Michael Wham is a student filmmaker from Southeast Texas. He has been interested in filmmaking since first grade. He made his first documentary on Carolina Chickadees nestlings when he was 7, and began to enter his films in film festivals when he was 13. 
In 8th grade he placed first in the junior high category at Houston Young Movie Makers for his film "Autumn in Churchill Bay", a film about the polar bears that congregate near Hudson Bay each fall.
In 9th grade, Michael's film "Penguins of Antarctica", won First Place in the High School category in the Woodlands Young Filmmaker's festival. It also placed first in the Youth category at the International Wildlife Film Festival, and won a Bronze Award at the Houston World Fest in the short documentary category. "Penguins" was an official selection of the Kid's First Film Festival and was screened along with March of the Penguins as part of the Penguin Film Festival at the New York Hall of Science.
In 10th grade, Michael made a film about the endangered red-backed squirrel monkeys of Costa Rica, "Perilous Progress". This film won the youth division at the International Wildlife Film Festival in 2006, and won a silver medal for short documentary at the Houston World Fest. It was also a selection of the Student Environmental Film festival in Washington, D.C.
Michael's most recent film, "Whale Sharks of Holbox" was made pursuant to a grant he received from the "Save our Seas" foundation. This film received a $5000 grand prize for high school film at the Culture Shapers Art Festival in Houston. "Whale Sharks" is also an official selection of the Kid's First Film festival, San Francisco Ocean Film festival, Alaska Ocean Film festival, the George Lindsey UNA film festival, San Francisco Children's Film Festival, The Hearts and Minds Youth Showcase, Newport Beach Film Festival, Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival, and the Earth Vision Environmental Film Festival.
"Whale Sharks" was a finalist in the Moving Pictures Magazine short film contest, and is featured on the Moving Pictures Magazine Best of 2006 DVD. This film also received a Gold Remi at the Houston International Film festival, a second place award at the Student Environmental Film festival in Washington, D.C., and will be featured in the PBS series, Natural Heroes.