Matthew Lax
Matthew LAX is a filmmaker, artist and writer interested in power and group dynamics. Lax works between New York and Los Angeles and often collaborates with non-actors and the “everyday ensembles” found within families, lovers, hobby clubs, athletic teams and kink communities. Lax’s writing and organisational work focuses on narratives of production, labour and critical exchange. Lax received a BFA from Syracuse University and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. Lax’s films and video installations have been screened and exhibited at venues including Viennale, Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, MIX New York, LA Film Forum and many others. Lax is a recipient of a 2024 Lightning Fund Grant from Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) and the Andy Warhol Foundation. At IFFR 2025, Lax will have a dedicated Focus Programme showcasing his work.
Filmography
APOLOGIE (Basement Tapes) (2015, video), Lil’ Tokyo Story (2016, short), American Folk (2017, short), FABRICATED OIN THE ACTUAL ARCTIC (2018), Brunt Drama (2018, instal), A DOG AND HIS REFLECTION (2021-2023, short), A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG, PART ONE (2022, short), PUPPY PLAY TABLE READING (2022), AN ANIMATED DOG READS BERGER, HARAWAY, KAFKA (2024, instal), A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG, PART TWO (2024, short), Gay Men’s Book Club (2025)
More info: Matthew Lax
Matthew Lax at IFFR
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Gay Men’s Book Club
Seven gay men bring their backgrounds and insights into the reading of a book about identity politics.
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Fabricated in the Actual Arctic (After Nanook)
Robert Flaherty’s seminal early documentary Nanook of the North is restaged in a new context.
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AMERICAN FOLK
Casting tapes, old paintings and denim all prod at the idea of provenance and meaning creation.
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A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG, PART TWO
Part two dives into pack dynamics to expand upon notions of dominance, submission, trust and consent.
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A TIRED DOG IS A GOOD DOG, PART ONE
Dog breeding and pup kink explored by a filmmaker who happens to be a quadruplet.
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Lil’ Tokyo Story
Shot-for-shot remake of the opening credits and climax of Ozu’s Tokyo Story, with noticeable differences.