Max Hechtman

Max Bennett Hechtman (born April 26, 1997) is an American narrative/documentary film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor born in New York, New York. He is perhaps best known for his 2018 documentary, Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide, which won the Best Documentary award at the 2019 Long Island International Film Expo.[1][2][3][4][5]

Max Hechtman
Hechtman in 2019
Born	Max Bennett Hechtman (1997-04-26) April 26, 1997 New York, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Fashion Institute of Technology (BS)
Occupation	Cinematographer, Producer, Writer, Director, Editor
Years active	2015–present
Home town	East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Website	http://www.maxbhechtman.com/

Life and career

Hechtman grew up in East Meadow, New York and graduated from East Meadow High School in 2015.[6] He then began making short films, some of which have been screened at film festivals across the U.S., including the Chelsea Film Festival and the Long Island International Film Expo.[7] He earned his bachelor of science degree in Film and Media in 2019 from the Fashion Institute of Technology and was awarded the Film and Media Department Medal two years before.

Most of Hechtman's recent films deal with important and controversial social issues.[8] These include climate change, sustainability[9][10], mental health, suicide, loss and the dangers of and obsession with social media and mobile technology, the last of which was highlighted in his first student film, I Am Here (2016)[11], which was directed by his mentor, Christonikos Tsalikis, in preparation for Hechtman's studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology.[6]

In 2016, Hechtman produced the documentary, FIT Hives: Sustainability - The Secret to Survival, as part of an Innovation Fund grant from the Clinton Global Initiative.[12][13] The film, which was made to help educate the FIT community about the importance of bees to the environment, the use of bee-derived resources across the majors taught at the college, as well as the installation of two beehives on the roof, was awarded the Eco Sustainable Award by Fashion Film Festival Chicago in 2017.

In 2018, Hechtman made Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide. The documentary was inspired by his seeing Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway and a Middle School assembly given by suicide/bullying prevention advocate John Halligan about his son, Ryan Halligan, who died by suicide in 2003, both of which increased Hechtman's awareness about the entertainment industry's portrayal of suicide and mental health. Featuring interviews with Halligan, psychiatrist Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz of the Child Mind Institute and Meryl Cassidy, Executive Director of the Suffolk County Response Crisis Center, the film covers the subject matter from the perspectives of the family, someone with a lived experience, clinician and the media.

In 2019, Hechtman made his senior thesis film, Abigail, which he co-directed and co-produced with Tsalikis. The film, which stars well-known Film/TV actor Richie Allan, was adapted from a one-scene screenplay by Jason K. Allen and inspired by a true story dealing with the subject matter of end-of-life decisions. The film was named a quarterfinalist in Stage 32's 5th Annual Short Film Contest and is expected to have its first public screening at the Long Island International Film Expo on October 6, 2020.[14]

In 2020, Hechtman served as the visual designer and trailer editor for the audiobook of Bálint Varga's original musical, d'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical, which was entirely produced and recorded remotely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the performing arts. The finished product was released on the musical's website on August 3, 2020 and on YouTube the day after, with a release on Spotify to follow. Hechtman will also produce and direct a documentary about the making of the audiobook, which will be released at the end of the month.[15][16][17]

Today, the filmmaker still resides in East Meadow and works as a video editor for Tsalikis' event/commercial video production company, Reel Life Cinematography. He is continuing to develop his own projects[18] and work with other filmmakers and creatives on their films and other forms of video content.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Cooking with Kefi	Assistant editor	Television series
2015	Forgiveness	Director, writer, cinematographer, editor	Narrative short film
2015	Remembering Isabelle	Director, cinematographer, editor	Narrative short film
2016	Eat Your Vegetables	Camera operator, editor, lighting	Narrative short film
2016	Messenger	Director, camera operator, editor	Narrative short film
2016	FIT Hives: Sustainability - The Secret to Survival	Video production manager, cinematographer, editor	Documentary short film
2016	I Am Here	Producer, story, camera operator, editor	Narrative short film
2017	Generation Rescue	Cinematographer, editor	Documentary short film
2017	Pathways to Climate Success	Co-director, producer, cinematographer, editor	Documentary short film
2017	So Tiri: Thes Pastítsio	Assistant editor	Music video
2018	Finger Lakes: A Place for Everyone	Director, editor	Narrative short film
2018	Deadline	Director, producer, writer, cinematographer, editor	Narrative short film
2018	Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide	Director, producer, cinematographer, editor	Documentary short film
2019	Abigail	Co-director, co-producer, writer, camera operator, editor	Narrative short film
2020	The Magic Behind "d'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical - The Audio Theater Experience"	Director, producer, editor, visual/marketing designer	Documentary short film

Awards

Year	Festival	Film	Awards	Notes
2017	Fashion Film Festival Chicago	FIT Hives: Sustainability - The Secret to Survival	Eco Sustainable Award
2019	Long Island International Film Expo	Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide	Best Documentary
2020	Stage 32 5th Annual Short Film Contest	Abigail	Quarterfinalist	[19]

References

1. Stieglitz, Brian. "E.M. filmmaker tackles youth suicide in his next documentary | Herald Community Newspapers". liherald.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
2. "School Assemblies | Ryan's Story Presentation". Ryan’s Story.
3. "YOUTH SUICIDE FILM WINS BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD". NewsInEntertainment.
4. Desk, TV News. "Long Island International Film Expo Announces Award Winners at Closing Event". BroadwayWorld.com.
5. "East Meadow filmmaker wins Best Documentary at local festival". Herald Community Newspapers.
6. "Making it to the big screen". Herald Community Newspapers.
7. Press, Long Island (July 8, 2019). "Long Island International Film Expo Returns to Bellmore".
8. "About | Max Hechtman".
9. Davidson, Charles (July 13, 2017). "FASHION FILM FESTIVAL CHICAGO ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL SELECTIONS FOR THE COMPETITION SECTION OF THE 6TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL". ChicagoNow.
10. Hatmaker, Laura (March 30, 2017). "FIT Hives Documentary Gets National Attention". FIT Newsroom.
11. "Local student shoots film at Herald offices". Herald Community Newspapers.
12. "Student Innovation Grant Program". FIT Newsroom. February 13, 2017.
13. "FIT's Happy Bees". FIT Newsroom. July 26, 2017.
14. "Abigail | A Short Film by Max Hechtman and Chirstonikos Tsalikis". Abigail - Short Film.
15. Desk, BWW News. "D'ILLUSION: THE HOUDINI MUSICAL Announces Launch of Audiobook". BroadwayWorld.com.
16. "d'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical - The Aduio Theater Experience". Retrieved August 3, 2020.
17. Desk, BWW News. "d'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical Releases Theater Audio Experience". BroadwayWorld.com.
18. "Take Five: Max Hechtman". FIT Newsroom. July 31, 2019.
19. https://www.stage32.com/contests/5th-Annual-Stage-32-Short-Film-Program-Contest

Max Hechtman's website

External links

• Max Hechtman on IMDb
• Max Hechtman website
• Abigail website