Michael W. King

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Michael W. King
NationalityAmerican
EducationConnecticut College (BA)
University of Amsterdam (MA)
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, Producer, Director and Writer
Years active1990–present
Children1

Michael W. King is an American filmmaker, producer, director, and writer of music videos, documentaries, and films. King is the founder of Michael King Productions, LLC. and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his son, Mathias. He is a former board member of the International Documentary Association (IDA) and a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA).

Life[edit]

King attended and graduated high school at New London High School (New London, Connecticut), and went on to college at Connecticut College, graduating with a BA in Government in 1975. King also later received an MA in Film Studies from the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and a postgraduate degree in Feature Film Directing from the Amsterdam School of the Arts, Maurits Binger Film Institute.

Michael W. King also taught screenwriting and film from 2000-01 at the European Center of Emerson College in the Netherlands, and was the Filmmaker-in-Residence and Professor of Film at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida (2007–08).

Career[edit]

In 1991, Michael W. King produced an MTV music video based on Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech "I Have A Dream". In 1995, King produced, directed, and wrote a PBS documentary titled Making A Living, the African-American Experience, which featured American actor Joe Morton. In 1997, he directed and wrote his first feature film in the Czech Republic, entitled Vanity Kills. In 1999, King created an Emmy award-winning PBS documentary entitled Bangin’, featuring Chuck D from Public Enemy, which explored youth violence in America.

In 2007, he completed a feature documentary called Rapping with Shakespeare (2008), which followed the story of an English teacher who used hip hop and rap to help his students better access Shakespeare's works, while making parallels between the lives of five South Central Los Angeles teenagers and Shakespeare's characters.

Michael King also executive produced Crenshaw Nights, starring Vondie Curtis-Hall and Judd Nelson in 2008 for the American Film Institute.

In 2010 King produced, directed, and wrote a documentary called The Rescuers, which tells the story of 13 heroic World War II diplomats who helped save the lives of tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. The Rescuers stars historian and Holocaust expert Sir Martin Gilbert and Rwandan anti-genocide activist Stephanie Nyombayire, and features Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.

Filmography[edit]

Year Production Role
1990 Arts and Entertainment Revue TV Series Producer
1995 Making a Living: the African-American Experience Director, Producer and Writer
1997 Vanity Kills Writer and Director
1999 Bangin Writer, Producer and Director
2002 Breaking the Silence, Sex is Not a Four Letter Word Director
2007 Rapping With Shakespeare Director and Producer
2008 Crenshaw Nights Executive Producer
2010 The Rescuers Director, Producer and Writer

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Organization Work Category Result
1999 Best Documentary Emmy Bangin' PBS documentary feature Won
1999 Best Documentary and Best Editing International Television and Video Association Bangin' PBS documentary feature Won
2008 A&E Indie Filmmaker Award A&E IndieFilms Rapping with Shakespeare Documentary Nominated
2002 Carl Lutz Medal of Freedom Switzerland The Rescuers Documentary Feature Awarded
2010 Harriet Buescher Lawrence ’34 Prize Connecticut College Lifetime achievement outstanding contributions to society Awarded
2012 Outstanding Documentary The NAACP Image Awards The Rescuers Documentary Nominated

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

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