Michael Yurinko's professional journey began in 1995 when his screenplay "Plainfield" earned recognition as a semi-finalist in both the prestigious Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and the esteemed Chesterfield Screenwriting Competition.
Instead of pursuing traditional film school, Yurinko took a bold step, securing a personal loan to write and direct the short film "Retrospect". During this time, he continued to hone his craft by writing screenplays while simultaneously directing regional television commercials under his production and advertising company, Gage Films. Additionally, he directed a weekly regional television show called "Valley Home Shopping". Yurinko's commercial work garnered multiple awards, prompting him to focus on writing and directing his first feature film, "Fading". The film received critical acclaim during its theatrical run and was showcased at several film festivals.
Yurinko's subsequent screenplay, "For the Love of Jade", achieved a remarkable feat by winning 1st Prize in the Fade In Awards and ranking as a semi-finalist in the Nicholl Fellowships, out of a pool of 6,000 scripts.
His next project was the emotionally charged and thought-provoking psychological horror film "Entity", starring Holt Boggs, Nick Mancuso, Brandon Slagle, and Fred Doss. The film was represented by Taylor & Dodge and released by Origin Releasing, with global DVD and VOD sales.
Yurinko's latest feature film is the period thriller/horror "Impuratus", starring Tom Sizemore, Jody Quigley, Robert Miano, Lew Temple, Silvia Spross, and Arien DeLaMater. Produced by Guy Quigley and Charles Lago, the film was completed in October 2022. It made its public debut at the 2022 Philip K. Dick Film Festival, where it went on to win the coveted Best Supernatural Feature award.
