Matthew Lessner
Encyclopedia
Matthew Lessner is an independent award-winning filmmaker who lives and works between New York City and Los Angeles.
, California
, Lessner was raised in Roseburg, Oregon
, where he attended Roseburg High School
. He graduated in 2005 from Chapman University
, where he studied film.
, which screened at the Festival du Court Metrage de Clermont-Ferrand, Comedia
, and the Ann Arbor Film Festival
where Lessner won the Tom Berman Most Promising Filmmaker Award. The film is included on the sixth issue of Wholphin
DVD magazine with alternate audio versions by John Cleese
and Daniel Handler
.
Lessner's second short film, By Modern Measure, premiered at South by Southwest
and also screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
.
In August 2008, Lessner began work on his first feature film The Woods
, which was filmed in the woods around Lookingglass, Oregon
. The Woods
was invited to world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
. The film made history as the first film to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
that used Kickstarter
for production financing. The Woods
premiered in New York at the BAMcinemaFest held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
. The Woods
premiered internationally at the Cologne Conference
in Cologne
, Germany.
In August 2011, Lessner was awarded a San Francisco Film Society
and Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant for screenwriting in support of feature film tentatively titled ROSS.
' single "Stillness is the Move". He also directed the videos for the The Raveonettes' song "Last Dance" and Fool's Gold's "Surprise Hotel".
Biography
Born in Walnut CreekWalnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Lessner was raised in Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg, Oregon
Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, where he attended Roseburg High School
Roseburg High School
Roseburg High School is a public high school in Roseburg, Oregon, United States.-Campus:The campus is roughly and contains 7 main buildings as well as a track and an artificial turf football field. Completed in 1926 the "Heritage Building," once referred to as the "Main Building" is the oldest on...
. He graduated in 2005 from Chapman University
Chapman University
Chapman University is a private, non-profit university located in Orange, California affiliated with the Christian Church . Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media...
, where he studied film.
Film career
Lessner's directorial debut was the 2005 short film Darling Darling starring Michael CeraMichael Cera
Michael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in Arrested Development, Youth in Revolt, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno. Cera received the 2008 Canadian Comedy Award for best male performance for his work in Superbad.-Early...
, which screened at the Festival du Court Metrage de Clermont-Ferrand, Comedia
Comedia
Comedia is a comedy film festival taking place in July as part of the larger Just for Laughs comedy festival.The Comedia festival started in 1996. It celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. For a few years, Comedia was held as part of the Fantasia Festival which also began in 1996.It gives awards...
, and the Ann Arbor Film Festival
Ann Arbor Film Festival
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Ann Arbor in the U.S. state of Michigan. Established in 1963, it is the third-oldest film festival in North America ; and the oldest experimental film festival...
where Lessner won the Tom Berman Most Promising Filmmaker Award. The film is included on the sixth issue of Wholphin
Wholphin (DVD)
Wholphin is a quarterly DVD magazine containing a selection of short films which have had little or no exposure elsewhere. It was created by Dave Eggers and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's publishing house...
DVD magazine with alternate audio versions by John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
and Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
.
Lessner's second short film, By Modern Measure, premiered at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
and also screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
.
In August 2008, Lessner began work on his first feature film The Woods
The Woods (2011 film)
The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner. The script was written by Matthew Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips....
, which was filmed in the woods around Lookingglass, Oregon
Lookingglass, Oregon
Lookingglass is an unincorporated community in the Lookingglass Valley of Douglas County, Oregon, United States, about nine miles southwest of Roseburg. The valley was named in 1846 by surveyor Hoy Flournoy, who said the beautiful green grass of the valley reflected light almost as well as a...
. The Woods
The Woods (2011 film)
The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner. The script was written by Matthew Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips....
was invited to world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. The film made history as the first film to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
that used Kickstarter
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology and food-related projects.-Model:...
for production financing. The Woods
The Woods (2011 film)
The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner. The script was written by Matthew Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips....
premiered in New York at the BAMcinemaFest held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
. The Woods
The Woods (2011 film)
The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner. The script was written by Matthew Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips....
premiered internationally at the Cologne Conference
Cologne Conference
The Cologne Conference is an international Film and Television Festival that takes place annually in Cologne, Germany. With about 5000 visitors, the Cologne Conference is considered as the best attended festival of its kind worldwide...
