Michael Peterson

Michael’s the kind of filmmaker who refuses to be boxed in—seriously, he’s done everything from edgy music videos to those blink-and-you-miss-’em festival shorts, and even commercials that don’t make you want to throw your remote. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta (yeah, the land of Stampede and chinooks), he’s racked up awards and, honestly, probably more air miles than most of us. Dude’s films have been all over—over 75 film festivals, no less. That’s not just hustling, that’s straight-up world touring with a camera. He kicked off his creative grind at York University, tackling Communication Studies and Humanities, which means he’s got the “big ideas” thing down. But he wasn’t about to stop there—he hopped over to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, grabbing his M.A. with a focus on documentary film. If you’re thinking he’s all about capturing real life, you’re not wrong, but he’s not afraid to get a little dramatic either. After all that, he landed at the Canadian Film Centre’s Directors Lab in 2013, which is basically like a bootcamp for filmmakers who mean business. Michael started out writing and making docs—probably chasing stories that nobody else would dare touch—then swerved into the world of scripted films. Now, his work bounces between genres. No two projects look the same, but you can always tell it’s his. There’s just something about the way he blends real-life grit with a dash of cinematic flair. Seriously, if you haven’t seen his stuff yet, you’re missing out.