Michael McNamara was born in Chicago and raised in Windsor, Ontario. He studied film and photography at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) in Toronto. He is a writer/director and editor specializing in music, children`s and family television programs and specials. His first feature, which he also produced, was The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati. In 2014 Hot Docs announced that McNamara would be the year’s recipient of the coveted Don Haig Award. The Award is presented by the Hot Docs Board of Directors to an outstanding Canadian independent producer with a feature-length film in competition at the Festival, and selected by a jury of independent producers, including Merit Jensen Carr, Nick de Pencier and Michael McMahon. The Award recognizes creative vision and entrepreneurship, as reflected in the recipient’s body of work and Festival film, as well as a track record of mentoring emerging Canadian filmmakers. His 2016 documentary Once and Immigrant features award-winning actor writer Peter Keleghan, the son of immigrants from Ireland and Poland, who in mid-life is seeking to understand his parents’ complex and contradictory feelings about their adopted home, Canada.
Features & TV Movies:
VR indicates Direct-to-Video Release
Holly Cole Trio: My Foolish Heart (1992, documentary)
Candles, Snow and Mistletoe (1993)
The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati (1996)
In Through the Out Door (TV-1998)
John Scott: Art & Justice (1998, documentary, short)
Wrinkle (2001)
Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8 (TV-2004, documentary)
Flatly Stacked (TV-2004, documentary)
Meet the Sumdees (TV-2004, documentary)
Penis Dementia: The Search for the Perfect Penis (TV-2005, documentary)
Stacked Like Me (TV-2006, documentary)
100 Films and a Funeral (2007)
Acquainted with the Night (2011, documentary)
The F-Word: Who Wants to be a Feminist? (TV-2011, documentary)
Ice, Sweat and Tears (2013, documentary)
Shatner’s World… We Just Live in It… (TV-2013)
Incident at Elysian Fields (2013, short)
The Trick with the Gun (2015, documentary)
Once an Immigrant (TV-2016)
ADHD: Not Just For Kids (TV-2017)
Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit (2018, documentary)
The Haunts of Murray McLauchlan (2018, documentary, short)
Pugly: A Pug’s Life (2019, documentary)
TV Series – at least 1 episode of:
The Elephant Show (1987, 1988)
Polka Dot Shorts (1995)
Elliot Moose (2000)
Driven by Vision (2009)
Fanboy Confessional (2011)
Lights Out (2012 for The Nature of Things with David Suzuki)
Credits as a Screenwriter:
Wrinkle (2001)
Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8 (TV-2004, documentary)
Flatly Stacked (TV-2004, documentary)
Meet the Sumdees (TV-2004, documentary)
Penis Dementia: The Search for the Perfect Penis (TV-2005, documentary)
Stacked Like Me (TV-2006, documentary)
100 Films and a Funeral (2007)
The F-Word: Who Wants to be a Feminist? (TV-2011, documentary)
Ice, Sweat and Tears (2013, documentary)
TV Series – at least 1 episode of:
The Elephant Show (1987, 1988)
Polka Dot Shorts (1995)
The Life and Times of Robert Munsch (2000)
Driven by Vision (2009)
Fanboy Confessional (2011)
Lights Out (2012 for The Nature of Things with David Suzuki)
Ice, Sweat and Tears (2013, documentary)
The Cholesterol Question (2014,documentary)
Celtic Soul (2016, documentary)
ADHD: Not Just for Kids (TV-2017, documentary)
Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit (2018, documentary)
The Haunts of Murray McLauchlan (2018, documentary, short)
Pugly: A Pug’s Life (2019, documentary)
Credits as a Producer:
The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati (1996)
Wrinkle (2001)
Genuine Article: The First Trial (TV-2003, documentary)
Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8 (TV-2004, documentary)
Flatly Stacked (TV-2004, documentary)
Meet the Sumdees (TV-2004, documentary)
Penis Dementia: The Search for the Perfect Penis (TV-2005, documentary)
Stacked Like Me (TV-2006, documentary)
100 Films and a Funeral (2007)
Victoria Day (2009)
Sounds Like a Revolution (2010, documentary)
I Want to be a Desi (2010, short)
Acquainted with the Night (2011, documentary)
The F-Word: Who Wants to be a Feminist? (TV-2011, documentary)
Ice, Sweat and Tears (2013, documentary)
Hold Fast (2013)
Incident at Elysian Fields (2013, short)
David & Me (2014, documentary) Big News from Grand Rock (2014)
The Cholesterol Question (2014,documentary)
The Trick with the Gun (2015, documentary)
Celtic Soul (2016, documentary)
ADHD: Not Just for Kids (TV-2017, documentary)
Bird (2017, short)
Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit (2018, documentary) Level 16 (2018)
Beholder (2018, documentary, short)
Pugly: A Pug’s Life (2019, documentary)
TV Series – at least 1 episode of:
Driven by Vision (2009)
Fanboy Confessional (2011)
Lights Out (2012 for The Nature of Things with David Suzuki)
