Michael Eckels is a filmmaker based in New York. Born in Vermont, he grew up the youngest of five with math-teacher parents and deeply involved in cross-country skiing. After serving as a Peace Corps English teacher near Vladivostok, Russia, he worked as a photojournalist for The Moscow Times and Agence France-Presse. As digital photography merged with video, he shifted toward cinema, earning an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he received a Spike Lee Fellowship. His documentary work has screened at major international film festivals. Michael’s creative practice spans film, photography, poetry — traditional and experimental. He lives in New York City with his wife and their two sons.