Born in and inspired by The Bronx. Michael began his filmmaking journey in 1998 at a local public access station. Inspired by Robert Rodriguez’ Rebel Without a Crew, he saved his pennies for 2 years so he could buy a Mac and a DV camera to learn filmmaking first hand and tell his stories. Mike worked as a production assistant on dozens of student films, independent features, and television shows and was an intern at socially conscious networks Paper Tiger TV and Deep Dish TV. In 2000 Michael was accepted into Third World Newsreels film and television production workshop. It was there he shot, directed and edited his first 2 shorts Apollo Kids (2000) a social commentary on systematic racism and it effects on our youth and Super Jesus (2001) a dark comedy revolving around gangs and a homeless superhero.
In 2002 Michael headed west to Los Angeles to pursue his filmmaking aspirations while working full time as an editor. Presently he works as a documentary editor at The Halo Group where he is editing Cradle of Rock a documentary chronicling the Asbury Park music scene and the race riots that destroyed a thriving community.
Mike was a participant in Film Independents Project;Involve, a mentorship program that brings young filmmakers of color together with industry professionals. Michael is fortunate enough to have an accomplished documentary filmmaker and former IDA president Lisa Leeman as his mentor. Lisa is also serving as a consultant on the documentary film Albizu.
Currently Michael is in production on his first documentary film, Albizu, which received development grants from Latino Public Broadcasting and ITVS. Albizu is a historical biography on Puerto Rican revolutionary Pedro Albizu Campos, and the strange and violent relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico between 1898 and 1965.and a brief history of the project.
Michael Torres
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I hope you blog about Albizu when the documentary comes out. I look forward to seeing it.
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