Michael P. Nash is an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and producer. He is the founder of Beverly Hills Productions. Nash has directed the films ''

Climate Refugees Climate migration is a subset of climate-related mobility that refers to movement driven by the impact of sudden or gradual climate-exacerbated disasters, such as "abnormally heavy rainfalls, prolonged droughts, desertification, environmental de ...

'', ''

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...

'', ''Nebraska'', ''Playground of the Native Son'', ''Saving the Roar'', and ''Captain Counter Culture'' for which he has won several domestic and international awards. In 2024, Nash became the first filmmaker to have his film land on the surface of the moon in a lunar museum.

Early life and education

Born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Nash moved to Hutchinson Island at the age of 16, where he attended John Carroll High School. He spent his early years in Fort Pierce and Vero Beach before living in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and

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, ...

. Growing up near the

Indian River Lagoon The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4, ...

, a biodiverse estuary in the United States, Nash developed an interest in environmental themes which was reflected in his 2010 documentary ''

''.

Career

In 2008, Nash's first debut documentary film, ''

'', was released. He also received the Global Innovation Award for his film, ''Fuel''. In 2010, his documentary ''

'' was released. The documentary explored the global impact of climate change by visiting 48 countries. The film premiered at the 2010

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

and received critical acclaim. ''Climate Refugees'' was also shown at the L.A. Film Festival and was screened by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. In September 2023, during Climate Week, an exhibition featuring the art collection from the documentary Climate Refugees was held in New York City. In 2013, Nash co-directed a documentary film named, ''Playground of the Native Son''. It chronicles the story of The Hominy Indians, an all-Native American football team from Osage Nations, Oklahoma, who defied racial segregation and discrimination in the 1920s to challenge the New York Giants, the reigning World Champions, in 1927. In 2014, the film was screened at the Oklahoma Indian Summer Native Film Festival. In 2021, Nash directed ''Saving the Roar''. It documents the 2012 Penn State football team's journey to redefine success and honor in the face of adversity. A year later, he worked on ''Captain Counter Culture'' which premiered at the

Woodstock Film Festival The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto in the Hudson Valley region of New York. The festival takes place each fall in the towns of Woodstock, Rosendale and Saug ...

as a feature documentary. In 2024, Nash became the first filmmaker to have his film land on the surface of the moon in a lunar museum. Nash is the founder of Beverly Hills Production. He also serves as a member of the UN advisory panel. During the Copenhagen COP15 conference Nash, considered an expert on environmental migration, helped the UN frame the issue of environmental migrants. Nash is currently working on a sequel titled ''Chasing Truth'', with executive producers including

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

. The film is set for release in 2025. It aims to investigate the critical intersection of overpopulation, climate change, and resource scarcity.

Filmography

*''

'' (2008) *''

'' (2010) *''

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

'' (2013) *''Playground of The Native Son'' (2013) *''Saving The Roar'' (2021) *''Captain Counter Culture'' (2022) *''Chasing Truth'' (2025)

Awards and recognition

* 2007: Global Innovation Award * 2010:

Barbara Boxer Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is a retired American politician, lobbyist, and former reporter who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United St ...

's Conservation Champion Award * 2010: Neiman Marcus Environmental Filmmakers Vision Award at the Dallas International Film Festival. * 2010: Top 10 MovieMakers of the Planet by ''MovieMaker Magazine''

References

External links

''Climate Refugees''ABC News interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Michael P. Living people American documentary film directors People from Fort Pierce, Florida Film directors from Florida Year of birth missing (living people)