Michael Dowse

Michael Dowse is a Canadian director, writer, and producer known for his work in English-language comedy filmmaking. Dowse has transitioned from independently produced comedies to commercial films featuring Hollywood actors, achieving box office success while exploring and challenging stereotypes within Canadian cinema. While studying communications at the University of Calgary, Dowse worked as an editor at the campus television station NUTV and later won the National Screen Institute Drama Prize, which enabled him to write, direct, and edit his first short film, "237."

Dowse gained international attention with his feature debut, "FUBAR," a film he wrote, directed, edited, shot, and produced. The film, shot on a digital camera with a limited budget, was selected by the Sundance Film Festival and screened in the midnight slot. "FUBAR" became a cult hit in Canada, was released internationally, and earned Dowse a Genie nomination for best editing. He followed with "It's All Gone Pete Tong," a faux biopic that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the City TV Award for Best Canadian Feature Film and was named one of Canada's Top Ten films by an independent national panel. Dowse also received a U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Film Discovery Jury Award for the film.

Dowse continued his career with a series of comedy features, including the 1980s-inspired "Take Me Home Tonight" and "The F Word," starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, and Adam Driver. He directed the hockey comedy "Goon," based on the true story of an unlikely journey into minor league hockey, featuring Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber, Jay Baruchel, and Eugene Levy. Dowse also directed "Stuber," starring Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, and Iko Uwais, a comedy centered on an Uber driver and a nearly blind police officer.

Dowse returned to Canadian storytelling with "The Stunt Driver," a film about Ken Carter, a Canadian stuntman whose goal was to complete a mile-long jump in a rocket car across the St. Lawrence River. Written and directed by Dowse, the film stars Jay Baruchel, Ed Helms, and Ben Foster and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. With "The Stunt Driver," Dowse has premiered five features at the Toronto International Film Festival, reflecting his ongoing commitment to Canadian cinema and comedy filmmaking.