Mateen Kemet, a dynamic filmmaker originally from The Bronx, New York, now splits time between NYC and California. He’s written and directed 12 short films, 1 music video, 15 screenplays, and multiple commercials since transitioning from Wall Street bond trader and public school educator. Along the way he‘s won 17 film prizes, including a Director’s Guild Award, the FESPACO Special Director’s Prize and a best screenplay award at the Oaxaca International Film Festival. Additionally, he was a Fox Searchlab Fellow, a Rockefeller Foundation Media Fellowship nominee, and a finalist on the Steven Spielberg filmmaker reality competition, On The Lot, placing 7th out of 12,000 applicants worldwide.
Current projects include: The Sundarbans Tiger, an animated feature film about a young Bengal tiger coming of age, fending for himself in the forest after his mother is poached; The Lower Bottom; a SF Bay Area feature about a young man’s directionless pursuit of love and success in the harsh Oakland neighborhood of the same name; and Hooky, an adventure-filled exploration of deep friendship, love, and romance between two gritty, Bronx, 5th graders, as they ditch school one day to avoid a bully.
Lastly, Mateen is the Creative Director, and founder of Elephant Creative Media, a New York based commercial production company that lives in the nexus of race, class, gender, and commerce. Elephant Creative Media’s work covers both the municipal and corporate arenas, from health and human services, to police and fire departments, to tourism and international fashion.
Mateen holds a BA in Economics from San Francisco State University, an MFA in Film Production from Chapman University, and a Ph.D from the School of Hard Knocks. He is a lifelong practitioner of Wing Chun Kung Fu, and ever the eternal optimist, he continues to be a diehard fan of the New York Jets.
Mateen Kemet, a dynamic filmmaker originally from The Bronx, New York, now splits time between NYC and California. He’s written and directed 12 short films, 1 music video, 15 screenplays, and multiple commercials since transitioning from Wall Street bond trader and public school educator. Along the way he‘s won 17 film prizes, including a Director’s Guild Award, the FESPACO Special Director’s Prize and a best screenplay award at the Oaxaca International Film Festival. Additionally, he was a Fox Searchlab Fellow, a Rockefeller Foundation Media Fellowship nominee, and a finalist on the Steven Spielberg filmmaker reality competition, On The Lot, placing 7th out of 12,000 applicants worldwide.
Current projects include: The Sundarbans Tiger, an animated feature film about a young Bengal tiger coming of age, fending for himself in the forest after his mother is poached; The Lower Bottom; a SF Bay Area feature about a young man’s directionless pursuit of love and success in the harsh Oakland neighborhood of the same name; and Hooky, an adventure-filled exploration of deep friendship, love, and romance between two gritty, Bronx, 5th graders, as they ditch school one day to avoid a bully.
Lastly, Mateen is the Creative Director, and founder of Elephant Creative Media, a New York based commercial production company that lives in the nexus of race, class, gender, and commerce. Elephant Creative Media’s work covers both the municipal and corporate arenas, from health and human services, to police and fire departments, to tourism and international fashion.
Mateen holds a BA in Economics from San Francisco State University, an MFA in Film Production from Chapman University, and a Ph.D from the School of Hard Knocks. He is a lifelong practitioner of Wing Chun Kung Fu, and ever the eternal optimist, he continues to be a diehard fan of the New York Jets.