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Michael Dowse
Canadian director
Canadian director
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Michael Dowse |
| image | File:Stuber Q&A - Michael Dowse (33510399418) (cropped) (cropped).jpg |
| caption | Dowse at South by Southwest 2019 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | London, Ontario, Canada |
| occupation | Film director |
Michael Dowse (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director.
Life and career
Born in London, Ontario, to Irish parents, he was trained as a film editor. His first full-length movie, FUBAR was shot on a digital camera with a tiny budget, but was selected by the Sundance Film Festival and screened on the prestigious midnight slot, which had launched the revolutionary film The Blair Witch Project. Though it failed to get picked up by any major American theatrical distributors, FUBAR subsequently became a cult hit in Canada. Following the success of FUBAR, Dowse went on to direct the higher-budget British film It's All Gone Pete Tong, the story of a deaf DJ in Ibiza.
Dowse's next production, the 1980s retro comedy Take Me Home Tonight, started shooting in Phoenix, Arizona on the week beginning 19 February 2007, and was released to theaters on March 4, 2011.
Dowse directed The F Word, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, and Adam Driver.
He has also directed Stuber, starring Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, and Iko Uwais. A film about an encounter between an Uber driver and an almost-blind cop.
In 2025, he began filming on The Stunt Driver, a historical fact-based film based on stuntman Ken Carter.{{cite web|accessdate=21 October 2025|url=https://lareleve.qc.ca/2025/10/08/tournage-qui-fait-revivre-le-reve-fou-de-ken-carter-the-stunt-driver/|website=Lareleve.qc.ca|date= October 8, 2025|title= Filming that brings Ken Carter's crazy dream back to life: The Stunt Driver|first= Diane |last=Lapointe}}
He currently resides in Montreal with his wife and children.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | FUBAR | Also cinematographer and editor | |||
| 2004 | It's All Gone Pete Tong | ||||
| 2010 | Fubar 2 | Also known as FUBAR: Balls to the Wall or FUBAR: Gods of Blunder; | |||
| Also editor | |||||
| 2011 | Take Me Home Tonight | ||||
| Goon | |||||
| 2013 | The F Word | Also released as What If? | |||
| The Grand Seduction | |||||
| 2019 | Stuber | ||||
| 2020 | Coffee & Kareem | ||||
| 2021 | 8-Bit Christmas | ||||
| 2025 | Trap House |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 237 | ||
| 2017 | Robot Bullies |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Foundation | Produced 1 episode | ||||
| 2016-2017 | Man Seeking Woman | Directed 6 episodes; | ||||
| Produced 10 episodes | ||||||
| 2017 | Preacher | Episode "Puzzle Piece" | ||||
| Fubar Age of Computer | Also composed opening theme | |||||
| Future Man | Episodes "Prelude to an Apocalypse" and "A Date with Destiny" |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Chupacabras" | Chixdiggit |
| 2000 | "Slow Descent into Alcoholism" | The New Pornographers |
| "Letter from an Occupant" | ||
| 2003 | "Your Daddy Don't Know" | |
| "The Kid Is Hot Tonight" | Chixdiggit | |
| "In the Mood" | Sloan | |
| "FUBAR Is a Super Rocker" | Thor | |
| "Diamond Head" | The New Pornographers |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Bad Money | Editor |
| 2000 | waydowntown | Assistant editor |
| 2001 | Mile Zero | |
| 2002 | Looking for Leonard | Editor |
| 2009 | You Might as Well Live | Executive producer |
Awards and nominations
| Awards and nominations | Award |
|---|---|
| Wins | Nominations |
| Totals |
|- style="background-color#d9e8ff" | | |- | | |}
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | FUBAR | Genie Awards | Best Achievement in Editing | |
| 2004 | It's All Gone Pete Tong | Toronto International Film Festival Awards | Best Canadian Film | |
| 2005 | Gen Art Film Festival Awards | Audience Award - Best Feature | ||
| Best Feature | ||||
| US Comedy Arts Festival Awards | Film Discovery Jury Award - Best Feature | |||
| 2006 | Genie Awards | Best Achievement in Direction | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | ||||
| 2010 | FUBAR 2 | Toronto International Film Festival Awards | People's Choice Award: Midnight Madness | |
| 2011 | SXSW Film Festival Awards | Audience Award - Spotlight Premiere | ||
| 2012 | Goon | Directors Guild of Canada Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film | |
| 2012 | Toronto Film Critics Association Awards | Rogers Best Canadian Film Award | ||
| 2012 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Director | ||
| 2014 | The Grand Seduction | Best Adapted Screenplay | ||
| The F Word | Best Director | |||
| 2014 | Directors Guild of Canada Awards | Best Direction in a Feature Film | ||
| Best Feature Film | ||||
| Toronto Film Critics Association Awards | Rogers Best Canadian Film Award |
References
References
- link. (2007-02-23 ''Reuters,'' February 8, 2007.)
- Grobar, Matt. (October 14, 2025). "Ed Helms & Ben Foster Among New Additions To Michael Dowse Pic ‘The Stunt Driver’ Starring Jay Baruchel; Foster Playing Evel Knievel".
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