Michael is an award-winning playwright and filmmaker from Sydney, NS, whose many plays have been published and produced to acclaim across Canada. A past playwright-in-residence at the Shaw Festival, Michael studied English and Theatre at the University of King’s College in the late 80’s, where he began his story-telling career in the famous ‘King’s Pit’. His Merritt and Dora-nominated Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad was a smash hit at Toronto's Factory Theatre in 2004, and named one of the ‘Top Ten Plays of The Year’ by the Toronto Star. Now licensed internationally by Marquis Entertainment, HMHD has had over forty professional stage productions, as well as a national tour.
In 2005, Michael directed his play The Fly Fisher’s Companion which opened to acclaim at Ship's Company, and was also a hit at Shadow Theatre in Edmonton and Gateway Theatre in Vancouver, where it received a Jessie nom for Best Production. Corvette Crossing, Merritt-nominated for Best New Play, premiered to rave reviews at Eastern Front Theatre, where it was hailed as "a tour-de force" by The Chronicle Herald and "an important addition to the Canadian theatre canon" by The Coast.
Since his residency at Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Centre in the late 90’s, Michael has written extensively for film and television, including writing and story-editing the celebrated youth drama Straight Up (Best TV Series of 1997- Globe and Mail), the cop series Blue Murder (Gemini-Nominated for Best Dramatic Series), as well as the acclaimed CBC satire Snakes and Ladders. Michael’s first feature film as screenwriter, the Vancouver-produced Mile Zero (Anagram Films) has screened at festivals worldwide, winning multiple awards for Best First Feature (Victoria, Houston, Moondance). The Hollywood Reporter called it an “engrossing thriller... with a clever screenplay by Michael Melski.". "A breathtakingly honest script"- Vancouver Courier. Michael’s second feature as writer, the comedy Touch and Go (Chronicle Pictures) was a hit at the 2002 Atlantic Film Festival and has also screened at festivals in Toronto, Edmonton, Victoria, Kingston, and Los Angeles.
Michael's began making shorts while a student at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto. His first film as director, the half-hour drama Serenade, premiered at the 2000 Atlantic Film Festival where it won the Best First Time Director Award. His second short, Lift Off, screened to critical acclaim at the 2002 Atlantic Film Festival, as well as the Midwest Film Festival and the Delta Film Festival in California where it was an Awards Finalist. Michael also directed for the premiere season of the hit CTV series Robson Arms, starring Mark McKinney and Margot Kidder and showcasing Canada's emerging directors. His last short film, Focus Group Therapy, premiered at the Westcliffe Digital Film Fest in Colorado where it won the Jim Jarmusch Award for Best Narrative Short.
Emotion Pictures
