Michael Greenspan
{{Short description|Canadian filmmaker}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Michael Greenspan
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Laval, Quebec, Canada
| education = York University (BFA)
American Film Institute (MFA)
| occupation = Director, Writer, Producer
| years_active =
| website =
}}
Michael Greenspan is a film director, producer and writer best known for the psychological thriller Wrecked, which debuted at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Film Festival and starred Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody and actress Caroline Dhavernas.{{cite news |last=Staffe |first=Indiewire |date=2011-01-14 |title= "Wrecked" Director Michael Greenspan |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2011/01/futures-wrecked-director-michael-greenspan-243883/ |work=Indiewire |location=online |access-date=2019-09-14}}
Early life
Michael was born and raised in Laval, Quebec. From a young age he had a passion for theater, art and the movies. He moved to Toronto to study film and video production at York University and later moved to Los Angeles to study at the American Film Institute.
Michael began his career in Canada where his work was recognized by The National Film Board of Canada, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.
Michael’s films Fishtales and Lost & Found were received with critical acclaim at festivals in Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal and Tel Aviv.
The Legend Of Razorback starring Academy Award® nominee Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatcher, Death Of A Salesman, Innerspace), won awards in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Temecula where it won the Audience Choice Award and Houston WorldFest where it received the Eastman Kodak Scholarship Award and the Gold Special Jury Award for Best Dramatic Student Film.
Wrecked starring Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody premiered in 2010 at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and was distributed by IFC Films. In 2012, Michael co-wrote and directed the Kill For Me starring Katie Cassidy and Donal Logue. The film was loosely based on Strangers on a Train and Single White Female,{{cite web |date=June 11, 2013 |title=Kill for Me (2013) Review |url=https://lovehorror.co.uk/psycho/kill-for-me-2013-review/ |accessdate=August 10, 2019 |publisher=Love Horror}} and was released in 2013.{{cite news |last=Barton |first=Steve |date=January 25, 2013 |title=Katie Cassidy and Tracy Spiridakos Are Ready to Kill For Me |work=Dread Central |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/40785/katie-cassidy-and-tracy-spiridakos-are-ready-to-kill-for-me/ |accessdate=August 10, 2019}}
SEAT 23B had its world premiere at the L.A. Shorts International Film Festival in July 2023.
Michael's latest film Something Out There will be released in 2024.
Michael also teaches filmmaking at The Los Angeles Film School and at Chapman University.{{Cite web |title=Michael Greenspan |url=https://columbiacollege.edu/about/people/faculty-directory/michael-greenspan/}}
Awards and honors
| class="wikitable" |
| Film
! Festival ! Awards & Nominations !Year |
|---|
| SEAT 23B
|Burbank International Film Festival |Official Selection |2024 |
| |Beyond Hollywood International Film Festival
|WINNER - Best Thriller |2024 |
| |North Hollywood Cinefest
|WINNER - Best Director NOMINATED - Best Actor NOMINATED - Best Thriller |2023 |
| |L.A Shorts International Film Festival
|Official Selection |2023 |
| |Torino Underground Cinefest
|Official Selection |2023 |
| Wrecked
|Shanghai International Film Festival |Official Selection |2011 |
| |Whistler Film Festival
|NOMINATED - Best Canadian Feature |2010 |
| |Abu Dhabi Film Festival
|Official Selection - New Horizons Competition |2010 |
| The Legend of Razorback
|Temecula Valley Film Festival |WINNER - Audience Choice Award |2003 |
| |Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |Rochester International Film Festival
|WINNER - Shoestring Award |2003 |
| |American Society of Cinematographers
|NOMINATED - John F. Seitz Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography |2003 |
| |Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |Milwaukee International Film Festival
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |St. Louis International Film Festival
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |Newport Beach International Film Festival
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |Pacific Palisades Film Festival
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |Seh Suchte International Student Film Festival
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |Flicker Film Festival
|Official Selection |2003 |
| |Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival
|NOMINATED - Best Production NOMINATED - Best Actor |2003 |
| |International Hollywood Student Film Festival
|WINNER - Best Cinematography |2003 |
| Lost & Found
|Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival |Official Selection |2000 |
| |Canadian Society of Cinematographers
|WINNER - Best Cinematography |2000 |
| |Palm Springs International Short Film Festival Market
|Official Selection |2000 |
| |The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television
|Post-Graduate Filmmaker’s Scholarship, Apprenticeship Grant |2000 |
| Fishtales
|TVO Telefest Awards |WINNER - Best Student Short Film HONORABLE MENTION - Best Student Comedy |1999 |
| |CANPRO
|WINNER - Best Performing Arts and Entertainment Award WINNER - Best Educational Program Award |1999 |
| |Montreal World Student Film Festival
|Official Selection |1999 |
| |National Film Board of Canada
|AWARDED - Filmmaker Apprenticeship |1998 |
Filmography
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Title !Role !Distributor |
| 2024
|Something Out There |Producer, Director, Editor | |
| 2023
|Seat 23B |Producer, Director, Editor | |
| 2013
|Kill For Me |Co-Writer, Director |Sony |
| 2010
|Wrecked |Director |IFC Films |
| 2002
|The Legend of Razorback |Director |Dark Matter Films |
| 1999
|Lost & Found |Producer, Director | |
| 1998
|Fishtales |Writer, Producer, Director | |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|nm1042371}}
- {{URL|https://www.michaelgreenspanfilms.com/}}
- {{URL|https://www.turbulentfilms.com/}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenspan, Michael}}
Category:York University alumni
Category:Film directors from Quebec
Category:Writers from Laval, Quebec
Category:AFI Conservatory alumni
Category:Canadian male screenwriters
Category:Canadian horror film directors
Category:21st-century Canadian screenwriters
Category:21st-century Canadian educators