Biography

Max Hechtman is an award-winning, New York-based filmmaker with experience producing both narrative and documentary films. He grew up in East Meadow and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Film and Media in 2019. He is motivated to use the art of film to bring attention to issues that challenge his generation and others, through subject matter and stories that feel relatable and make a tangible impact on our lives.

Max's films have been selected for screening at festivals across the country, such as the Chelsea Film Festival, Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE), NewFilmmakers NY and the Portland Film Festival. Among Max’s films selected was the short documentary "Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide (2018)", which was inspired by his seeing "Dear Evan Hansen (2021)" on Broadway and attending a Middle School assembly given by suicide prevention advocate John Halligan. That film won Best Documentary at the 2019 Long Island International Film Expo.

His senior thesis film, "Abigail (2019)," an ambitious and emotionally driven project, explores the controversial and complicated topic of end-of-life decision-making as well as themes of grief and loss. "Abigail" received the award for Best Film at the 2021 Point Lookout Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2020 Long Island International Film Expo, where it was also nominated for Best Short Film, Best Long Island Short Film and Best Director, and was named a quarterfinalist in Stage 32's 5th Annual Short Film Contest. The film was publicly released online via Max's YouTube and Vimeo channels on January 12, 2026.

In 2020, Max worked as visual designer and trailer editor for Bálint Varga's audiobook "d'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical," which was released on the project’s website and across various social media and streaming platforms in August 2020. He also produced a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the audiobook, which was released on December 10, 2020.

Up next, Max is serving as an executive producer on two narrative short films that are in post-production, both nearing the end of post-production and both from Broadway actors making their film directing debuts: Jason Forbach's psychological thriller "The Delicate Medium" starring Dan Amboyer, which Max is executive producing alongside Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles, and Yesenia Ayala & Critics’ Choice Award nominee Ben Cook's dance drama "Ball & Socket," starring Zach McNally and Kate Jennings Grant. Both films are slated to begin their runs on the film festival circuit in 2027.

In addition, Max is actively expanding his creative slate to push past today's heavily risk-averse industry and heightened institutional gatekeeping. The flagship production of this slate is his first original narrative feature, "The Lens Within Me," a deeply personal, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama loosely inspired by his adolescence and college experience as a young filmmaker. It follows a Long Island teenager who has spent nine years editing his late father's illness out of the family’s home movies, and who, upon getting into film school, discovers he can’t finish his thesis until he stops editing himself out too. Now in the packaging stage of development, the film is Max’s intended feature directorial debut and aims to capture the vulnerable realities of artistic awakening. Now in the packaging stage of development, the film is Max’s intended feature directorial debut, the film aims to capture the vulnerable realities of artistic awakening. Running parallel to this project is the smaller-scale "An Unshaken Step," a social thriller set in the high-pressure environment of high school championship basketball, currently in the treatment stage. Max is also an avid enthusiast of musical theater, and a personal long-term goal of his is to adapt celebrated Broadway shows for the big screen.

In addition to filmmaking, Max has been working as a professional video editor for over a decade, taking on corporate and commercial clients such as Reel Life Cinematography, The Bee Conservancy, the New York Institute of Beauty and the Erie Playhouse, as well as contributions to the social media marketing campaigns of the Broadway and national touring productions of "Hamilton," "Stereophonic," "Shucked," "Back to the Future: The Musical," "Parade," "Into the Woods," among others. He hopes to continue his work in both production and post-production while pursuing film projects-ranging from short pieces to feature-length narratives and documentaries-that encourage people to think, question, and open conversations about difficult subjects that, when confronted, can lead to meaningful change and positive outcomes.
- IMDb mini biography by: Max Hechtman