David Michôd


David Michôd is an Australian film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for directing the critically acclaimed crime drama Animal Kingdom and dystopian drama The Rover. He also co-wrote Hesher.

Education and early career

Michôd was educated at Sydney Grammar School before moving to Melbourne to study arts at the University of Melbourne. After working for the Victorian Department of Education he decided to attend film school while in his mid-20s. He was the editor of Inside Film magazine from 2003 to 2006.

Career

Early career: Short films and documentaries

Michôd began his directing career in short films, with Ezra White, LL.B. in 2006 being one of the first to make an impact. In 2007, Michôd's short film Crossbow, a coming-of-age drama was premiered at the Venice Film Festival and received positive response from critics. Afterwards, the film competed at number of film festivals and earned good reviews. The film also screened at Sundance Film Festival and won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay in a Short Film.
In 2008, Michôd directed another short film, Netherland Dwarf, which also screened at Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival and earned positive reviews from critics. The same year, Michôd co-directed Solo, a documentary film with Jennifer Peedom. It depicts the fatal journey of Australian adventurer Andrew McAuley who went on a solo kayak crossing from Tasmania to New Zealand. The documentary received a positive response upon release, with Empire rating the film five stars: "As a tribute to a man – and man's – insatiable search for adventure, it's unforgettable." In 2009, Michôd directed Inside the Square, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of 2008 film The Square directed by Nash Edgerton.

Feature films

''Animal Kingdom''

In 2010, he released his first feature film, Animal Kingdom. The film was widely acclaimed by critics and received several awards and nominations. Dave Calhoun from Time Out compared him to Martin Scorsese saying that "He brings a big dose of Scorsese to Melbourne in telling of a fictional crime family." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader praised Michôds director saying "Writer-director David Michôd creates a densely textured moral universe that makes good on his metaphoric title." Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic'' said that "The naturalistic style Michôd employs adds to the sense of dread. Is there no way out of this existence?" The film became the third highest grossing Australian film at the Australian box office in 2010, with a worldwide box office gross of US$5,775,563.

''The Rover''

Michôd's next film, The Rover, was a futuristic Western starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. Filming began on 29 January 2013 in Southern Flinders Ranges in Australia and ended on 16 March 2013 in Marree, north of Adelaide. The film premiered out of competition in the Midnight Screenings section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2014. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said "David Michod's follow-up to his internationally successful debut with the Melbourne gangster saga Animal Kingdom is equally murderous but more pared down to basics, as desperate men enact a survival-of-the-meanest scenario in an economically gutted world reduced to Old West outlaw behavior." The film had a limited release on 13 June 2014 in New York City and Los Angeles before expanding nationwide on 20 June 2014 in the United States.

''War Machine''

On 14 April 2014 it was announced that Michôd would write and direct The Operators, based on the 2011 best seller of the same name by Michael Hastings. The film will be jointly produced by Plan B Entertainment, New Regency and RatPac Entertainment, with Brad Pitt attached to star. It was later retitled War Machine. In March 2017, Netflix released a teaser trailer for the film in which Brad Pitt plays a thinly veiled version of Stanley A. McChrystal. Hastings also wrote the Rolling Stone article that revealed the friction between McChrystal's staff and then President Barack Obama's and which ultimately led to McChrystal losing his job. The film was released on Netflix on 26 May 2017 and was met with mixed reviews.

''The King''

In an interview in 2013, it was revealed that Joel Edgerton and Michôd had co-written The King, an adaptation for Warner Bros. Pictures of three Shakespeare's plays : Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V. In February 2018, it was announced that Timothée Chalamet had been cast in the titular role, with Plan B Entertainment and Blue-Tongue Films, set to produce. Principal photography began on 1 June 2018 in London. The film premiered on Netflix on 1 November 2019.

''Christy''

In May 2024, it was announced that a biographical film about the former professional boxer Christy Martin was in production, with Michôd set to direct, and a screenplay written by Michôd and Mirrah Foulkes. The film stars Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Weaver, Katy O'Brian, Ethan Embry, and Chad L. Coleman. It chronicles the rise of Martin to become America's best-known female boxer in the 1990s, and later her coach-turned-husband's 2010 attempted murder of her. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025.

