Matthew Ehlers
According to the film's official website, Smoking Laws (80min | 2010) “is a voyeuristic look at the curious conversations and confrontations that last the length of a cigarette.” It is the first comedy feature from Eggwork Productions, whose previous work has been seen at over 100 festivals, including Sundance and SXSW, and broadcast throughout the world on such networks as Comedy Central, Canal Plus, and HBO. Matt's latest film project has only one thing in common with his earliest from nearly 20 years ago: cigarettes.
Soon after he completed the University of Southern California cinema program in 1992, Matt, an ex-smoker himself, made his directorial debut with an anti-smoking commercial for the American Cancer Society.
Now Smoking Laws, Matt's first full-length piece, is about to hit the big screen. Shot in Rochester, the film is a series of skits knit together by a common denominator: hardcore smokers stuck outside of their favorite bar on the coldest night of the year.
“The only thing that ties people together in that instance is the love of the nicotine,” Matt told Mad Dog Movies' Mike Boas in a wide-ranging podcast interview. “Slowly the characters interact and criss-cross. It's small slices of life. I had all these scenes in my head and I wanted to get them out.”
To make it happen, he had to bum off a lot of generous local talent.
“Smoking Laws was a no-budget, out-of-pocket passion project,” Matt says. “The fact that we're taking it to the American film market is a testament to the hard work and talents of the volunteer cast and crew.”
“I grew up in Rochester. I came back to be with my friends, some of whom are entering their third decade of helping me on my various film projects,” says Matt, who divides his time between Rochester and New York City.
He also points to the importance of regional film festivals like those found in Rochester as catalysts for budding filmmakers. While he credits the renowned Sundance Festival for a big break, he says smaller festivals are where you connect.
Matt“Sundance, SXSW, Florida and other festivals have helped legitimize our projects in the eyes of industry types and opened a lot of doors,” Matt says.
“But just as important are festivals such as Rochester's 360 | 365, Woodstock, Lake Placid, and others,” he adds. “Regional festivals are important for connecting with an audience and building a grass-roots campaign for your film.”
For the past dozen years, his professional home base has been as writer and director at Eggwork Productions, with business partner Todd Nielsen. The firm has a presence in both Rochester and New York City. Although Eggwork focuses on corporate clients, Matt has written and directed projects as wide-ranging as short films, TV spots, a web series for Comedy Central, and promotional trailers.
In the midst of promoting Smoking Laws, Matt already has his next project in the works: a romantic comedy he will write and direct, titled Vows & Rites. Backed by a U.K. Producer and investor, the film will be shot in Vancouver, B.C., in early 2011.
See more: eggwork.com and on Facebook
Say hi: mehlers@eggwork.com