Michael Mankowski

Michael Mankowski owned a video production company in Fort McMurray when the 2016 wildfire devastated his hometown. Following the disaster, the Red Cross asked him to interview local residents. Their touching stories inspired Mankowski to write an animated film about the fire, and later, to study animation at Vancouver Film School. His 2021 film, “Back Home Again,” features an all-star cast, including Michael J. Fox, Catherine O’Hara and Lorne Cardinal. To date, “Back Home Again” has won the Jury Award for Best Short Film and the Audience Choice Award for Best Dramatic Film at the Edmonton International Film Festival and Leo awards for Best Animated Program and Best Screenwriting from the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British Columbia. Most recently, Michael Mankowski’s film enjoyed an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run.