BIOGRAPHY
TY JONES
Ty Jones erupted from the womb ready to be a filmmaker. He's been writing since he was 7, but once he started making films, he knew he had discovered the purpose for his volcanic imagination. In 1998, Ty picked up an 8mm camera and shot his first film. Since then, he has studied with the Hollywood Film Institute in Chicago and in Los Angeles with Dov Simmons, who also helped Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino begin their careers.
Over the last 16 years, Ty has directed more than 40 short films, some of which have played around the world at film festivals. He has also worked on over 200 projects, including commercials for NASCAR, Sprint, Walmart and national television programs. Ty has held most positions in the film industry, ranging from Director, DP to Crane Operator. You name it (outside of Make-Up) and Ty has probably done it.
Because Ty has learned the technical aspects of filmmaking in all genres, he knows well how to express his creativity in a way that touches a person's emotional core, excites the viewer, and makes the audience laugh. Ty knows how to tell a story.
Ty has also studied ferociously the craft of acting for over 10 years. This pursuit has made him a better actor, but more importantly, his studies have enabled him to better communicate as a director with his actors to get their best performances. After working with Ty, Jeff Burr, a respected filmmaker with over 20 feature credits to his name, asked Ty to come to LA to work on Jeff's latest feature, "The Devil's Den." In 2005, Ty moved to LA and worked on numerous features, learning the ins and outs of Hollywood and the film industry.
Ty returned to Kansas City to shoot his first feature film, "Last Breath," which won numerous awards and received national distribution. Ty's desire for his first feature was that the experience would resonate with viewers long after they left the theater. He received numerous emails from viewers who expressed the dramatic change the film brought to their lives. Ty has been the director of photography on numerous TV shows like Bargain Mansions for HGTV and Pink Collar Crimes for CBS along with Military Makeover for Lifetime. Ty has a Documentary Feature premiering on HBO the summer of 2020. Ty is currently working on 3 feature films, a documentary and 2 narrative features.
PRESS
"LAST BREATH"
"Imagine "Saw" with a higher purpose and you get an idea of what filmmaker Ty Jones attempts with this thoroughly professional and astonishingly sadistic feature." -- Robert Butler, KC Star
"A remarkable piece of cinema and a mind blowing example of cross genre entertainment..." -- Ted "Ritualistic" Brown, The Liberal Dead
"Writer and director Ty Jones delves into his first feature film with lust and heart and a story that left me feeling stunned, emotional ... and breathless." -- Sharon Foss, Horror Society
"There are horror films that try to disguise themselves as somehow meaningful, socially or morally. There are horror films that flirt with such a notion but, in reality, only succeed for fleeting moments. There's something about "Last Breath," however, that stays with you long after the closing credits and it's precisely because, almost unimaginably, "Last Breath" actually means something and tis characters, story and meaning will linger in your psyche' for quite some time.' -- Richard Propes, The Independent Critic
"Many people must be shown death, or the possibility of death to change self-destructive ways and this is "Last Breath's" central message for audiences.' -- Michael R Allen, Yahoo! Voices
"Last Breath is an absorbing, bold, and daring approach to the thriller genre. I found myself pulled, at every turn, to question where this experience was taking me. This film is so powerful that I recommend this film to anyone looking for a true thriller movie. It delivers all the way to the last breath." -- James Potter, Horror Zine
OMAHA FILM FESTIVAL
LAST BREATH
AUDIENCE CHOICE
BEST FEATURE
ESTES PARK FILM FESTIVAL
LAST BREATH
WINNER
BEST FEATURE
BARE BONES FILM FESTIVAL
LAST BREATH
WINNER
BEST DIRECTOR
GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL
LAST BREATH
WINNER
BEST FEATURE
GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL
LAST BREATH
WINNER
BEST SOUNDTRACK
BARE BONES FILM FESTIVAL
LAST BREATH
WINNER
BEST HORROR FEATURE
VEGAS MOVIE AWARDS
HELLO
WINNER
BEST HORROR
DANCES WITH FILMS FESTIVAL
LAST BREATH
HONERABLE MENTION
BEST FEATURE
CLEVELAND INTER-NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
THE GNOMIST
JURY AWARD
THE CLOVER & MAGGIE AWARD:
IN CELEBRATION OF LIFE
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
THE GNOMIST
NOMINATED JURY AWARD
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
MINNEAPOLIS
ST. PAUL
INTER-NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
THE GNOMIST
JURY AWARD
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
FAIR HOPE FILM FESTIVAL
THE GNOMIST
AUDIENCE AWARD
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL
THE GNOMIST
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
BEST SHORT FILM
L.A.
SHORTS FEST
THE GNOMIST
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
CLEVELAND INTER-NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
THE GNOMIST
AUDIENCE CHOICE
BEST OVERALL SHORT FILM
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL
THE GNOMIST
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
BEST SHORT FILM
L.A.
SHORTS FEST
THE GNOMIST
WINNER
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
CLEVELAND INTER-NATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL