Kurt Mattila is an award-winning director, producer and editor.
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Mattila is the director of the award-winning documentary, “Stuntman.” Executive produced by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, “Stuntman” won the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival is now streaming on Disney+. The gripping documentary details the journey of famed stuntman Eddie Braun as he embarks on his quest to recreate the famous Snake River Canyon jump, originally attempted by daredevil Evel Knievel. Through Kurt’s singular vision, we meet Eddie Braun, who has worked with scores of famous actors, suffering the physical brunt of Hollywood’s action blockbusters, keeping the movie stars safe. We watch aghast as Eddie’s car careens countless times over a cliff, Kurt’s camera capturing the relentless abuse Eddie’s body endures. In another scene, we meet Eddie’s loving wife and kids, and Kurt’s lens lets us in as Eddie decides he has one more goal to achieve- complete what the famed Evel Knievel could not – be shot across Snake River Canyon in a death-defying rocket.
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Mattila began his professional career by creating the haunting Precog dream sequences for Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report." He went on to direct several commercial campaigns for brands like Ford, Gap and Red Bull.
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He helmed "The Hidden World" the first virtual reality film for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks that features the cast and characters from the "How To Train Your Dragon" franchise and served as a companion piece to the trilogy. This film was nominated for a PGA award and won a Lumieres award in 2020 for innovation in storytelling.
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Mattila made his directorial debut, “Lies and Alibis,” for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film, written by Noah Hawley, is a witty sting comedy about a man who creates alibis for cheating spouses. When circumstances force him to confront his own criminal past to get a client out from under a murder charge, he finds himself in over his head. The all-star cast includes Steve Coogan, Sam Elliot, James Marsden, Selma Blair, James Brolin, and John Leguizamo.
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Mattila is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where he garnered a Student Academy Award for his comedic short “Johnny Zero.” He spent several years at Imaginary Forces, crafting design work for directors including Ridley Scott and Rob Reiner.
Kurt's love for filmmaking is rivaled only by his passion for comic books.
efying rocket.
FILMOGRAPHY
DIRECTOR
STUNTMAN
2021 Disney +
In 1974, Evel Knievel nearly died attempting to jump the Snake River Canyon in a rocket-powered craft. Forty years later, veteran stuntman Eddie Braun attempts to successfully recreate the launch of his childhood hero. Executive produced by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia.
BOSKO
2020
Documentary portrait of Bosko Hrnjak that follows the artist through his childhood in Los Angeles, education at Art Center and his unsung, pioneering work as the first sculptor to revive the lost art of Tiki carving.
THE HIDDEN WORLD VR
2019
Universal Pictures/Dreamworks
The first "How To Train Your Dragon" virtual reality animated film. This immersive tour of the Hidden World was featured at SXSW, nominated for a PGA award and won the Lumieres Award for "Best VR Entertainment Experience."
FORD: FUTURE RIDE
2015 Ford/Team Detroit
An 'Avengers" style theatrical campaign screened in AMC theatres across the country. Helicopter chases, evil villains and Mustangs fill the frame in this unique series of Ford commercials.
TRON: THE NEXT DAY
2010 Disney
Available on BluRay
Doc-style science-fiction short that uncovers the mysterious "Flynn Lives" movement while filling in the "missing chapters" between the original "Tron" film and "Tron: Legacy."
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Bruce Boxleitner.
THE ALIBI
2006 Sony
Streaming on Apple TV/Amazon
"Stylish, witty and absorbing. Recalls the Thin Man movies of the late 1930s, yet is decidedly fresh and contemporary." - Rotten Tomatoes
Cast: Steve Coogan, Sam Elliott, Terry Crews, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Selma Blair.
WRITER/EDITOR/CO-PRODUCER
JFK REVISITED:
Through The looking Glass
2021 Paramount Plus
​​Declassified files related to President Kennedy's assassination in a far larger context, aiming to shine more light on what really happened in 1963.
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Director: Oliver Stone
Producer: Rob Wilson
Editor/Co-producer: Kurt Mattila
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Cannes Film Festival
2021 Special Screening
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NUCLEAR NOW
2022
Streaming Apple TV / Amazon
An investigation into the possibility
of addressing climate change with a move away from fossil fuels to nuclear power.
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Director: Oliver Stone
Producer: Rob Wilson
Editor/Co-producer: Kurt Mattila
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Venice Film Festival
2022
Enrico Fulchignoni Award Winner
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LULA
2024
An intimate portrait of Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva, one of the world's most influential political figures, chronicling his extraordinary path to regaining Brazil's presidency in 2022 after a 19-month imprisonment.
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Director: Oliver Stone and Rob Wilson
Writer/Editor: Kurt Mattila
Cannes Film Festival
2024 Golden Eye Nominee.
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L.A.
FILM FESTIVAL
LUMIERES
AWARDS
AFI
FEST
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CINE-VEGAS
AUDIENCE AWARD
OFFICAL SELECTION
OFFICIAL SELECTION
LUMIERES AWARD
STUNTMAN
2018 Audience award for
"Best Documentey Feature."
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR
DRAGON
2020 "Best VR Entertainment Experience"
LIES & ALIBIS
2006 Official selection and
opening night fim.
LIES & ALIBIS
2006 Closing night film.