ABOUT US:
Producer MICHAEL RILEY co-founded Sterling Pictures in 1994 and is the CEO.
Michael began his film career with a SKY TV documentary in 1991 about Tibetan refugees and the Dalai Llama filmed throughout India. He then made a number of TV films including 'FLUSH' (Granada TV), 'MOTHER'S DAY' (Yorkshire/Tyne Tees) and 'EVERYTHING'S FINE' (ZDF).
He moved to feature film production in 1995 with Paul Hills’ coming-of-age 'BOSTON KICKOUT'. The film won numerous awards at film festivals including San Sebastian and Valencia. This was followed by a succession of feature films including 'RESPECT' - a cross-cultural love story, Allan Niblo’s quirky romcom 'LOOP', JK Amalou’s gangster spoof 'HARD MEN' and 'OUT OF DEPTH' - a thriller with Sean Maguire, Rita Tushingham and Isla Fisher.
From 1997 to 2001 he developed and produced the 10x50 min family saga 'IN A LAND OF PLENTY'. Directed by Hettie Macdonald and David Moore and starring Helen McCrory and Robert Pugh the epic BBC family saga won Best European Drama at the Koln Conference was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award and remains one of the most acclaimed television dramas ever produced in the UK.
His next feature film, Joe Tucker’s irreverent black comedy 'LAVA', was released by Universal Pictures in the UK to great notices and screened at numerous international film festivals. Then came the innovative cult horror film 'VAMPIRE DIARY' starring Anna Walton which went on to win Best Film at the 2008 Milan International Film Festival and the drama/thriller 'OUTLANDERS’ (Winner: Best Film at Braga Cine IFF and Best Film at CinePobre IFF). He also completed 'SPOOOKED!', Scott Michell’s supernatural comedy pilot and the short film 'A GIRL AND A GUN' starring Ian Hart, one of the UK’s most successful short films ever in global downloads. Michael has also acted as co-producer on the comedy/drama 'THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN' with Nathalie Press, and produced Gary Love’s thriller 'SUGARHOUSE' starring Ashley Walters, Andy Serkis and Steve Mackintosh released theatrically in the UK in 2007 following a Gala Screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
This was followed by ‘WAITING’, the hypnotically beautiful Turner Prize nominated installation film shot in Kenya for artist ZARINA BHIMJI. In 2008/9 he produced the documentary ‘CHINA’S WILD WEST’. Filmed secretly in China’s remote Taklamakan Desert, the film received its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and has gone on to screen at many of the world’s foremost international film festivals, winning Best Film at the 2009 Anuu-ru Aboro International Film Festival. He then co-produced Jackie Oudney’s romantic drama ‘FRENCH FILM’ starring Eric Cantona and Hugh Bonneville and acted as UK Producer on the Canadian film ‘THE GOOD TIMES ARE KILLING ME’ starring Kelly Rowan and Rupert Graves. In the summer of 2010 Michael filmed in Madagascar for the documentary ‘ZANAKA’, studying Malagasy traditional family life.
In 2010/11 Michael produced the noir/comedy ‘HARD BOILED SWEETS’ starring Ian Hart, Paul Freeman, Peter Wight and Ty Glaser, co-produced the dark kidnap thriller ‘DEVIATION’ starring Danny Dyer and is currently in post production on hard-hitting satire ‘ZERO’ producing alongside Nicolas Roeg. His next film is the noir horror/thriller ‘SCAR TISSUE’, shooting in the autumn of 2011.
Michael trained at the MEDIA II Film Business School in Ronda, was founding Head of Production for Arts Alliance-backed production/distribution company Slingshot Studios and is a member of BAFTA and The European Film Academy.
