Michael John Slee (born 23 August 1959) is a British film-maker, producer/director and writer.

Life and career

Born in Windlesham, Surrey, Slee studied Art & Design at Kingston University, and graduated with a first class honours degree from the London College of Printing in Photography, Film and TV. He first achieved industry recognition for directing James Burke, in the 1989 ACE Award-winning PBS documentary series ''After the Warming''. This prescient series dealt with the issue of global warming, using virtual reality computer simulations. Slee then directed a 20-part TLC series with Burke, called ''

Connections 2 ''Connections'' is a science education television series created, written, and presented by British science historian James Burke (science historian), James Burke. The series was produced and directed by Mick Jackson (director), Mick Jackson o ...

''. By 1997 he was at the forefront of large screen

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

film making, co-devising and directing ''Wildfire – Feel the Heat'' for the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

, and ''The Legend of Loch Lomond'' for the Strathclyde European Partnership. In 2003 he co-wrote and directed ''BUGS 3D!'', a $9 million IMAX 3D natural history drama, narrated by Judi Dench. The film was a semi-finalist at the 2004 Oscars, and was awarded the GSTA Lifelong Learning Honor in the same year. Slee directed the 2005 British television programme, '' The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend''. In 2008 he directed the feature film '' Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins'', which was narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. Based on the ubiquitous Animal Planet television series, the film was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2011 he began filming the IMAX 3D project '' Flight of the Butterflies''. Covering Dr Fred Urquhart's nearly 40-year-long scientific investigation into the

monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. It ...

. Principal filming of the one-year project was completed in early March 2012, The film had its world premiere on 24 September 2012, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Federal government of Mexico, through the Mexico Tourism Board and the Embassy of Mexico.

Filmography

;As director * ''The Kid'' (1986) * ''After the Warming'' (1989) * ''

'' (1989) * ''Wildfire: Feel the Heat'' (1999) * ''The Legend of Loch Lomond'' (2001) * ''Bugs'' (2003) * ''Megastructures'' (2004) * '' The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding The Legend'' (2005) * ''Perfect Disaster: Ice Storm'' (2006) * ''Voyages of Discovery'' (2006) * '' Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins'' (2008) * ''Into the Unknown with

Josh Bernstein Josh Bernstein (born February 24, 1971) is an American explorer, author, executive producer, survival expert, anthropologist, and TV host best known as the host of '' Digging for the Truth''. He later appeared for one season as the host of the ...

'' (2008) * ''The Secret Life of Primates'' (2009) * ''Hammond Meets Moss'' (2010) * ''Atlas 4D'' (2010) * '' Engineering Connections'' (2008–2011) * ''Richard Hammond's Journey to...'' (2011) * '' Flight of the Butterflies'' (2012) * '' Colombia, magia salvaje'' (2015)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slee, Mike 1959 births English television directors English film directors English screenwriters English male screenwriters English film producers Living people Alumni of Kingston University People from Surrey Heath (district)