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany.
In August 2011, Lessner was awarded a San Francisco Film Society
San Francisco Film Society
is a nonprofit arts organization located in San Francisco, California that presents and exhibits year-round film programming and events in addition to the annual San Francisco International Film Festival....
and Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant for screenwriting in support of feature film tentatively titled ROSS.
Music video
Lessner directed the music video for the Dirty ProjectorsDirty Projectors
The Dirty Projectors aka David Longstreth includes Amber Coffman , Angel Deradoorian , Brian McOmber , Nat Baldwin , and Haley Dekle during live performances...
' single "Stillness is the Move". He also directed the videos for the The Raveonettes' song "Last Dance" and Fool's Gold's "Surprise Hotel".
Misc
In the spring of 2008 Lessner worked as an intern for syndicated news program Democracy Now!Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
Filmography
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Darling Darling | Short Film |
| 2007 | By Modern Measure | Short Film |
| 2011 | The Woods The Woods (2011 film) The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner. The script was written by Matthew Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips.... |
Feature Film |
| (unknown) | ROSS | Feature Film |
Music videos
| Year | Song Title | Band | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Set in Stone" | Fires of Rome | The Hours Records |
| 2009 | "Set in Stone" M83 M83 (band) M83 is a musical act by French musician Anthony Gonzalez. It is named after a spiral galaxy, Messier 83. The band was founded in 2001 by Gonzalez and former member Nicolas Fromageau in Antibes, France... Remix |
Fires of Rome | The Hours Records |
| 2009 | "Stillness is the Move" | Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors The Dirty Projectors aka David Longstreth includes Amber Coffman , Angel Deradoorian , Brian McOmber , Nat Baldwin , and Haley Dekle during live performances... |
Domino Records |
| 2009 | "Surprise Hotel" | Fool's Gold | IAMSOUND Records IAMSOUND Records IAMSOUND Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label. Started as a part of Worlds End Management , one of the largest producer management companies in America, it was created in 2006.... |
| 2009 | "Last Dance" | The Raveonettes The Raveonettes The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments, and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals... |
Vice Records |
| 2009 | "Early Warnings" | Foreign Born Foreign Born Foreign Born is an American folk rock band. They began in San Francisco during the late summer months of 2003, but soon relocated to Los Angeles. They self-released their first 12" single , and then their debut EP "In the Remote Woods" via StarTime International Records... |
Secretly Canadian Secretly Canadian Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. It was started in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill. Their first release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic... |
| 2010 | "Forgive Me" | Le Loup Le Loup Le Loup is an American indie band founded in September, 2006, in Washington, D.C. by Sam Simkoff . The band also includes Christian Ervin , Michael Ferguson , Dan Ryan , Robert Sahm and Jim Thomson . Their name is French for "The Wolf"... |
Hardly Art Hardly Art Hardly Art is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in early 2007 by Sub Pop Records, Hardly Art is run by two full-time employees and is distributed by the Alternative Distribution Alliance and Sub Pop... |
| 2010 | "World News" | Local Natives Local Natives Local Natives are an indie rock band based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, USA. Their debut album, Gorilla Manor, was first released in the UK in November 2009, and later released in the US on February 16, 2010... |
Frenchkiss Records Frenchkiss Records Frenchkiss Records is an independent record label based in New York, New York. The label was started in 1999 by Syd Butler, bassist and founder of Les Savy Fav... |
| 2010 | "Neverest" | Hey Champ | Townie Records |
Other
| Year | Subject | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dirty Projectors + Björk | Mount Wittenberg Orca I, II, III, V VI | Album Trailers |
| 2011 | Explosions in the Sky | "Last Known Surroundings" | Video Installation |