Matthew Durning

Matt has spent the past 20 years telling stories of community resilience that amplify human connection. He came to documentary filmmaking through progressive political campaigns (MoveOn.org, ACLU, etc), and his passion for social justice continues to drive his work as a storyteller. Matt is the co-director of the award-winning feature documentary STAY PRAYED UP, which premiered at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival. He has created provocative music videos for social justice anthems by artist-activists Che Apalache and Joe Troop. His short environmental justice film, PERRY COUNTY, won numerous festival accolades. Matt has produced lauded non-fiction work for outlets including PBS, HBO, ESPN, Wired, Al Jazeera America, Ovation, Smithsonian Channel, and YouTube. He is the founder and executive producer of Interlocking Pictures, a full-service documentary production company based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.