JOHN J. MICHALCZYK
Boston College
Documentary Filmmaker, Film Studies Program Director, and Film Professor in the Art, Art History & Film Dept.
Boston College Fine Arts Professor John Michalczyk, director of the university's Film Studies Program, is a filmmaker whose documentaries have focused on issues of social justice. He often uses the examinations of painful human experiences to shed light on our humanity.
Since 2001, Michalczyk has directed the Jacques Salmanowitz Program for Moral Courage in Documentary Film for aspiring student filmmakers interested in producing films addressing issues of moral courage, human rights and social justice. The program is named for Jacques Salmanowitz, a Swiss businessman who was instrumental in bringing individuals trapped behind enemy lines in World War II to safety in Switzerland and in other European countries. The program provides a film production mentoring service, including advice, consultation and workshops, for BC undergraduate or graduate students who are interested in making films about social issues.
SUSAN A. MICHALCZYK
Documentary Filmmaker, MCAS Professor, Boston College
Boston College Professor Susan Michalczyk, former assistant director of the Arts & Sciences Honors Program, has been a partner with her husband, John, in both teaching and film production for over twenty years. In her film work, as in her academic career, Michalczyk’s focus is on issues of social justice and human rights.
The Michalczyks’ documentaries explore issues of discrimination, hatred, human rights, and social justice. Their films have given voice to those working for peaceful resolutions in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, South Africa, and the Middle East; to those confronting discrimination, racism, and abuse of power; and to those standing up against anti-Semitism, from the time of the Holocaust to the present.
Directed and produced by John J. Michalczyk, and Susan A. Michalczyk, in collaboration with their son, John J. Michalczyk III, these documentaries focus on issues of social justice, both historical and current, as well as conflict resolution in world trouble spots, including Northern Ireland, Germany, the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East, Sicily, Russia, and the United States. For a complete listing with information on each film, please visit our Films page.