Matt Finlin
Matt Finlin | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Notable work | The Movie Man |
Matt Finlin is a Canadian documentary filmmaker,[1] who is partners with Karen Barzilay in the Door Knocker Media film studio.[2] He is most noted for his 2024 film The Movie Man[3] and his 2025 film Matter of Time.[4]
Early life and education
[edit]Born and raised in Cambridge, Ontario,[1] he earned an Honours degree in psychology from the University of Guelph, followed by a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa. After graduating, he worked as an English as a Second Language teacher in Taiwan,[5] where he directed The Glass Box, a short film exploring Taiwan's betel nut trade.[6] He later moved to New York City, where he released Below New York (2011), a documentary capturing the lives and performances of the city's subway buskers, in 2011.[7]
Career
[edit]Finlin founded Door Knocker Media in 2014 with producing partner Karen Barzilay. With the company, he worked as a director and producer of television specials and sponsored films for charitable organizations, including We Day specials,[8] and a posthumous tribute special to actor Leslie Jordan.[9]
The Movie Man, his feature documentary debut, premiered in February 2024 at the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival,[10] and had its Canadian premiere at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival.[3] The film received a Vancouver Film Critics Circle award nomination for Best Canadian Documentary at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2024.[11] Pete Hammond of Deadline dubbed the film "a Canadian Cinema Paradiso."[2]
In 2025, Finlin released Matter of Time at the Tribeca Festival.[12] The film profiles Eddie Vedder's series of fundraising concerts to raise money for research into a cure for epidermolysis bullosa.[13]
Matter of Time release and reception
[edit]Matter of Time had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June 2025, where it screened as part of the festival's documentary lineup.[14]
Awards
[edit]The film received recognition on the international film festival circuit, including:
- Best Feature Music Documentary – Nashville Film Festival (2025)[15]
- Artistic Director's Award – San Diego International Film Festival (2025)[16]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Sean Sutherland, "Cambridge native brings his ode to small-town cinema to Waterloo". Cambridge Today, April 12, 2024.
- 1 2 Pete Hammond, "‘The Movie Man’, A Kind Of Canadian ‘Cinema Paradiso’ And Underdog New Documentary For Film Lovers, Tries To Find Its Way Into Fall Festivals – TIFF And Telluride, Are You Listening?". Deadline Hollywood, July 21, 2023.
- 1 2 Sarah Bea, "'The Movie Man' Celebrates the Cinematic Marvel of Ontario Cottage Country". Exclaim!, February 28, 2024.
- ↑ Daniel Kreps,"Eddie Vedder Raises Awareness for Rare Disease in New Docu Clip"
- ↑ Steve Burgess, "Cheap Smokes, But a Long Way from Home". Calgary Herald, March 16, 2007.
- ↑ Colin Hunter, "Nutty habit inspires tale of two women". Waterloo Region Record, October 7, 2008.
- ↑ "Local filmmaker premieres documentary at prestigious North by Northeast filmfest". Waterloo Region Record, June 14, 2011.
- ↑ Brittany Carloni, "Bonita Springs family on ABC special, hosted by John Stamos, about people making a difference". Naples Daily News, August 14, 2018.
- ↑ Meaghan Darwish, "‘Reportin’ for Duty: A Tribute to Leslie Jordan’: Mayim Bialik, Jim Parsons & More Head Star-Studded Show". TV Insider, April 20, 2023.
- ↑ Kelly Townsend, "Send Kelp!, The Movie Man to world bow in Santa Barbara". Playback, January 18, 2024.
- ↑ Nicholas Sokic, "Ann Marie Fleming’s Can I Get A Witness? leads VFCC noms". Playback, January 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Eddie Vedder Talks Riding 'The Surfboard of Hope' at Tribeca 'Matter of Time' Film Premiere and Performance". Billboard. June 13, 2025. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
- ↑ Sandra Gonzalez, "Eddie Vedder’s quest to help cure a rare disease subject of new documentary". CNN, April 17, 2025.
- ↑ "Matter of Time". Tribeca Festival.
- ↑ "2025 Nashville Film Festival Award Winners". Nashville Film Festival.
- ↑ "Hamnet wins big at the San Diego Film Festival while Eddie Vedder doc Matter of Time earns kudos". San Diego International Film Festival.