The Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) will honor award-winning director/writer/producer Michael Dinner with its annual Filmmaker Award.
Dinner served as executive producer/showrunner/director for multiple series including The Wonder Years, Chicago Hope, Early Edition, Karen Sisco, Kidnapped, Mr. Sterling, Justified, Masters of Sex, Sneaky Pete, and Mayans M.C. He also directed critically acclaimed pilots including Tribeca, The Street, Fantasy Island, Bionic Woman, Sons of Anarchy, and Justified. In addition, he served as creator/showrunner/writer/director of Amazon’s and Channel 4’s Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, and he was a contributing director on Netflix’s award-winning Unbelievable and Apple’s re-boot of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. His most recent project is the FX limited series Justified: City Primeval, a follow up to the hit series Justified, which he also produced and is now streaming on Hulu. He is currently the executive producer and director on Silo for Apple TV+.
Dinner will receive the award at the 71st Annual MPSE Golden Reel Awards on Sunday, March 3, 2024, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
Dinner is being honored for a body of work across television and film and spanning genres as diverse as sci-fi, comedy, and action. “The scope of Michael’s work is amazing and inspiring,” said MPSE president Mark A. Lanza. “Many of his shows have become classics, applauded by critics and enjoyed by audiences worldwide. He is also a meticulous craftsman, insisting on excellence in every aspect of his projects, especially sound. Our members have great respect for his many accomplishments and take pride in honoring him with our Filmmaker Award.”
“Part of the job as a filmmaker is to learn how to dance with your partner,” commented Dinner. “I have had great partners, great sound and music editors in film and television. It is an honor to be recognized by the MPSE, to be honored by folks with whom I love working. It has been a great collaboration. I have learned a lot from you – we have taught each other great steps. And I still get giddy every time we start to tell and embellish the story that we are putting in front of the audience.”
Dinner began his career as a songwriter for MCA and went on to record two solo albums for Fantasy Records with collaborators including Glenn Frey, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris. Later, he returned to Harvard, graduating cum laude in Irish studies before attending The American Film Institute. At AFI, he began work as director/writer on his first film, Miss Lonelyhearts. Starring Eric Roberts, the film screened at the Cannes Film Festival and was honored with the Prix de la Jeunesse, a special jury directing award, and went on to win the Silver Lion at the Locarno Film Festival. Miss Lonelyhearts aired as part of the American Playhouse series on PBS. Simultaneously, Dinner began developing the script for Catholic Boys which became his American studio directorial debut and was selected as the opening film for the Deauville Film Festival.
