Biography

Matthew J. Saville is a New Zealand writer, director and producer. He made his directing debut with the short film Hitch Hike (2011), which screened at festivals around the world. His surreal short Dive won awards at Show Me Shorts and screened at the Telluride Film Festival.

In 2021, he directed his first feature film, Juniper, starring Charlotte Rampling. The film premiered to international acclaim and was named one of Rotten Tomatoes’ Top 100 Films of 2023. Alongside his film work, Saville also created the hit children’s television series Kune’s Kitchen, and has worked as writer and story liner on several New Zealand television series.

He is currently developing and several new feature and television projects, including The Frogman, a surreal psychological comedy-drama about a physicist whose reflection turns its back on him after a personal crisis, and Demolition Daisy, a coming-of-age comedy about a rebellious teenage girl who builds a demolition derby car to take control of her life, by smashing her enemies.

Saville was recently selected by Square Peg, the production company behind Dream Scenario and Bugonia, as one of 30 international filmmakers to take part in its international filmmaker workshop. The programme gave him the opportunity to engage with leading international producers, executives and filmmakers, and to learn from some of the most distinctive contemporary American auteurs. His work blends emotional depth with irreverent humour, often exploring grief, family, identity and transformation through a surreal or offbeat lens.
- IMDb mini biography by: M J. Saville