Matt Eskandari immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, following the Iranian revolution. This significant event in his life would later influence his unique cultural perspective and inform his work as a filmmaker.
Eskandari is an alumnus of the University of Southern California, where he honed his craft and directed several award-winning shorts, including "The Taking", which earned him the Screamfest Award for Best Student Short. This early success propelled him to nationwide exposure when he was chosen from a pool of 12,000 candidates to participate in the Fox filmmaker competition 'On the Lot'.
Matt would go on to make his feature directorial debut with the psychological thriller "Victim", a film that was distributed by Ifc Films for theatrical release and received critical acclaim from Ain't it Cool News, who praised it as "a thinking man's Saw" and "both original and disturbing".
Eskandari's next feature, "The Gauntlet", starring international stars Bai Ling and Dustin Nguyen, was produced and shot entirely in China. This China/US co-production was recognized by the Beijing Film Bureau and after a successful worldwide festival run, was distributed as "Game of Assassins" by Lionsgate Studios.
Matt's third feature, the self-contained swimming pool thriller "12 Feet Deep", starring Tobin Bell and Alexandra Park, was praised by critics as "a tensely directed hidden gem that will leave you struggling to breathe". This film has gone on to become the single top selling title for MarVista, having amassed a record 40 million trailer views in its first months release.
With his distinct voice and unique cultural perspective, Eskandari is now poised to use his craft to explore human nature and delve into the relevant fears and themes of our modern day world.
