Matthew Kowalchuk

Directing

Birthplace: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Matthew has been recognized as one of Canada's emerging comedy filmmakers, with a body of work that has been seen around the globe, including his multi-award winning debut feature, Lawrence & Holloman (2013), and the acclaimed Bedbugs: A Musical Love Story (2014). He is a recipient of the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Feature Film (Lawrence & Holloman), and was also nominated as Director and co-Screenwriter. Other award honours include: BC Emerging Director (VIFF), Rising Star Director (EIFF), Best Director of a Comedy (VTXIFF), and several 'Best of Fest' awards. In addition to screening all over North America, he is honoured as well to have seen his films play to audience in such diverse cities as Shanghai, Perth, St. Petersburg, London, Berlin, and Cannes. Matthew has long been a student of comedy, having first trained as an improvisor with Edmonton's storied Rapid Fire Theatre, which counts among it's distinguished alumni, Nathan Fillion, Mark Meer, and Ron Pederson.