Michael Williams(XLVIII)

Apart from his obsession with cats, gardening, and aspirations to become a hobbit, Michael Williams is a writer, director, cinematographer, and producer known for "OzLand" (2015), "The Atoning" (2017). Williams began creating short films in 2004 while in high school, and later graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts in Film where Williams was awarded the Top Film Student of 2009 Award.

When Williams was offered his first job in the industry in 2007, he was hired as a PA. However, upon arriving to prep, he was informed that he would now be the 1st AC. Over a few days of prep, he learned the definition of an assistant camera and how to pull focus... for a feature... with a lot of handheld. This sparked a 9 year career as a 1st AC that rack focused into a career as a cinematographer starting in 2010. During this time, Williams wrote, directed, and produced over 20 short films of his own while waiting for an idea worthy enough to attempt the terrifying task of making a feature. That film became "OzLand", an award-winning feature that premiered and screened theatrically in Hollywood, CA before gaining distribution throughout the U.S. and U.K.

His second feature film, "The Atoning", was released in September of 2017 via Redbox, Hulu, Best Buy, and all major VOD and Cable on Demand outlets before releasing in various international markets including Brazil, Germany, South East Asia, Mexico, Russia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

Williams' desire to tell unique and meaningful stories visually fuels his career as a visual storyteller. Williams writes, directs, and works as a cinematographer so that he can bring his passion for visual storytelling to every production giving the story a unique voice. Since coming out of the closet in 2016, Michael's voice as a storyteller has evolved, and it continues to develop with each new project. His passion for storytelling has always been present in his scripts and cinematography, however, discovering and living his true self continues to bring authenticity to his own work and how he interprets his work for other collaborators. His latest scripts, "Rosemary" and "Out in the Open", reflect the personal and creative growth Williams has experienced since coming out, and these in-development projects are just the beginning of a new era of cinematic expression for Williams' passion to share stories with the world.