Michael Downing is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is most noted as director of two

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

nominees for Best Live Action Short Drama, receiving nods for '' Clean Rite Cowboy'' at the

21st Genie Awards The 21st Genie Awards were held in 2001 to honour films released in 2000. The ceremony was hosted by Brian Linehan. Nominees and winners The Genie Award winner in each category is shown in bold along with nominees. References {{Canadian Scree ...

in 2001 and for '' Why Don't You Dance?'' at the

24th Genie Awards The 24th Genie Awards were held on May 1, 2004, to honour films released in 2003. The ceremony was hosted by Scott Thompson (comedian), Scott Thompson."He's gonna spank that Genie". ''The Globe and Mail'', May 1, 2004. The ceremony was broadcast o ...

in 2004. A former dancer and a graduate of the film program at

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, although i ...

, Downing began his film career making dance films for the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

. He subsequently received a scholarship to study at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

;"Sweetshop Signs Director Michael Downing For U.S. Representation"
''Shoot Online'', June 29, 2021. during his studies there, he and Philip Svoboda won a bronze medal from the

Student Academy Awards The Student Academy Awards are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an annual competition for college and university filmmakers. Description The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first pres ...

in 2003 for their short film ''Fine''.Christopher Henderson
"Academy Picks 11 Winners of Student Academy Awards"
'' IndieWire'', May 19, 2003. He now works predominantly as a director of television commercials, although he has two films, ''The Threeway'' and a feature version of ''Clean Rite Cowboy'', in development.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Downing, Michael 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male screenwriters Film directors from Toronto Screenwriters from Toronto Living people Year of birth missing (living people)