Michael Rowe

Who is Michael Rowe?

Michael Rowe is a, Australian film director and screenwriter.

Rowe studied English post-colonial literature at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. His artistic career first began as a poet, winning the Melbourne Fringe Festival Poetry Prize. He then moved to theatre and wrote three plays. In 1994, at the age of 23, he traveled to Mexico and made it his adoptive home. In 1998, while in Mexico, he began a career as a journalist while studying screenwriting at a Vincente Leñero workshop. In 2005, one of his first scripts, Naturaleza Muertas won at the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía. In 2006, he directed his first short film, Cacahuates. Silencio followed in 2007. Though English is his native language, the bulk of his film work is done in Spanish.

In 2010, Rowe directed Año Bisiesto, which garnered him the Caméra d'Or prize for best first time feature film director at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was well received by critics.

His follow-up film, The Well premiered at the Rome Film Festival in 2013.

In 2013, it was announced that Rowe is working on his English feature debut, Rest Home, starring Melissa George and slated for production in Montreal.