I am a filmmaker from West London. I read English Language and Literature at University College, Oxford.

My first film, a short documentary called Under the Shadow of Rhodes, explored the 'Rhodes Must Fall' movement in Oxford. It featured David Olusoga OBE. I made a follow up in which I interviewed Peter Hitchens. It has since received 20,000 views across social media.

My next film was a fiction short, The Pacifist. It tells the true story of John Fulljames, an Oxford student during WW2 who, while claiming conscientious objection, shot and murdered a fellow student. The script was selected for workshops with Oscar-winner Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea, Gangs of New York). The Pacifist was selected for the Oxford University Film Festival 2023. It was funded by Damon Albarn. 

Le Souffle des Os is my most recent short, a psychological drama about a cursed painting that turns a young woman's world upside down, forcing her to confront the sins of her national and familial past. It takes place in Paris, and is grounded in the Nazi Occupation and the stolen art trade of WW2. It was shot in Paris on the Arri Alexa 35. Le Souffle des Os was backed by the writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, and has since been selected for the Belfast Film Festival and EuroShorts Poland.

I have also worked for the BBC, Sky Arts, and Brinkworth TV.

Day to day, I am a private English tutor to students young and old.

matthew@hardyfilm.com

+44 7720 834 558