” is in active production and is expected to be completed in 2028.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Currently, I have two main artistic goals: to stretch my current animation abilities and to build new relationships with other creatives. I was trained in animation many years ago, at the Savannah College of Art & Design, but I’ve been working in the technology field for the past twenty years. It’s only been the past six years that I’ve transitioned back to animation, my true passion.
In 2024, I released my short animated film “Love of the Land” which is based on the true and tragic story of Vermont farmer Romaine Tenney. The animation took four years and involved over 3,500 drawn frames, all done by hand. “Love of the Land” premiered at the 2024 Made Here Film Festival in Burlington, was an official selection at 25 film festivals, won 12 film festival awards, selected as the recipient of the 2025 Richard O. Hathaway Award from the Vermont Historical Society, toured the state with eight showings in seven towns (a total of 440 Vermonters attended), aired on Vermont Public, and has almost 7,000 views on YouTube.
PORTFOLIO