Influences

In the 2012 Sight & Sound Poll of the greatest films of all time Michôd chose Apocalypse Now, Alien, The [Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford], Funny Games, Magnolia, Network, Sunset Blvd., The [Thin Red Line (1998 film)|The Thin Red Line], Taxi Driver and Werckmeister Harmonies as his top ten picks.

Filmography

Film

Short film
YearTitleDirectorWriter
2000Noise
2005The IF Thing
2006Ezra White, LL.B.
2007Crossbow
2007Spider
2008I Love Sarah Jane
2008Netherland Dwarf
2008Solo
2009Inside the Square
2011Bear

'Producer'
Feature film
YearTitleDirectorWriterProducer
2010Animal Kingdom
2010Hesher
2014The Rover
2017War Machine
2019The King
2025Christy
TBA

Television

Acting roles


Recurring collaborators

This chart lists every actor who has appeared in more than one film directed by Michôd. Anthony Hayes, Joel Edgerton, and Mirrah Foulkes are Michôd's most frequent collaborators, with Hayes and Edgerton each having appeared in four and Foulkes in five of his films.

ActorEzra White, LL.B.CrossbowNetherland DwarfInside the SquareAnimal KingdomThe RoverWar MachineThe King Total
Dan Wyllie2
Mirrah Foulkes5
Joel Edgerton4
Justin Rosniak3
Anthony Hayes4
Nash Edgerton2
Guy Pearce2
Susan Prior2
Ben Mendelsohn2
Scoot McNairy2
Robert Pattinson2


Awards

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2000TropfestBest Screenplay NoiseWon
2007Melbourne International Film FestivalFilm Victoria Erwin Rado Award for Best Australian Short FilmCrossbowWon
2007Australian Film Institute Awards (AFI)Best Screenplay in a Short FilmCrossbowWon
2007Fitz Best Short film AwardsBest Film CrossbowWon
2008Flickerfest film festivalBest DirectorCrossbowWon
2009Flickerfest film festivalBest Australian Short Film Netherland DwarfWon
2009Aspen ShortsfestBest DramaNetherland DwarfWon
2009Banff Mountain Film FestivalBest Film SoloWon
2009Festival du Film Voyage & Adventure, Montreal CanadaGrand Prix SoloWon
2009Vancouver International Mountain Film FestivalGrand Jury Prize SoloWon
2009Hory a Mesto Festival in SlovakiaGrand Prize SoloWon
2010Edinburgh Mountain Film FestivalBest Film SoloWon
2010Prague International film festivalGrand Prix SoloWon
2010Australian Directors GuildBest direction in a stand-alone documentary SoloWon
2010Australian Directors GuildBest Direction in a Feature FilmAnimal KingdomWon
2010Satellite AwardsBest DirectorAnimal KingdomNomitated
2010Film Critics Circle of AustraliaBest DirectorAnimal KingdomWon
2010Film Critics Circle of AustraliaBest Screenplay Animal KingdomWon
2010Australian Writers' GuildMajor AwardAnimal KingdomWon
2010Australian Writers' GuildFeature Film Screenplay Animal KingdomWon
2010Boston Society of Film Critics AwardsBest New Filmmaker Runner-upAnimal KingdomNomitated
2010New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle]2010 [New York Film Critics Circle Awards#Best First Film|Best First Film]Animal KingdomWon
2010Sundance Film FestivalWorld Cinema Jury Prize: DramaticAnimal KingdomWon
2010Stockholm International Film FestivalBest ScreenplayAnimal KingdomWon
2010Inside Film AwardsBest DirectorAnimal KingdomWon
2010Inside Film AwardsBest ScreenplayAnimal KingdomNomitated
2010Chicago Film Critics Association AwardsMost Promising FilmmakerAnimal KingdomNomitated
201052nd [Australian Film Institute Awards|Australian Film Institute Awards]Best DirectionAnimal KingdomWon
2010Australian Film Institute AwardsBest ScreenplayAnimal KingdomWon
2011ARIA Music AwardsBest VideoDavid Michod and Flood Projects for Children Collide - "Loveless"Nomitated
2013Australian Film Institute AwardsBest Short Fiction Film Dumpy Goes to the Big SmokeNomitated
2014Sydney Film FestivalOfficial Competition Award: Best FilmThe RoverNomitated
2014AACTA AwardsBest DirectionThe RoverNomitated
2014Australian Film Critics AssociationBest DirectorThe RoverNomitated