Michelle Nehme is an award-winning filmmaker living in Austin, TX. Her work has been Emmy-nominated and has played on PBS, at SXSW, and internationally. Michelle received her MFA in Film Production from the University of Texas, where she was nominated for the Princess Grace Award for Directing. In 2010, she began documenting stories about domestic sex trafficking and how cities can build lasting solution from the ground up. Her work on the issue has been awarded three grants, including an Austin Film Society Grant. Her short film, Complicit, follows the story of a trafficking survivor who became an advocate for survivors across the US. Complicit screened at the Austin Ballet and Zilker Hillside Theater, where the score was performed live. Michelle has also worked with a variety of non-profit and commercial clients, including Be The Bridge, Pure Action, and John Paul Dejoria’s Peace Love Happiness Charity Ride. Most recently, she worked as a writer and lead editor on Citizens at Last, a PBS documentary about women’s suffrage in Texas.
“My father is a Lebanese immigrant and my mother is from Marietta, Georgia, so I have a rich cultural background that was sometimes at odds but also could be quite complimentary. Both sides of my family loved to tell stories! My strength in storytelling is uncovering the hidden wholeness of communities and the people within them. My films are experiences that inspire new points of view, relational connection and compassion.”
American Love Story, compilation of short docs and narratives (Writer/Director/Editor) Citizens at Last, 120 min (Writer/Researcher/Editor), PBS
Complicit, 19 minutes (Writer, Director, Editor), Princess Grace Nomination
Canine Soldiers, 65 minutes (Editor), Audience Award - Beloit International Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, PBS
The Wildlands, 15 minutes (Editor), Lonestar Emmy Nomination, PBS
Peace Love Happiness, 8 minutes (Writer, Director, Editor), short doc for John Paul Dejoria’s foundation
Starring Adam West, 98 minutes (Producer – Austin Unit), San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
Tru Country Concert Series, Season One (Producer, Director), RFD-TV
Barbecue: A Texas Love Story, 65 minutes (Co-Writer, Production), Emmy Nomination, SXSW
Awards and Nominations
2018 Lonestar Emmy Nomination, The Wildlands
2017 Audience Award - Beloit International Film Festival, Canine Soldiers
2013 Shamrock Foundation Grant Recipient, American Love Story
2011 Austin Film Society Grant Recipient, American Love Story
2011 Dina Sherzer Award, Complicit
2004 Emmy Nomination - Barbecue: A Texas Love Story