Lutman Films

San Franciscan born Michael J. Lutman is an award-winning independent filmmaker with a keen interest in environmental advocacy. His first feature documentary Plasticized (2011) followed Marcus Eriksen and the 5 Gyres Institute's ground breaking plastic pollution research in the South Atlantic ocean. This film, along with the topical follow up Baykeepers (2014, OIFF Best Short Documentary), helped show that marine plastic pollution is part of a global epidemic. He has also created an extensive body of work for numerous NGO's covering topics such as female employment in Afghanistan to battling poverty in Sri Lanka, such as the fundraising Cycle on Ceylon (2012) film for Practical Action's (UK NGO) infrastructure projects. Currently he is in post-production for his next documentary about an independent thinking Afghan girl struggling to pursue music and higher education in the war scarred city of Kabul. Bolstered by a commercial sensibility garnered from working as an editor for 7 years at one of Australia's most respected post-production houses, The Butchery, Michael has a relentless passion for making soulful and thought provoking films challenging stagnant perspectives.