Michael Mongillo

Hosting the American premiere of Michael Mongillo's third feature, "Being Michael Madsen," Starz Denver Int'l Film Festival dubbed Mongillo, "Indie filmmaker on-the-rise." He earned this reputation with his debut feature, "The Wind," a dreamy morality tale about misconceptions and murder. This psychological thriller was a film fest favorite, winning Best Picture awards at Shriekfest and Bare Bones International. Praise by maverick director Ralph Bakshi and a full-page article in horror trendsetter Fangoria magazine helped secure the film's cult status. Mongillo's follow-up feature, "Welcome to Earth," chronicles a microcosm of ordinary people during the global countdown to alien visitation. Shot in just six days, this sci-fi dramedy was selected for NewFilmmakers NY. Mongillo's next feature, the mockumentary "Being Michael Madsen," had its world premiere at Raindance Film Festival, was the Opening Night Feature at DancesWithFilms, was honored with the Audience Award at the Faux Film Festival and won Mongillo the Best Director award at MockFest. Just two years after its commercial release, "Being Michael Madsen" was handpicked to screen in New Horizons International Film Festival's mockumentary retrospective alongside such landmark films as "This is Spinal Tap" and "Man Bites Dog." Mongillo's fourth feature, "Diane," is a throwback to both American filmmaking of the early '70s and the Danish movement, Dogme 95. The director describes this supernatural mystery as, "Stephen King meets Elmore Leonard." Following its world premiere at FrightFest London and screening at New York City Horror Film Festival, "Diane" was nominated for a 2017 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Limited Release Independent Film among a list of notable nominees, including "A Ghost Story" and "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore."