Michael Tyburski

Michael Tyburski
Michael Tyburski on the set of The Sound of Silence
Born	(1984-08-08) August 8, 1984 (age 40)
Occupation(s)	Screenwriter, film director
Years active	2011–present

Michael Tyburski (born August 8, 1984) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for directing The Sound of Silence, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.^[1]

Early life

Tyburski was born and raised in Vermont’s rural Northeast Kingdom. While at North Country Union High School,^[2][3] he produced and hosted two seasons of a cable-access show, broadcast from his parents' basement.^[4] At age 15, he attended the Fledgling Films Summer Institute, founded by Vermont filmmaker, Jay Craven, where he first learned the craft of filmmaking.^[5] In college, Tyburski majored in Moving Image Arts at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico. After graduating, he served as a production assistant and performed various other roles on There Will Be Blood.^[6][7]

Career

Early in his career, Tyburski came up directing commercials and branded content for major companies such as Google, Verizon, GE, Target, and L’Oreal. He also served as the director of photography on the SXSW Grand Jury Prize winning documentary, William and the Windmill.^[8][9]

In 2013, Tyburski's short film, "Palimpsest,"^[10] premiered at Sundance, where it won a Special Jury Award.^[11] That same year, Tyburski was named amongst the "25 New Faces of Independent Film" by Filmmaker Magazine.^[12]

In 2014, his short documentary, “Brooklyn Farmer,” premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival,^[13] in the Culinary Zinema section. In 2015, his short, "Actor Seeks Role,"^[14] premiered at IFFBoston, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Short Film,^[15] and was also featured on The New Yorkers Screening Room series.^[16]

Tyburski's debut feature film, The Sound of Silence, starring Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in U.S. Dramatic Competition.^[17][18][19] The film was acquired for international distribution by Sony Pictures Worldwide^[20] and by IFC Films^[21] in the United States.

The Sound of Silence received the SFFILM Dolby Fellowship, which allowed the film to be finished in the high-dynamic-range format of Dolby Vision, and the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos. It was the first time the Dolby Institute Fellowship was given to a film at the script stage, before filming commenced.^[22] While making the film, Tyburski was also named a Feature Film Fellow by the Sundance Institute, after attending the Film Music and Sound Design Lab at Skywalker Sound.^[23] In development, the project was selected for the Independent Filmmaker Project's Emerging Storyteller's Program, and the Screenwriting Lab at the Hampton’s International Film Festival, where it received support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.^[24][25] The script was also the recipient of the "High Scribe Award" at the Sun Valley Film Festival Screenwriters Lab, hosted by Mark Duplass.^[26]

Tyburski's second feature, Turn Me On, a dystopian romance starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson, premiered at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival in the New Directors section.^[27] The film is being distributed in North America by Vertical Entertainment.^[28]

Filmography

Feature films

• The Sound of Silence (2019)
• Turn Me On (2024)

Short films

• "Angelfish" (2011)^[29]
• "Palimpsest" (2013)^[30]
• "Brooklyn Farmer" (2013)
• "Actor Seeks Role" (2015)^[31]

References

1. "2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: 112 FEATURES ANNOUNCED". November 25, 2018.
2. "Michael Tyburski Biography".
3. Cleveland, Jennifer Hersey (February 7, 2013). "Derby Native's Film Awarded At Sundance".
4. Shia, Jonathan (September 25, 2019). "MICHAEL TYBURSKI FINDS THE SILENCE IN NEW YORK CITY".
5. Rimer, Sara (August 9, 1999). "In Vermont, a Summer Camp for Teen-Age Auteurs".
6. Hicks, Luke (February 4, 2019). "Talking Sundance, Sarsgaard, and Sound with Writer/Director Michael Tyburski".
7. Tyburski, Michael (March 15, 2016). "What I Learned Working on There Will Be Blood".
8. Hicks, Luke (February 4, 2019). "Talking Sundance, Sarsgaard, and Sound with Writer/Director Michael Tyburski".
9. "William and the Windmill IMDb".
10. MarBelle (August 16, 2013). "DN296: Palimpsest - Michael Tyburski".
11. Block, Mitchell (February 12, 2013). "Sundance 2013 Short Film Awards Reviewed".
12. Macaulay, Scott (July 15, 2013). "25 New Faces of Independent Film: Michael Tyburski & Ben Nabors".
13. "2014 Brooklyn Farmer, Michael Tyburski, USA".
14. "INTERVIEW: MICHAEL TYBURSKI TALKS ACTOR SEEKS ROLE". 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
15. "Independent Film Festival Boston, 2015 Awards".
16. Schulman, Michael (2015-06-22). "The Screening Room: "Actor Seeks Role"". ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
17. Sundance Institute. "the-sound-of-silence". sundance.org. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
18. "The 2019 MovieMaker Sundance Survey: Eleven Sundance-Selected Films, and Their Mountain-Bound Makers - Page 11 of 12". MovieMaker Magazine. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
19. "'The Sound of Silence': Film Review | Sundance 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
20. Lang, Brent (2019-01-25). "Sundance: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Nabs International Rights to 'Sound of Silence' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
21. "IFC Films Nabs Peter Sarsgaard Starrer 'The Sound of Silence'". The Hollywood Reporter. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
22. "The Sound of Silence". January 27, 2019.
23. "Sundance Institute and Skywalker Sound Announce Composers and Directors for 2018 Film Music and Sound Design Lab". June 28, 2018.
24. Luers, Erik (July 23, 2014). "2014 Project Forum Slate".
25. Gills, Melina (April 9, 2014). "Screenwriters and Mentors Announced for the Hamptons International Film Festival Screenwriters' Lab".
26. "That's a wrap! Sun Valley Film Festival announces winners". March 8, 2016.
27. Calnan, Ellie (July 17, 2024). "San Sebastian festival unveils 2024 New Directors selection".
28. Davis, Tim (September 27, 2024). "Michael Tyburski's romantic comedy 'Turn Me On' sells to North America".
29. Bell, Christopher (May 4, 2012). "The Brooklyn Arts Council's Short Film Showcase 'Brooklyn In Brief' An Enjoyable, Varied Collection Of Work".
30. Block, Mitchell (February 12, 2013). "Sundance 2013 Short Film Awards Reviewed".
31. Schulman, Michael (June 22, 2015). "The Screening Room: "Actor Seeks Role"".

External links

• Michael Tyburski at IMDb
• Official website