About Traven
Writer-director Traven Rice is devoted to telling stories about the magical moments in our everyday lives. Her work leans towards social action and champions under-represented voices. She is currently developing a comedic short film about breast cancer, with the intention to help people talk about hard things.
Rice recently completed the pilot for DIVISION STREET, a digital series about a mixed-race young girl sent to live with her cranky Jewish grandmother in a magical neighborhood in New York City. The pilot screened in numerous festivals including Slamdance, Raindance, ITVFest and SeriesFest and garnered awards across the country, and internationally.
Her first short film, THE NIGHT TRAM, was nominated for a Student Academy Award. Rice was a finalist for the AFI Directing Workshop for Women in 2023. She was a New York Stage & Film 2021 Filmmakers' Workshop Fellow, where she developed her feature film script for RED ROCK FALLS, a psychological thriller based in a small mountain town in Colorado.
Rice has a foundation in theater, and a background in film and television production work. She is adept at leading diverse teams through pre-production to final edit, and co-founded her community-based production company, Lo-Down Productions, with her partner Ed Litvak, in 2009.
Rice is a long-time member and co-leader of the film collective, FilmShop, and proudly sits on the Board of The Lower East Side Film Festival. She also teaches filmmaking workshops to veterans, empowering them to tell their own unique stories. Rice has been a formal Zen student, under Abbot Roshi Enkyo O’hara, at The Village Zendo for over 14 years. You can hear her dharma talks, incorporating Zen practice in our contemporary lives, here.
Work Experience
FILM & TELEVISION
DARKEST TIMELINE - Director, Anthology Series, NYC
MAP OF BROOKLYN - Director, Anthology Series, NYC
DIVISION STREET – Creator, Director, Digital Series Pilot, NYC
SIDE EFFECTS – Writer, Director, Short Film, NYC
TWEET ME IN NEW YORK – Director, Short Film, NYC
HEADS & TAILS – Co-writer, Director, TV Pilot, NYC
RECYCLE DAY – Director, Short Film, NYC
FEROCIOUS – Writer, Director, Short Film, Vancouver, B.C.
THE INSATIABLE LIBIDO – Co-writer, Director, Short Doc, Vancouver, B.C.
THE NIGHT TRAM – Co-writer, Director, Short Film, Prague, Czech Republic
THEATER
INDECENT – Scenic Director, Alley Repertory Theater, Boise, ID
ANTIGONE – (multimedia) Guest Director, Macklanburg Playhouse, Columbia, MO
BURIAL AT THEBES – Guest Director, Alley Repertory Theater, Boise, ID
TONY & TINA’S WEDDING – Director, Cloud 9 Productions, Seattle, WA
VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM – Director, T’nT Productions, Seattle, WA
PHILIP GLASS BUYS A LOAF OF BREAD (one act) - Director, Okoboji Summer Theater
STANDING ON MY KNEES – Director, The Warehouse Theater, Columbia, MO
TEETH (one act) – Director, The Warehouse Theater, Columbia, MO
Achievements
Education
AFI Directing Workshop for Women + Finalist, 2023 New York Stage & Film Filmmakers’ Workshop Residency, Fellow, 2021
IFP Screen Forward Lab Participant, RADICAL (producer), 2018
Sundance New Voices Lab Finalist, DIVISION STREET, 2019
Austin Screenwriting Competition 2nd Round, DIVISION STREET, 2019
Caz Mathews Fund Award, SeriesFest Winner, DIVISION STREET, 2019
Slamdance Film Festival, Narrative Features Programmer, 2020
Slamdance Film Festival, Episodes Screening, DIVISION STREET, 2019
Best Director Nomination, Stareable Fest, DIVISION STREET, 2019
Best Pilot Nomination, NY WebFest, DIVISION STREET, 2019
Palm Springs International Shorts Festival Screening, SIDE EFFECTS, 2013
Best Actress, HollyShorts Fest, SIDE EFFECTS, 2013
Student Academy Award Nomination, THE NIGHT TRAM, 2002
CERTIFICATE IN FILM STUDIES
Vancouver Film School / Vancouver, B.C .
FAMU / Prague, Czech Republic
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS
Theater / Stephens College, Columbia, MO
