Michael Uys (pronounced "ACE") is an award-winning filmmaker and television commercial director.

His first feature documentary, RIDING THE RAILS, garnered 18 major awards including the Peabody Award and BEST DOCUMENTARY from both the Directors Guild of America and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and was named as an Outstanding Documentary of the year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

RIDING THE RAILS, the story of teenaged kids on the road during the Great Depression, was acquired by MoMA for their permanent collection. The film had theatrical distribution in 100 cities, prime-time broadcasts on PBS with over seven million viewers, international broadcasts in thirty-three countries, and best-seller status in non-fiction home video/DVD sales.

Uys recently released a new feature documentary, THE GOOD SOLDIER, to widespread acclaim. The film follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier. THE GOOD SOLDIER was picked up for theatrical distribution by Artistic License Films and won The Maysles Brother Award for Best Documentary.

In addition to RIDING THE RAILS and THE GOOD SOLDIER, Uys has also produced and directed several short films including PETE SEEGER AND BILLY BRAGG: SONGS OF PROTEST and EMPIRE - a documentary spoof about the lighter side of mountain climbing, which won Best of the Festival at Banff, Best Humor Award at the Telluride Festival of Mountain Films, the Silver Edelweiss Award in Torello Spain, and Jury Awards at the New York Expo and the Aspen FilmFest. Uys recently directed and produced a series of documentaries for Lifetime and directed several episodes of ART STAR for Rainbow Media. Uys also produced the pilot for "HOW'S YOUR NEWS?" - a humorous series featuring handicapped reporters.

Uys brings his documentary sensibility to much of his work in commercials and television. His spots range from stylized "slice of life" spots like THE WASHINGTON POST, FRESH DIRECT and TLC to quirky improv performances for clients including SPIKE, HBO, MTV & WE to testimonials for LIFETIME, VIAGRA and PBR. Uys recently directed a humorous CG/live action campaign for The Department of Homeland Security, using 2010 Winter Olympics U.S. athletes to remind travelers about the documents they need. He has been experimenting with blending documentary style performances and computer graphics for clients like M&M's and STARI MELNIK in Europe. Uys has won several advertising awards including an Andy and CTAM gold

Uys has also directed several spots with a social conscience – highlights include celebrity PSA's with Halle Berry (for prevention of domestic violence) and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (for the Ralph Lauren Cancer Center.)

Uys graduated cum laude with a double major in Film and Journalism from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he was mentored by documentary filmmakers George Stoney and Jim Brown.

Uys lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Lexy Lovell and their two sons.