Michael Downing is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is most noted as director of two

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nominees for Best Live Action Short Drama, receiving nods for ''

Clean Rite Cowboy ''Clean Rite Cowboy'' is a 2000 Canadian short drama film, directed by Michael Downing. The film stars John Robinson as Henry, an unhappily married man with a dead-end job as a carpet cleaner, who knocks on a client's door one day only to have ...

'' at the

21st Genie Awards The 21st Genie Awards were held in 2001 to honour films released in 2000. The ceremony was hosted by Brian Linehan. Nominees and winners The Genie Award winner in each category is shown in bold along with nominees. References {{Canadian Scree ...

in 2001 and for '' Why Don't You Dance?'' at the

24th Genie Awards The 24th Genie Awards were held on May 1, 2004, to honour films released in 2003. The ceremony was hosted by Scott Thompson."He's gonna spank that Genie". ''The Globe and Mail'', May 1, 2004. The ceremony was broadcast on CHUM Limited's terrestri ...

in 2004. A former dancer and a graduate of the film program at Ryerson University, Downing began his film career making dance films for the National Ballet of Canada. He subsequently received a scholarship to study at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

;"Sweetshop Signs Director Michael Downing For U.S. Representation"
''Shoot Online'', June 29, 2021. during his studies there, he and Philip Svoboda won a bronze medal from the Student Academy Awards in 2003 for their short film ''Fine''.Christopher Henderson
"Academy Picks 11 Winners of Student Academy Awards"
'' IndieWire'', May 19, 2003. He now works predominantly as a director of television commercials, although he has two films, ''The Threeway'' and a feature version of ''Clean Rite Cowboy'', in development.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Downing, Michael 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male screenwriters Film directors from Toronto Writers from Toronto Living people Year of birth missing (living people)