Michael Steinberg

Promising young filmmaker debuted as a co-director with fellow UCLA alumnus Neal Jimenez on the critically acclaimed feature, "The Waterdance" (1992), starring Eric Stoltz as a wheelchair-bound accident victim struggling with his change in fortune and status, and a group of talented young performers. Inspired by Jimenez's experience as a paraplegic, the film was honored at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival. On his own, Steinberg followed up with another ambitious small-scale ensemble drama, "Bodies, Rest & Motion" (1993) featuring Stoltz, Bridget Fonda, Phoebe Cates and Tim Roth. Steinberg has demonstrated a facility for directing actors in emotionally complex and subtle material.