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= Michelle Wong (Filmmaker) =

Michele Wong is a Canadian filmmaker and producer known for her work with Studio D at the National Film Board

Early life
Growing up, Michelle Wong’s family was one of only two Asian families in St. Paul, Alberta, and she was one of two Asian students in her school. Her grandparents owned a successful Chinese restaurant where she worked during her school years

She studied Drama at the University of Alberta, graduating with a Bachelor of Education (with Honours). She worked as a drama teacher for three years at a junior high school in Northern Alberta before pursuing a career in Filmmaking with the National Film Board s Studio D.

Michelle Wong returned to St Paul, Alberta to spend time with her aging grandparents when her grandfather got sick in 1990. Her grandfather's illness inspired her to document her “grandparents’ history and preserve their lives on film" and led her to create Return Home in 1992.

Wong’s brother, Phillip, suffered from a gambling addiction that led to his suicide at age thirty-six. This tragedy was the subject of Wong’s second film for the NFB, Pieces of a Dream: A Story of Gambling, that explored the dynamics of her Chinese family’s reticence to talk about personal issues, and cultural concepts such as honour and ‘losing face.’

Career
Michelle Wong began her formal film training in 1990 with Studio D, the feminist film studio of Canada’s National Film Board (NFB). There, she directed and produced her first documentary Return Home, followed up with Pieces of  Dream: A Story of Gambling. [1]. After her time with the National Film Board, Wong returned to Calgary and worked with the Herland Feminist Film Festival.

Wong is currently the Head of Business Affairs at 724 Films. She has also been a business affairs consultant for various theatrical and television productions including El Chicano, Come True, and Global Meltdown. She has been a co-executive producer on Surviving Love (CBS), Into the West (TNT/Dreamworks), and Little House on the Prairie. She worked as a segment producer for human affairs series Skylight for vision TV, and was the Head of Feature Film Division and Business Affairs Manager at Corkscrew Media.

Wong has also expanded her experience into lifestyle programming and live events. She has worked on the Canadian Country Music Awards (CBC/CMT), Ice Racer Showdown (CMT), Balletlujah (CBC), and Legend of a Warrior (NFB). She has also been a full-time producer for NUTV and a radio broadcaster for CJSW.

She has served on various media arts organizations including The Quick Draw Animation Society, The Fairy Tales Society, The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers, and the Alberta Motion Pictures Industries Association. In 2017, she participated in a film panel discussion and special event about Studio D at Femme Wave in Calgary.

Themes
Michelle Wong explores themes about family and cultural identity through the lens of a Chinese immigrant family and their Canadian-born children. She also discusses the effects of gambling and addiction on sufferers and their families, specifically related to the Chinese concepts of honour and ‘losing face’.

Awards and Honours
Michelle Wong won the Frank Beukert Award for Playwriting in 1987.

Director

 * Pieces of a Dream: A Story of Gambling (Documentary) (2003)
 * Do Wok a Do (Short) (2000)
 * Return Home (Documentary Short) (1992)

Producer

 * Global Meltdown (TV Movie) (Co-Producer) (2017)
 * From Naughty to Nice (Short) (Producer) (2014)
 * Lollipop (Short) (Producer) (2013)
 * Alberta Comedy Spectacular: Best of the West (TV Special) (producer) (2010)
 * Alberta Comedy Spectacular - Turtle Island Too (TV Movie) (producer) (2010)
 * Out of Country (TV Series) (producer) (2010)
 * A Tax on Pochsy (Short) (executive producer) (2009)
 * Prairie Town: Behind the Scenes of Country Music 2008 (TV Movie documentary) (producer) (2008)
 * Divine Life (TV Series) (producer - 1 episode) (2006)
 * Goose on the Loose (associate producer) (2006)
 * Into the West (TV Mini-Series) (co-producer - 6 episodes) (2005)
 * Ghost Dance (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Casualties of War (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Hell on Wheels (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Dreams and Schemes (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Manifest Destiny (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Wheel to the Stars (2005) ... (co-producer)


 * Little House on the Prairie (TV Mini-Series) (co-producer - 6 episodes) (2005)
 * Adventures on the Kansas Prairie: Part 2 (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Adventures on the Kansas Prairie: Part 1 (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * The Ingalls' Journey: Part 2 (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * The Ingalls' Journey: Part 1 (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Little House in the Big Woods: Part 2 (2005) ... (co-producer)
 * Little House in the Big Woods: Part 1 (2005) ... (co-producer)


 * Karroll's Christmas (TV Movie) (co-producer) (2004)
 * Surviving Love (TV Movie) (co-producer) (2004)
 * The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton (TV Movie) (associate producer) (2003)
 * Picking Up & Dropping Off (TV Movie) (co-producer) (2003)
 * Undercover Christmas (TV Movie) (co-producer) (2003)
 * Word of Honor (TV Movie) (co-producer) (2003)
 * Hollywood Wives: The New Generation (TV Movie) (co-executive producer) (2003)
 * 12 Mile Road (TV Movie) (co-producer) (2003)
 * Do Wok a Do (Short) (producer) (2000)
 * Return Home (Documentary short) (producer) (1992)

Writer

 * Pieces of a Dream: A Story of Gambling (Documentary) (writer) (2003)
 * Do Wok a Do (Short) (2000)
 * Return Home (Documentary short) (1992)

Crew

 * El Chicano (business affairs) (2018)
 * Being There (TV Series documentary) (business affairs - 9 episodes) (2018)
 * Gwen's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Nora's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Roger's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Karine's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Austin's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Sue's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Martina's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Tara's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)
 * Patti's Story (2018) ... (business affairs)


 * Heritage Minutes (TV Series) (business affairs - 5 episodes) (2014-2017)
 * Edmonton Grads (2017) ... (business affairs)
 * Viola Desmond (2016) ... (business affairs)
 * Terry Fox (2015) ... (business affairs)
 * Nursing Sisters (2015) ... (business affairs)
 * Winnipeg Falcons (2014) ... (business affairs)


 * Balletlujah (TV Movie documentary) (business affairs) (2014)
 * Employee of the Week (TV Series) (business affairs) (2012)
 * Doc Party: Doc Walker Live in Kelowna (TV Movie) (business affairs) (2010)
 * Canadian Country Music Awards (TV Special) (business affairs manager) (2010)
 * Alberta Comedy Spectacular: Best of the West (TV Special) (production manager) (2010)
 * Out of Country (TV Series) (business affairs) (2010)
 * Terri Clark: Live at Cedar Creek (Documentary) (business affairs) (2009)
 * Canadian Country Music Awards (TV Special) (business affairs manager) (2009)
 * Donner Down (TV Movie) (business affairs) (2008)
 * My Gift Is My Song: George Canyon Christmas (TV Movie) (business affairs) (2007)

Production Manager

 * Alberta Comedy Spectacular - Turtle Island Too (TV Movie) (production manager) (2010)
 * The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton (TV Movie) (post-production supervisor/ production executive) (2003)

Special Thanks

 * Call Me a Paki (Documentary short) (special thanks) (2005)

Praise and Criticism
Return Home premiered in the US at the New York Asian American International Film Festival to a warm reception. It played to a standing-room only audience when it premiered in Edmonton, AB nine months later.

“With more than 25 years in the film and television industry, Michelle brings an unparalleled breadth and depth of production experience to Seven24 Films.”