Michelle Paymar is an award-winning filmmaker currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Her independent work has screened at festivals around the world and she has extensive credits as a director and writer of documentary and non-fiction television programs for NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, CBC, MTV, CTV, Travel, Discovery, History, and other major broadcasters.

Her production company, D-Facto Filmstudio, makes independent documentaries and promotional films for nonprofits and NGOs. Clients include Amnesty International (Canada), Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay (California), and the Ayubowan Women’s Project (Sri Lanka). Earlier films include her pioneering AIDS documentary, For Our Lives, and Sippie, a documentary about classic blues artist Sippie Wallace (co-directed with Roberta Grossman).

She received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Directing from the American Film Institute and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Paymar is a member of the International Documentary Association and Women in Film.