Film students in Nebraska and Iowa will benefit from a Greenlight Grant that was awarded to Dr. Michael White, film advisor at Wayne State.
Dr. Michael White, associate professor of communication arts and film advisor at Wayne State College, has received an $18,350 Greenlight Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) to help produce his movie “The Painter.”
White was one of three Iowa resident filmmakers who received Greenlight Grants, which are administered by the Iowa Arts Council and Produce Iowa (State Office of Film and Media). Both organizations are housed in the IEDA.
According to the IEDA’s website, Greenlight Grants are intended to provide entrepreneurial and collaborative Iowa filmmakers with a financial boost to launch a well-written script to screen and the opportunity to stretch creatively, think big and tell an important story that needs to be told to a larger audience. The goal of the Greenlight Grant Program is for Iowans to become job creators that grow Iowa’s film and media industry.
Through the Greenlight Grant Program, the IEDA provides financial incentives to Iowa filmmakers who are ready to produce films and media projects that can take them to the next level in their careers and contribute to a more robust film and media industry and creative economy in Iowa.
“This is a great opportunity not only for me, but for the many Iowa and Nebraska students who will learn on the set of ‘The Painter,’” said White. “We are very thankful to the IEDA (Iowa Economic Development Authority) for supporting regional filmmakers and our industry.”
White won the Best Iowa Screenplay Award for “The Painter” at the Star City Film Festival in Waukon, Iowa.
Dr. Michael White
White was recently honored with two awards during the Iowa Motion Picture Association’s (IMPA) 34th annual awards ceremony. His script for “The Painter” received the Award of Excellence for Best (Unproduced) Screenplay. The film is currently in production and is expected to premiere this fall.
White also received the Award of Achievement in Editing for “The Entomologist’s Wife.” The film also won awards for Art Direction, Original Music Score, Director of Photography, Live-Action Entertainment, and Visual Effects (Mechanical).
White, who has taught at Wayne State since 2017, teaches classes in film production, film criticism, and film theory, and he oversees the Hot Attic Film School – the student video and short film production studio. He is also the advisor to the Film Club and organizes the Wildcat Spirit Film Festival.
In 2023, White received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Film from the Iowa Motion Picture Association. In early June 2025, White graduated from the UCLA School of Film, Theatre & Television’s Professional Program in Screenwriting.
White earned his bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting from Wayne State College, his master’s degree in Communication Education from Wayne State College, and his Ed.D. in Education from the University of South Dakota.