Biography

Michael is a Los Angeles film industry executive with a rich background in theatrical exhibition, distribution, and production. He combines technical knowledge with a passion for the art and business of film.

As a pioneer of repertory film exhibition, he programmed the original Fox Venice Theater where commercial, classic, and alternative films, live music, and theater productions, drove the iconic venue to national prominence. Michael was actively involved in the foundation of the 1970s independent film movement and the establishment of IFP/West (Film Independent). He later operated two theatrical distribution companies, specializing in documentary, independent, and prize-winning Latin American theatrical releases. His Stage Fright Presentations distributed art, music, and social issue documentaries, while Shadowfax Film Company focused on low-budget independent features.

In the late 1990s to mid-2000s, Michael served as an industry executive with CFI and Technicolor. Alongside many talented post-production professionals, he focused on premiere Hollywood films, mid-budget indies, and Latin American productions. As an advocate for Super 35 film and early digital cinematography, Michael interfaced with producers and cinematographers to advance practical, expressive styles for affordable content, as seen in Tortilla Soup". Among more than one hundred notable titles include: "Far From Heaven"; "Road to Perdition"; "Igby Goes Down"; "Traffic"; "The Limey"; "61*"; "Erin Brockovich"; "Ocean's Eleven"; "Sling Blade"; "In The Bedroom"; "Jackie Brown"; "The Apostle"; "The Minus Man"; "Amores Perros"; "Limbo"; "Luminaria" and "Central Station."

Spanish-language movies have played a natural role in his activities for over 40 years. As a once-resident of Mexico City, and recognized contributor to Mexican cinema, Michael's understanding and experience in Spanish-language media arts is unique. In 1983, he founded and directed a classics division within Azteca Films, the largest U.S. theatrical supplier of Spanish language film. There, he introduced crossover films throughout the country to theatrical venues and film festivals. Following, he curated the 1989 to 1994 UCLA Film Archives' Mexico Film Project, an ambitious restoration and programming effort. This resulted in a touring collection and catalog of one hundred classic Mexican films funded in great part by the Rockefeller Foundation and supported by IMCINE.

By extension, he has translated notable Spanish-language authors and screenwriters. His translations include films and scripts by authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, Luis Buñuel, Manuel Puig, B. Traven, Juan Rulfo, Antonio Skármeta, Romulo Gallegos, Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende, Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Paz Alicia Garciadiego, Wim Wenders' "Buena Vista Social Club" and recently the new media author Alberto Chimal.

Selected producing and distribution efforts include Arturo Ripstein's "Woman of the Port," an official Cannes Un Certain Regard, New York, and Toronto selection; the U.S. premieres of early films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders; the re-release of Michelangelo Antonioni's "Red Desert" and Luchino Visconti's "Rocco and His Brothers." He championed Ripstein's "Realm of Fortune" and the San Sebastian-winning "Beginning and the End" adapted from the novel by 1988 Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz, and Carlos Carrera's "Un Embrujo".

He represented legendary cinematographer, Gabriel Figueroa, directors Arturo Ripstein and Paul Leduc, and seminal documentarian Emile de Antonio. He was an executive board member of the L.A. Latino International Film Festival and Artistic Director of the Puerto Vallarta Film Festival. Among eight Telluride Film Festival presentations, he offered the stunning restored classic "The Pearl" for the Emilio Fernandez Silver Medal award; and the first Frida Kahlo feature, Paul Leduc's "Frida," both at the 1985 event. Carlos Marcovich's imaginative docudrama "Who the Hell is Juliette?" thrilled viewers at the 1998 Telluride Festival. He rediscovered then released the classic "Aventurera" to a delighted 1994 Telluride; and Andy Garcia's dream project scripted by Guillermo Cabrera Infante, "The Lost City" in 2005.

He frequently devises and implements targeted national and limited theatrical distribution releases for specific filmmaker projects. Documentaries include "Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary"; "X-The Unheard Music"; "Cover-up Behind the Iran Contra Affair"; "Imagine the Sound"; "Underground"; "Poetry in Motion"; Oscar-winner "The Panama Deception" and "Becoming Nobody", all received broader audience exposure and expanded platform sales as a result.

Recent feature productions or marketing efforts include: "City Island;" "Spoken Word" and "Love-Jacked." Michael is developing several theatrical scripts including "Don Julio's Jalapeños," a contemporary Latino youth sports comedy co-scripted with Laura Crosson; a contemporary social comedy "Minerva & Maude;" and a biography of a major figure of the 1960s Chicano Movement.

Also, a gallery-exhibited photographer, Michael splits his time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Los Angeles, California.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: MIchael Donnelly