Maikaru 'Michael' Douangluxay-Cloud
Q
actor
Maikaru "Michael" Douangluxay-Cloud is a queer American filmmaker and producer, born in Seattle in 1987 to a mother who had been trafficked as a child; he survived a childhood marked by violence and forced labor before earning a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary visual arts from the University of Washington. His childhood became the subject of Maikaru (2014), an award-winning short documentary directed by Amanda Harryman that premiered at Hot Docs and won Best Documentary Short at the Seattle International Film Festival. Douangluxay-Cloud has since built his own directing career through his production company Mainasty Productions, including the short film Buttoned Up (2024). His work and public speaking emphasize social justice, storytelling, and increasing dialogue around difficult social issues.
