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Max Hechtman

Max Hechtman

Directing

Biography

Max Bennett Hechtman (/ˈhɛktˈmɛn/ HEKT-men; born April 26, 1997) is an American filmmaker with experience producing narrative and documentary films. He grew up in East Meadow, New York 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 us, intellectually and emotionally, and open conversations that are difficult, but can lead to change and positive outcomes. Max's films have been selected for screening at film festivals, nationally, including the short documentary "Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide," which won Best Documentary at the 2019 Long Island International Film Expo, and "Abigail," which won the Audience Award at the 2020 edition of the festival. He is currently serving as an executive producer on Jason Forbach's short thriller "The Delicate Medium" and Critics' Choice Award nominee Ben Cook's short dance drama "Ball & Socket," both beginning production in 2026. He is also developing his first original narrative feature film, "The Lens Within Me," a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama very loosely inspired by his adolescence and college experience as a young filmmaker. In addition to filmmaking, Max has been working as a professional video editor for over the past decade. He hopes to continue his work in production and post-production and pursue film projects, including short and feature-length narratives and documentaries that get people to think, question and open conversations about subjects that are difficult, but can lead to change and positive outcomes. Max is also an avid enthusiast of musical theater and a personal goal of his is to adapt Broadway shows for film.

Known For

Cooking with Kefi
N/A

Kefi: In Greek, meaning the spirit of joy, passion, enthusiasm, high spirits, or frenzy. This cooking series demonstrate how to cook foods from around the world with "Kefi". Featuring host, Chef George Kyrtatas.

Cooking with Kefi

2014
Ben Platt: Live from Radio City Music Hall
7.8

Backed by a full band and a ready wit, actor Ben Platt opens up a very personal songbook onstage -- numbers from his debut LP, "Sing to Me Instead."

Ben Platt: Live from Radio City Music Hall

2020
The Delicate Medium
N/A

A queer memoirist's rise to fame turns into a chilling nightmare when he hires a medium to stop the traumatic voices in his head, at the moral cost of silencing spirits from his past.

The Delicate Medium

Sparni
10.0

It’s the second semester of junior year for Pierce “Sparni” Sparnroft, a gifted jazz vibraphonist studying at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Sparni’s prospects on the vibes were rejuvenated by their new professor, the world-renowned Steve Nelson, and are to be showcased during a student-driven recital in May 2023. But all the while, Sparni must face a crisis within.

Sparni

2023
Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide
10.0

An up-to-date look at Youth Suicide with an examination of the warning signs, statistics and causes, along with possible ways teachers and parents can use to help their child overcome this important social issue. Also includes a look at the media and its handling of the social issue through the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Dear Evan Hansen."

Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide

2018
FIT Hives: Sustainability - The Secret to Survival
10.0

A documentary that introduces FIT Hives, a student-run organization whose mission is to educate the FIT community about the importance of bees to the environment, the use of bee-derived resources in the industries related to the majors at FIT and its goal to put a beehive on the roof. FIT Hives is a recipient of an FIT Innovation Grant which also supported the making of this documentary.

FIT Hives: Sustainability - The Secret to Survival

2017
The Lens Within Me
N/A

An original semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama very loosely inspired by Max Hechtman's adolescence and college experience as a young filmmaker.

The Lens Within Me

The Magic Behind 'd'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical - The Audio Theater Experience'
10.0

A special behind-the-scenes look at the making of the audiobook edition of "d'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical" and how it did its part in helping keep theater and the arts alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Magic Behind 'd'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical - The Audio Theater Experience'

2020
I Am Here
10.0

A young man, looking to start his life over moves into a new neighborhood. In his new home, he discovers a picture of a beautiful girl with a phone number along side of it. As time passes by, his curiosity and affection of the girl grows and compels him to text the number. He eventually gets pulled into an unconventional relationship with the girl over text messages, but they never actually meet.

I Am Here

2016
Abigail
8.0

A lonely and elderly widower struggles to come to terms with the loss of his wife and the circumstances surrounding her death. When he visits her grave, he encounters a little girl who shows him the path to healing and fills him with hope.

Abigail

2021
Impulsion
N/A

A horror thriller that takes you on a journey of deception and insincere characters!

Impulsion

Remembering Isabelle
10.0

An off-screen narrator reminisces about his fun-loving, ex-girlfriend, Isabelle, and the elevator game that she created. By describing the way the game is played, he highlights all the things he misses about her and in the end, expresses his regret about losing her.

Remembering Isabelle

2015
Ball & Socket
N/A

Guy, a once-promising dancer now entering the uncertain stretch of middle age, is thrown off course when he dislocates his shoulder in the middle of a live performance, an injury that leaves him suspended between recovery and the painful possibility that his career may never return to what it was. Unsure of his place in the world of dance and increasingly reliant on painkillers and self-doubt, he accepts a weekend teaching job upstate, hoping the small detour will provide clarity.

Ball & Socket

You Haunt Me
N/A

Ben Howardson, a grieving middle-aged man, grapples with the loss of his accomplished concert pianist mother, Eileen Howardson. Her absence has left an indelible void in his life. Ben returns to his childhood home to pack up Eileen’s belongings. Upon entering, he encounters an unsettling sensation. What awaits him within those walls is an extraordinary event that will transform his life. Ben will confront his painful past, his paralyzed present, and his uncertain, yet hopeful future.

You Haunt Me

2026
Forgiveness
8.0

Two sisters argue and one runs away from home. When she crashes her car into a tree, she ends up recovering with a cast on her leg. She and her sister then reconcile through the process of forgiveness.

Forgiveness

2015
Morning
N/A

Everything changes, the morning after a man reveals a long kept secret to his family.

Morning