He is the only son of two mathematics teachers from New Jersey. Michael was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After graduating from J.P. Taravella High School, Dunn relocated to Orlando, Florida to pursue a career in film. While attending the Film School at the University of Central Florida, Michael directed the groundbreaking 1998 short film Midnight Conflict. This short film was originally shot merely as a student film, but the short was an audience favorite at over two dozen film festivals in six different countries.
Out of Time was the second film from Dunn. It
… More starred Greg Mackie and Jean-Paul Gibeau, who also both starred in Midnight Conflict. This comedy was a complete departure from the action packed Conflict, and blended the slapstick Buster Keaton silent film genre with a contemporary 1990s setting. Mackie's funny delivery made his accident-prone character a great comic hero. Probably the best of Dunn's short films was the 1999 thriller The Standoff. This film starred Joe Granato as a twisted psychopath toying with a young detective played by Dunn. Dunn's emerging trademark of mixing unusual genre's once again was demonstrated as he blended film noir, action and silent film. Dunn chose to film the project in 16mm reversal to give it a darker, grittier look.
In 2001, Michael explored documentary film with the project Steel Legends. The film explored the history of railroads throughout North America. He soon followed this film with his feature film directorial debut, 2004's Alone and Restless. This drama starred an ensemble cast including Martin Seijo, Allan Medina, Jamie Belanger, Caterina Christakos and Jean-Paul Gibeau. It followed the lives of two hustlers battling for control over the downtown drug trade and the innocents caught in the crossfire.
