Michael W. King

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Michael W. King
File:Michael W. King.jpg
Born(1952-04-29)April 29, 1952
NationalityAmerican
EducationConnecticut College (BA)
University of Amsterdam (MA)
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, Producer, Director and Writer
Years active1990–present
Children1

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).

Career

In 1991, Michael W. King produced an MTV music video based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "I Have A Dream".[1] 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.[2] In 2007, he completed a feature documentary called Rapping with Shakespeare (2008)[3], 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.[4]

10th Anniversary screening

On Thursday, September 22nd, 2022, a remastered version of ‘The Rescuers’ was shown for one night only at The Mandell JCC to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the film’s release. The panel for the post-film discussion featured Debórah Dwork, Ph.D., Director, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity The Graduate Center – City University of New York; Dr. Stephanie Fagin-Jones, clinical psychologist, Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbia University Teachers College, and a Holocaust heroism science scholar; Joel N. Lohr, Ph.D., President of Hartford International University for Religion and Peace; and Dr. Sylvia Smoller, Scientist, writer and Holocaust Survivor. The panel was moderated by Avinoam J. Patt, Ph.D. , The Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies and Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut.[5]

Screening on Capitol Hill

On Monday, May 6th, 2024, the remastered version of ‘The Rescuers’ was shown before Senators and members of Congress, commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day Yom HaShoah and in support of The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act. The panel for a pre-film discussion featured Dr. Edmund Duckwitz, the Ambassador (ret.) of the Federal Republic of Germany; Birgitta Tazelaar, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the U.S.; and Ellen Germain, the U.S. State Department Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. Peter Alexander, NBC Chief White House Correspondent, moderated the panel. Before the screening of the film, Director/Producer Michael W. King was presented with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Congressman John B. Larson for his accomplished 35 years of commitment and service to humanitarian and artistic endeavors.""WUSA". Vimeo. ""KNTV". Vimeo. ""WTTG". Vimeo.[6]

The Last Chance Project

Michael W. King was approached in 2021 by the USC Shoah Foundation for the survivor testimonies from ‘The Rescuers’ for their Visual History Archive. In building the testimonies for the Andrew J. and Joyce D. Mandell International Rescuers Collection,[7]King decided to expand his research efforts to identify additional survivors and relatives to document the stories of additional diplomats with Righteous Among the Nations status. With that developed “The Rescuers Last Chance Project,” a ‘race against time’ to identify the people who knew the remaining diplomats and Holocaust survivors who benefited from their assistance, in telling those stories."The Rescuers". IMDb.

Filmography

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

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

  1. ↑ "Martin Luther King Music Video". VIMEO. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Bangin' - Michael W. King American Movie Filmmaker, Producer and a director". VIMEO. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Rapping With Shakespeare from Michael W. King American Filmmaker, Producer and a Director". VIMEO. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "Interview with Michael King, Director of "The Rescuers"". Vimeo. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  5. ↑ "Remastered Version Of 'The Rescuers' Film Screening Coming To Mandell JCC". We-Ha News. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  6. ↑ ""THE RESCUERS" SCREENS TONIGHT AT CAPITOL". WUSA9.
  7. ↑ "Connecticut filmmakers search for remaining diplomats who saved lives during Holocaust for Joyce D. Mandell Rescuers Collection". HARTFORD COURANT.

External links

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