Michael M. Bilandic is an American film director, writer and producer, best known for his gritty New York City based microbudget comedies Hellaware, Jobe'z World and Project Space 13 (2021).[1] He is a frequent collaborator of the director Abel Ferrara and cinematographer Sean Price Williams.[2][3]
Michael M. Bilandic | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chicago, U.S. |
| Occupation | Director |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Early life
editMichael M. Bilandic was born in 1978, in Chicago, Illinois to Heather Morgan and former mayor of Chicago and chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, Michael Anthony Bilandic.[4]
As a young man, Bilandic joined his grandfather on a fishing trip to northern Wisconsin. He viewed his grandfather as a nice man and the "alpha of the family".[5]
Bilandic moved from Chicago to Lower Manhattan just several days before the September 11 attacks in 2001. The neighborhood stayed his place of residence for years and the backdrop for all of his films.[6]
In 2004 Bilandic worked as directing intern for Spike Lee on his film She Hate Me.[7] In 2008, he began working with Abel Ferrara, first as his assistant on the documentary "Chelsea on the Rocks" then moving up to producing his films "Mulberry St." in 2010 and "The Projectionist in 2019.[8]
Career
editBilandic wrote and directed his first feature film, Happy Life in 2011. The project was executive produced by Abel Ferrara and tells the story of a DJ running a failing record store specializing in techno. The film features stars Tom McCaffrey and features Kate Lyn Sheil and Alex Ross Perry. Happy Life marks the first collaboration with Sean Price Williams, who has acted as cinematographer on all of Bilandic's work.[9]
Hellaware, Bilandic's sophomore feature stars Keith Poulson and Sophia Takal as a New York art world hopeful who stumbles upon a group of teenage horrorcore rappers in rural Delaware and begins to photograph them, which leads to his own success. Several prominent independent filmmakers make cameos throughout the film, including Josh Safdie, Eleonore Hendricks and Robert Greene.[10] The film was picked up by the Brooklyn based independent film distribution company Factory 25.[11]
Bilandic's next film Jobe'z World and stars Jason Grisell as a rollerblading drug dealer who lives and works by night in Manhattan. The cast also features Theodore Bouloukos and Owen Kline. It film premiered at Manhattan theater Cinema Village.[12]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bilandic wrote, directed and released Project Space 13. It functions as a loose sequel to 2013's Hellaware, following the further exploits of Keith Poulson's character. Jobe'z World stars Theodore Bouloukos and Jason Grisell return to round out the cast. It was released in 2021 on Mubi (streaming service).[13]
Bilandic has acted in films for Dasha Nekrasova, Sebastian Sommer and Ricky D'Ambrose.[14]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mulberry St. | No | No | Yes | No | dir. Abel Ferrara |
| 2011 | Happy Life | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Debut |
| 2010 | Hellaware | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 2018 | Jobe'z World | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 2019 | The Projectionist | No | No | Yes | No | dir. Abel Ferrara |
| 2021 | Project Space 13 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Loose sequel to Hellaware |
| 2021 | The Scary of Sixty-First | No | No | No | Yes | dir. Dasha Nekrasova |
References
edit- ^ Telaroli, Gina (18 January 2019). "MICHAEL M. BILANDIC with Gina Telaroli". Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "ReRunning Happy Life".
- ^ "Shooting the Hip: The Cinematography of Sean Price Williams".
- ^ "Chicago native Mike Bilandic -- son of former mayor -- making his own way as an indie filmmaker". 30 October 2014.
- ^ "CumTown Patreon Episodes 2022: Ep. XXB - Mike Bilandic (Bonus 305)".
- ^ "Anarchy in NYC: Michael M. Bilandic's Streetwise Cinema".
- ^ "Michael M. Bilandic". IMDb.
- ^ "Anarchy in NYC: Michael M. Bilandic's Streetwise Cinema".
- ^ Gold, Daniel M. (14 October 2011). "Trying to Sell Old-School Vinyl and Stay Afloat Financially". The New York Times.
- ^ "Film Review: 'Hellaware'". 26 September 2014.
- ^ "Hellaware".
- ^ ""Jobe'z World," Reviewed: A New Film Showcases a Secret Weapon of Independent Cinema, the Actor Theodore Bouloukos". The New Yorker. 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Project Space 13 review – lockdown comedy takes aim at pretentious artworld". TheGuardian.com. 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Michael M. Bilandic". IMDb.