Michael Paxton

Michael Paxton (born March 29, 1957) is an American filmmaker and writer.[1] He has directed, produced, and written several films, both live action and animated, as well as plays and books. His feature documentary Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life[2] received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature and a Golden Satellite Award for Best Documentary film in 1997. Paxton currently works as Multimedia Producer for the Ayn Rand Institute.[3]

Michael Paxton
Born (1957-03-29) March 29, 1957
Kingston, New York
Alma materUniversity at Albany, SUNY (BA)
New York University (MFA)
Occupation(s)Film director, film producer, screenwriter, playwright

Early life and education

Michael Paxton was born Michael Anthony Palumbo on March 29, 1957, in Kingston, New York.

In 1975, Paxton began attending the University at Albany, SUNY, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1979.

He then attended the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he received a Master of Fine Arts in for Film & Television in 1988. Paxton's graduate thesis film, Forbidden Fruit, won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Editing at the 1988 NYU Film Festival.[4]

Career

In 1989, Paxton co-produced and directed the world premiere of Ayn Rand's play Ideal at the Melrose Theater in Hollywood, and in 1991, he adapted and directed a dramatic presentation of Rand's futuristic novella Anthem.[4] In 1995, he was the assistant director on the live-action/animated feature The Pagemaster for Turner Pictures.

In November 1996, Paxton released the feature documentary Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life. The documentary takes its name from the concept of a sense of life, a concept that Ayn Rand developed and defined as a "pre-conceptual equivalent of metaphysics, an emotional, subconsciously integrated appraisal of man and of existence. It sets the nature of a man’s emotional responses and the essence of his character."[5] In 1997, Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 69th Academy Awards. It also won the Golden Satellite Award for Best Feature Documentary of 1997.

Paxton also co-produced the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life and was Visual Effects Supervisor on Stuart Little 2. He was the Associate Producer on The Lion King 1½ for Disney, Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows for Miramax, and Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton for The CW.

In addition to his film and theater work, Paxton has written four books: Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (The Companion Book) and three children's books for Disney based on classic animated features: Cinderella, The Rescuers Down Under, and The Aristocats.

Works

Films
  • Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1996), writer/director/producer
  • A Place in the Circle (2000), co-director/co-producer
  • Stuart Little 2 (2002), visual effects coordinator
  • Ideal (2004) (V), writer/director/producer
  • Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows (2005), associate producer
  • Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton (2008) (V), line producer

Animation projects

Plays
  • Ideal (1989), writer/director/producer
  • Anthem (1991), writer/director/producer

Books
  • Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life, The Companion Book, writer (1998)
  • The Aristocats, writer (1999)
  • Cinderella, writer (1999)
  • The Rescuers Down Under, writer (1999)

References
  1. "Index to Motion Picture Credits – Paxton, Michael". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  2. "Index to Motion Picture Credits – Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  3. "Michael Paxton (Director)". AynRandASenseofLife.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  4. Sutton, Larry. "A Payoff for Patience: NYU Film Maker Bides Time, Wins Chance for Oscar". NYDailyNews.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  5. Rand, Ayn (1971). The Romantic Manifesto (paperback ed.). New York: Signet. OCLC 733753672.
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