David Michôd

As native of Sydney, Australia, he attended Sydney Grammar School before his family moved to Melbourne, where he studied at University of Melbourne. Michôd's involvement with film started in 2000 when he wrote the script for a comedic short film called "Noise." His directorial career began with his own shorts, beginning with "Ezra White, LL.B." (2006). Over the next few years, he continued to write and direct short films such as "Crossbow" (2007), "Spider" (2007), and "Netherland Dwarf" (2008). In 2010, Michôd directed his first full-length feature film, "Animal Kingdom." Loosely based on Melbourne's infamous 1988 Walsh Street police shooting, "Animal Kingdom" starred fellow Australians Guy Pearce and Jacki Weaver. The film was a massive international critical success and earned the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, the Best Picture Award at the Australian Film Institute Awards, and multiple acting nominations for Weaver. Following this success, Michôd co-wrote an American indie film, a dark comedy called "Hesher" (2010) staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman. Michôd's own next feature, "The Rover," arrived in 2014. The film paired Michôd and Pearce once again, along with "Twilight" (2008) leading man Robert Pattinson. The futuristic western premiered out of competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.