MATTHEW ALAN SCHMIDT
MATTHEW ALAN
SCHMIDT
Matthew grew up in the small town of Port Alberni, BC, where he fell in love with filmmaking at a young age, teaching himself the Adobe suite to make goofy videos with his friends.
He has since spent nearly a decade immersed in Vancouver’s independent film scene as a hands-on, detail-oriented filmmaker deeply involved in every stage of production. His work ranges from intimate, meditative drama to deliberately excessive genre comedy, with a particular interest in the space where sincerity and absurdity collide.
His student film Old Friends, inspired by the tragic passing of a childhood friend, earned recognition at the Top Shorts Film Festival in 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Matthew turned his focus toward writing and music, eventually channelling those skills into his debut independent short, The Space Left Behind (2025), which he wrote, directed, edited, and scored. The film won the Audience Choice Award following its world premiere at the Abbotsford Film Festival.
Gal Pal Camp Massacre VII marked Matthew’s first time helming a project for Vancouver’s iconic Run ’n’ Gun Film Festival, where nearly 200 teams were challenged to write, shoot, and edit a short film in just 48 hours.
Matthew served as writer, director, producer, editor, sound designer, and colourist on the project. The film went on to win the Audience Choice Award for its screening block and later screened at the Hollywood Theatre Short Film Fest.
Matthew continues to work across writing, directing, and post-production, with a new short slated for release later this year and several more projects in development for 2027.
