Michael W. King
Michael W. King | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 29, 1952 Chicopee, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Connecticut College (BA) University of Amsterdam (MA) |
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, Producer, Director and Writer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for | The Rescuers Documentary & Bangin' (Emmy award-winning) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael W. King is an Emmy Award-winning American filmmaker, producer, director, and writer of music videos, documentaries, and narrative films. King is the founder of Michael W. King Productions, LLC., and lives with his son, Mathias, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He is a current member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and a former board member of the International Documentary Association (IDA).
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 [1] based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'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’[2], featuring Chuck D from Public Enemy, which explored youth violence in America.
In 2007, he completed a feature documentary called Rapping with Shakespeare [3](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[4], the story of Frank ‘Jupiter’ Johnson, an ex-con trying to walk the straight and narrow, working for a local bail bondsman hunting criminals down that fail to appear for their court dates. The film starred Vondie Curtis-Hall and Judd Nelson and was made in 2008 for the American Film Institute.
In 2010 King produced, directed, and wrote a documentary called The Rescuers[5], 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 King Charles III.
In 2022, The Rescuers was remastered and premiered for its 10th anniversary. In May of 2024, it was shown before members of Congress, Senators, and Ambassadors in support of ‘’The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act on Capitol Hill. King was presented with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, presented to him by Congressman John B. Larson of Connecticut, in honor of his accomplished 35 years of commitment and service to humanitarian and artistic endeavors.
King is currently producing and directing a monumental 10-part hour-long docuseries, The Rescuers Last Chance Project[6]. This project, a continuation of his groundbreaking work on The Rescuers,[7] is set to unveil the untold stories of the heroic World War II diplomats who risked everything to save lives from the Holocaust. The series, a beacon of hope and resilience in unraveling the mystery of goodness, is slated for release in 2026, promising to captivate and inspire audiences worldwide.
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 |
| 2024 | Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition | Capitol Hill | The Rescuers | The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act | It was shown before members of Congress, Senators, and Ambassadors |
References[edit]
New Project Spotlights World War II-Era Diplomats Who Saved Thousands of Jews During Holocaust [1]
Connecticut filmmakers search for remaining diplomats who saved lives during Holocaust for Joyce D. Mandell Rescuers Collection[2]
Remastered Version of ‘The Rescuers’ Film Screening Coming to Mandell JCC [3]
New film sheds light on stories of diplomats who saved Jews from Nazis [4]
New Project Spotlights World War II-Era Diplomats Who Saved Thousands of Jews During Holocaust [5]
The Hollywood Reporter "The Rescuers: Film Review" [6]
Sources[edit]
External links[edit]
- Rescuers Last Chance Project
- The Rescuer Documentary The Official Documentary Movie Website
- Michael King Productions LLC Official Website
- Rapping with Shakespeare
- Michael W. King at IMDb
- Sir Martin Gilbert Official Webpage Retrieved 10/28/2010.
- Interview with Michael W. King about The Rescuers for The Day newspaper
| International | |
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| National | |
- ^ GHERMEZIAN, SHIRYN (5 August 2022). "New Project Spotlights World War II-Era Diplomats Who Saved Thousands of Jews During Holocaust". the algemeiner. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "HARTFORD COURANT". HARTFORD COURANT. HARTFORD COURANT. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Remastered Version of 'The Rescuers' Film Screening Coming to Mandell JCC". we-ha. We Ha. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Pohoryles, Yaniv (4 August 2022). "New film sheds light on stories of diplomats who saved Jews from Nazis". ynet news. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ GHERMEZIAN, SHIRYN (5 August 2022). "New Project Spotlights World War II-Era Diplomats Who Saved Thousands of Jews During Holocaust". Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ THR STAFF (7 May 2014). "Michael King's documentary recounts the inspirational stories of diplomats who risked their lives and careers to save Jews during the Holocaust". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 May 2024.