Michael Greenspan is a film director, producer and writer best known for the

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

'' Wrecked'', which debuted at the 2010

Abu Dhabi Film Festival The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF; ), formerly the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), was an international film festival held in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 2007 to 2015. History The Middle East Internationa ...

and starred Academy Award-winning actor

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's war drama '' The Pianist'' (2002) becoming the youngest acto ...

and actress

Caroline Dhavernas Caroline Dhavernas ( ; born May 15, 1978) is a Canadian actress. In the United States, her best known work has been her collaborations with Bryan Fuller. She played Jaye Tyler in the Fox comedy-drama series '' Wonderfalls'', and Alana Bloom in th ...

Early life

Michael was born and raised in Laval,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. From a young age he had a passion for theater, art and the movies. He moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to study film and video production at

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

and later moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of 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

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 ''Single White Female'' is a 1992 American psychological erotic thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder from a screenplay by Don Roos. It is based on the 1990 novel '' SWF Seeks Same'' by John Lutz. The film stars Bridget Fo ...

'', and was released in 2013. ''SEAT 23B'' had its world premiere at the L.A. Shorts International Film Festival in July 2023. '' '' Michael's latest films Star-Crossed and ''Something Out There'' will both be released in 2025. Michael also teaches filmmaking at The Los Angeles Film School and at

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

Awards and honors

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenspan, Michael 1974 births Living people York University alumni Artists from Quebec Film directors from Quebec Writers from Laval, Quebec AFI Conservatory alumni Canadian male screenwriters Canadian horror film directors 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian lecturers 21st-century Canadian educators Canadian film educators Screenwriters from Quebec