Michelle is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and actor based in Toronto.

Brave Little Army, her directorial debut, was made with an all-female crew under her shingle, Black Lab Film Company. Since premiering at the St. John’s Women’s International Film Festival in 2018, Brave Little Army has been an official selection of over 30 festivals, including the Canadian Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, and the Oscar-qualifying Bogota Short Film Festival. Brave Little Army has won multiple awards, notably Best Short at Voce Spettacolo Film Festival (Matera, Italy), a Special Jury Mention at Festival Courts d’un Soir (Montreal, Canada), and Jury Awards at both Lady Filmmakers Festival (Los Angeles, USA) and Chinh India Kids Festival (New Delhi, India).

Michelle’s screenplay for the next film in her trilogy, Brave Rebel Army, was a semi-finalist in the 2021 short script competition at Lady Filmmakers Festival.

Michelle’s plays have been produced at Summerworks Theatre Festival, the New Ideas Festival and Toronto Fringe Festival. She has been an invited member of the Tarragon Theatre Playwrights Unit, and was the recipient of a Theatre Ontario playwriting mentorship with the prolific Linda Griffiths.

As an actor, Michelle has enjoyed lending her voice to countless brands, such as Cadillac, Swarovski, Dove, Keurig, Coppertone, Fisher-Price, Peoples, and Jacob’s Creek Wines. Favourite on-camera credits include playing Tom Noonan’s muse in Tom Works Nights, the starring role of Lisa Fuillerat in the true story of her escape from an abusive husband in Forbidden: Dying for Love, and 1950s cannibal housewife Martha in the award-winning Guess Who’s Not Coming to Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?  

Michelle is proud to be a voting member of the Canadian Screen Academy, and a member of Women in Film & Television Toronto. She has served on the selection committee for Berlin Feminist Film Week and as a judge for the Nova Star Awards.

As part of her professional development, Michelle has participated in the Film Industry Forum at St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Directing Masterclass at the Canadian Film Festival, the Director’s Foundation Certificate course at Raindance Canada, and Screenwriting Masterclass with Scott Myers.