Curtis Matzke

Curtis Matzke is a director, screenwriter, and producer based in Chicago, IL. His work has been recognized at dozens of festivals, including Athens International, Cinequest, NFMLA, and more. The legendary Werner Herzog recently mentored Curtis in the Canary Islands during a two-week accelerator program. In 2019, Curtis directed a short documentary celebrating Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, which earned him regional Emmy nominations for Off-Camera Directing and Historical Documentary. His full-length documentary (FIRST FEATURE), is in post and fiscally sponsored by Film Independent. His latest horror short film, SINK, premiered at the Academy-qualifying Chicago International Film Festival and has since screened at a dozen festivals. Curtis completed residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Stowe Story Labs, Chicago International Feature Development Lab, Reykjavik Talent Lab, and Chateau Orquevaux. Three of his feature screenplays have advanced in the Austin Film Festival and won awards, including Best Screenplay at the Anchorage International Film Festival. He holds a B.A. in Media Arts and Technology and an M.A. in Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media from Michigan State University with a concentration in Television, Cinema, and Radio, and a minor in Film Studies.