backstory
“His direction feels familiar in some ways, there’s a Spike Lee influence coming through… It’s a style that feels very easy-going, there’s a casual confidence to it that very subtly draws you into the story without really noticing, then as the first few minutes pass, you find yourself totally engrossed in it.” - FILM CARNAGE
Matt Ferrucci is a Filipino-American writer & director from San Francisco whose work blends humor and heart, often exploring addiction, masculinity, class, and identity through the lens of underdog characters. He is the winner of Best Feature Screenplay and the ISA Story Award at the 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival for his screenplay Dope Friend, which is also featured on the Coverfly Red List.
A graduate of USC, Matt broke out with the dark comedy Companion, about a burned-out sober coach wrangling a scandal-plagued NBA star. The film won Best Director and Best TV Comedy at ITVFest, nominated for Best Short Film of the Year by NewFilmmakers LA and screened at SeriesFest, where Matt received the Caz Matthews Fund, awarded to filmmakers championing inclusive, culturally nuanced storytelling. This led to development meetings with HBO, Showtime, Complex, and GQ.
His next film, Kensington, follows a therapist forced to move his practice to Philly’s grittiest neighborhood. It won Best TV Pilot at Soho International and Best of Fest at First Glance. Film Threat called it “a love letter to Philadelphia.” Matt adapted and directed Anything For You, a provocative short that explores the blurred lines of male friendship and sexuality over one very complicated lunch. It screened at four Oscar-qualifying festivals and was praised for subverting traditional masculinity with humor and heart. His latest film, The Ninth, is a gritty, dark comedy about a recovering alcoholic whose sobriety and career unravels after a single impulsive mistake. It is currently on the festival circuit.
Matt wrote and directed for two seasons on Comedy Central’s Triptank, collaborating with Amy Schumer, Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Cheech Marin, Nat Faxon, and Pete Holmes. As an actor, he’s appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., CSI: Miami, Secrets & Lies, General Hospital, Haunted, and Wilde Salomé, directed by Al Pacino. He’ll next appear in the feature Hello Out There, opposite Chloe Bennet, Phil Dunster, and Jennifer Beals.
Matt is an alum of the Warner Brothers Television Directing Program and the ABC Discovers Talent Showcase. He also co-hosts the Beat LA Podcast with Paul Ruehl. The sports and pop culture podcast has over 2 million views across social media.
AWARDS
THE NINTH
Bleach Fest, Best Director
DOPE FRIEND
HollyShorts Feature Screenplay Competition, WINNER
ISA Story Award, HollyShorts Festival, WINNER
Coverfly Red List - #4 Ranked Feature, 2025
Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Finalist
Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition Finalist
Page International Screenwriting Awards Finalist
WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab Finalist
ANYTHING FOR YOU
First Glance Film Festival, Best Drama
MARRY F*CK KILL
Golden State Film Festival, Audience Award
KENSINGTON
SOHO International Film Festival, Best TV Pilot
HollyShorts Screening Series, Audience Award
Collaborative Film Festival, Best Ensemble
First Glance Film Festival, Audience Award
First Glance Film Festival, Best Ensemble
First Glance Film Festival, Best Director
First Glance Film Festival, Best of Fest
Austin Comedy Short Film Festival, Best TV Show Nomination
COMPANION
Independent Television Festival, Best TV Comedy
Independent Television Festival, Best Director
New Filmmakers LA, Best Short Film of the Year Nomination