Matt Eskandari is an Iranian-born American film director and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. His films include ''Victim'', ''The Gauntlet'', and '' 12 Feet Deep''. He was also a contestant on the Fox Studios and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

filmmaker competition '' On the Lot''.

Career

Matt Eskandari attended film school at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. His thesis film, "The Taking", won the award for Best Student Film at Screamfest. Following film school, Eskandari was selected as a contestant for the

filmmaker competition '' On The Lot''. He would go on to make his feature debut a year later with the independent film ''Victim'' released by

IFC Films Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks. It mainly distributes independent fil ...

, starring Stacey Haiduk, and premiered at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. The film received a theatrical release, and was distributed on IFC Midnight's Pay-per-view channel. In 2013, Eskandari directed and produced his film titled ''The Gauntlet'' which starred Bai Ling, and Dustin Nguyen. It debuted that October at the Screamfest film festival. Filmed in Beijing, China, the movie "follows five strangers who awake in an underground, medieval dungeon." The film received distribution from

Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

Home Entertainment following a screening at Cannes and was retitled ''

Game of Assassins ''Game of Assassins'' is a horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or theme ...

''. For the film, Eskandari received several accolades, including the Best Director award from the Asians On Film Festival and the Winter Film Award for Best Feature Film. The official release on DVD and digital VOD was September 23, 2014. In 2016, Eskandari began filming a new film he co-wrote entitled ''The Deep End''. The film's cast included

Tobin Bell Tobin Bell (born Joseph Henry Tobin Jr.; August 7, 1942) is an American actor. Appearing in over 100 titles during a five-decade career, he is most recognized for his role as John Kramer / Jigsaw in the ''Saw'' franchise. Bell started his a ...

, Nora-Jane Noone, and Alexandra Park. It was re-titled to '' 12 Feet Deep'' and released wide on June 20, 2017 by Mar Vista Entertainment.

Filmography

*''The Taking'' (short film) (2004) *''Retribution'' (short film) (2008) *''Victim'' (2010) *''

'' (2013) *'' 12 Feet Deep'' (2017) *''

Trauma Center A trauma center, or trauma centre, is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. The term "trauma center" may be used incorr ...

'' (2019) *'' Survive the Night'' (2020) *'' Hard Kill'' (2020) *'' Wire Room'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eskandari, Matt Film directors from California Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian film directors Writers from Tehran Persian-language film directors Iranian screenwriters