Matt Eskandari

American film director

Matt Eskandari

Born|

Iran

Alma mater| University of Southern California
Occupation(s)| Film director, screenwriter,
Years active| 2008–present
Notable work| 12 Feet Deep, Victim, Trauma Center, Survive the Night, Hard Kill, Wire Room

Matt Eskandari is an Iranian-born American film director and screenwriter. His films include Victim,[1] The Gauntlet,[2] and 12 Feet Deep.[3] He was also a contestant on the Fox Studios and Steven Spielberg filmmaker competition On the Lot.[4]

## Career

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Matt Eskandari attended film school at the University of Southern California.[5] His thesis film, "The Taking", won the award for Best Student Film at Screamfest.[6] Following film school, Eskandari was selected as a contestant for the Steven Spielberg filmmaker competition On The Lot.[7] He would go on to make his feature debut a year later with the independent film Victim released by IFC Films, starring Stacey Haiduk,[8] and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.[9] The film received a theatrical release, and was distributed on IFC Midnight's Pay-per-view channel.[10][11]

In 2013, Eskandari directed and produced his film titled The Gauntlet which starred Bai Ling, and Dustin Nguyen.[12] 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 Home Entertainment following a screening at Cannes[13] and was retitled Game of Assassins.[14] 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.[15] The official release on DVD and digital VOD was September 23, 2014.[16]

In 2016, Eskandari began filming a new film he co-wrote entitled The Deep End.[17] The film's cast included Tobin Bell,[18] Nora-Jane Noone,[19] and Alexandra Park.[20] It was re-titled to 12 Feet Deep and released wide on June 20, 2017 by Mar Vista Entertainment.[21]

## Filmography

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* The Taking (short film) (2004)
* Retribution (short film) (2008)
* Victim (2010)
* Game of Assassins (2013)
* 12 Feet Deep (2017)
* Trauma Center (2019)
* Survive the Night (2020)
* Hard Kill (2020)
* Wire Room (2022)

## References

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1. ^ Turek, Ryan (16 November 2010). "IFC Midnight Targets its NSFW Victim". Comingsoon.
2. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (9 May 2014). "Cannes Grindstone Nabs Eskandari's Game of Assassins". Variety.
3. ^ Collis, Clark (20 June 2017). "A swimming pool becomes a death trap in exclusive clip from 12 Feet Deep". Entertainment Weekly.
4. ^ "Matt Eskandari". IMDb.
5. ^ "USC Cinematic Arts | School of Cinematic Arts Events".
6. ^ Morfoot, Addie (26 October 2004). "Horror Fest Scares Up Kudos". Variety.
7. ^ Eskandari, Matt. "Trauma center | Bibliotheek Geel". bibliotheek.be. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
8. ^ Pickle, Mike. "Exclusive: Interview with 'VICTIM' Director Matt Eskandari". More Horror.
9. ^ Dave (18 November 2010). "IFC Midnight Acquires Victim". Hell Notes.
10. ^ Bug, Ambush (27 January 2011). "AICN HORROR looks at 4 new fright films". Aint it Cool News.
11. ^ "Victim in Colorado Springs". Colorado Springs Independent.
12. ^ Decker, Sean (7 October 2013). "Screamfest LA 2013 Exclusive: Director Matt Eskandari Talks The Gauntlet's US Premiere; See the Trailer". Dread Central.
13. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (9 May 2014). "Cannes Grindstone Nabs Eskandari's Game of Assassins". Yahoo Movies.
14. ^ Turek, Ryan (12 May 2014). "Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Grindstone Partake in Game of Assassins". Comingsoon.com.
15. ^ "Winter Film Awards". Winter Film Awards 2014. 17 July 2016.
16. ^ Miska, Brad (9 May 2014). "Lionsgate/Grindstone Play 'Game of Assassins'". Bloody Disgusting.
17. ^ Lee, Angela (25 November 2015). "Citizen Skull Eyes January Start on the Deep End". Screen Daily.
18. ^ McNary, Dave (16 January 2016). "Tobin Bell Joins Thriller 'The Deep End'". Variety.
19. ^ Hipes, Patrick (14 January 2016). "'Brooklyn' Actress Nora-Jane Noone Jumps Into 'The Deep End'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016.
20. ^ Hipes, Patrick (11 January 2016). "The Royals Star Alexandra Park to Star in Indie Film The Deep End". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016.
21. ^ Squires, John (30 May 2017). "'12 Feet Deep' Trailer Will Make You Fear Public Pools". Bloody Disgusting.

## External links

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* Matt Eskandari at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Matt Eskandari

* Game of Assassins (2013)
* 12 Feet Deep (2017)
* Trauma Center (2019)
* Survive the Night (2020)
* Hard Kill (2020)
* Wire Room (2022)

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