May 11, 2017
Born and raised in the Netherlands,
Michael attended the Geneva School of Fine Arts in Switzerland
before graduating from the West Surrey College of Art in England with his
first film in 1978.
Michael is presently based in London where he directs
and animates award-winning commercials for television and
cinema.
Michael's earlier animated shorts include Tom Sweep
and The Monk and the Fish, which was nominated for an
Academy
Award and won a Cesar Award, and the Cartoon d'Or.
Michael's most well-known short film Father and
Daughter won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and the Grand Prix at Annecy. He later worked on The Aroma of
Tea, an experimental film painted entirely with tea.
Michael's most recent film is the award-winning
animated feature, The Red Turtle, a wordless fable of a man
shipwrecked on a desert island who encounters a mysterious sea
creature. The Red Turtle was the first non-Japanese film to be
produced by Studio Ghibli.