Background

American / Australian Michael J. Lutman is a film and TVC director based in Melbourne, Victoria. Cutting his teeth as a documentary filmmaker — Plasticized (2011), Baykeepers (2014, OIFF Best Short Documentary), Chautauqua (2016) — he refined his story telling chops at the legendary commercial post-house, The Butchery. There, Michael cut ads for some of Australia’s biggest brands and got the chance to collaborate with acclaimed directors such as Justin Kurzel, Garth Davis, and Mark Molloy.

Combining the wealth of knowledge from years of both editing and documentary, Michael has recently focussed on expanding his film making passions into the narrative and commercial directing space. With an approach that brings out authenticity, humour and heart, Michael’s work draws you into every story, whether factual or performance based. He has an ability to create work that surpasses expectations — from the emotional and visually compelling, to laugh out loud funny.

Some of his most recent directing work includes clients such as Mountain Goat, Melbourne International Film Festival, TAC, Red Cross, RSPCA, Puma, Officeworks, and Dare Iced Coffee.