MAX HECHTMAN: Filmmaking Is My Way Of Connecting With Others And Showing Them They Aren’t Alone

Max Hechtman is an award-winning, New York–based American director whose journey in film began with a simple thought — “I can do better” — after watching his brother’s school photo montage. Since then, he has gone on to create compelling dramatic films like Abigail, I Am Here, and Remembering Isabelle.

Max opened up with Drive Music Media about how it all started, how he chooses actors for his films, the meaningful moments behind each story, and what new projects he’s working on now.

Interviewer: Could you tell us how your career in filmmaking began? What led you to choose this path?

Max: The beginning of my path to filmmaking goes all the way back to when I was just a little kid living in East Meadow on Long Island. My younger brother Evan, and I used to enjoy watching Disney animated classics on VHS all the time, sometimes quoting lines from them from time-to-time, alongside seeing the latest family-friendly title out there in theaters. But there were also times where I got to be exposed to the more significant titles that pushed the evolution of cinema forward, including The Wizard of Oz (1939), The Ten Commandments (1956), the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, E.T. (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), and a personal favorite of my late father Alan, It’s a Wonderful Life (1947), which I still watch every Christmas Eve on TV in honor of him. The turning point came around I think 2008 when I saw a photo montage at my brother’s school and thought “I can do better than that.” I stayed up until midnight experimenting with Windows Movie Maker using family photos from a trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In that very moment, I discovered my passion. This would lead me to become the official videographer for Woodland Middle School beginning in 10th grade, capturing all the sports teams’ events and the drama club productions of The Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof. It would carry over to my time at East Meadow High School from 2011-2015, where I upgraded from a camcorder to a Canon T3i DSLR. It was around that time when my mentor of 13 years, Christonikos “Chris” Tsalikis, came into my life. He taught me how to properly shoot and edit and often served as a second camera operator for the school’s theater productions, such as Guys and Dolls, Once Upon a Mattress and Beauty and the Beast. After high school, Chris helped me prepare for the Film & Media Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City by directing my first narrative short, I Am Here (2016), on which I upgraded again to the Canon C100.

That film, along with a student documentary about the founding of the student organization FIT Hives and its mission to promote sustainability and install a beehive on the roof of the college, launched me into the film festival circuit, with screenings at NewFilmmakers NY, the Chelsea Film Festival and the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE). Throughout this time, I was deeply influenced by the work of directors like Steven Spielberg, Rob Marshall, Tom Hooper, Jon M. Chu, Jean-Luc Godard, Damien Chazelle, Greta Gerwig, Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick, Yorgos Lanthimos, among others, whose styles have shaped my own. Graduating from FIT in 2019 was the culmination of this journey, and I wouldn't be where I am today without those foundational experiences.

Interviewer: Your film Abigail is based on a true story. What is it about, what was the creative process behind it, and what meanings did you aim to convey through the film? Whose story did you bring to the screen?

Max: Abigail (2019), my senior thesis film, was originally written as a one-scene script by Jason K. Allen about an elderly man, Elmer (played by Richie Allan), who visits his wife’s grave and encounters a little girl (played by Leilani Marie Vasquez) who shows him the path to healing and fills him with hope. When I optioned the script in 2018, one of my FIT professors, Josh Koury, encouraged me to expand it in order for the film to fit the project’s 15-20 minute runtime requirement. Inspired by an article in the New York Times Magazine about the concept of “death with dignity,” my co-director/co-producer Chris, my executive producer (and loving mother) Meryl, and I decided to explore how to cinematically depict the grieving process that comes with the tragic loss of a loved one, in this case, from the perspective of the elderly.

We added non-linear flashbacks to show the deep relationship between Elmer and his wife, Abigail (played by Elvira Tortora) and to contextualize how her end-of-life decision impacts Elmer’s life. For visual inspiration, we looked to the opening “Married Life” sequence from Disney/Pixar’s Up (2009) and the structure of The Notebook (2004). There's also a scene where Elmer handles Abigail's clothes, a direct homage to the letter-writing scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958).

After screening the film for the first time at the FIT Senior Show in 2019, we had no idea how deeply its themes would resonate when the world shut down in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when all film festivals resorted to a virtual format instead of being held in-person. Seeing the overwhelmingly positive response the film had received during its virtual festival run makes me both happy and emotional at the same time. My hope is that the film continues to help people find a path toward healing and comfort, especially in times of darkness and uncertainty. The filmmakers and I are currently looking to release the film publicly once it secures some form of online distribution.

Interviewer: You’re an award-winning director. Which project earned you this recognition, and what did it feel like to reach such a significant milestone?

Max: The project that earned me that recognition was the 2018 documentary Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide. The film was inspired by two key events: a middle school assembly I attended in 2008 given by John Halligan about his son, Ryan (who died from suicide in 2003), and seeing the musical Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway in 2017. The film examines youth suicide from the perspectives of family members, an individual with a lived experience, a clinician, and the media.

Interviewer: As a director, what do you pay the most attention to when casting actors? Are you open to working with those who may not have much experience but do have strong potential and motivation?

Max: When casting, I look for actors who not only can bring the characters to life, but also add a sense of realism to their performance — I want the raw emotion to feel authentic. Think of it as if we are watching real people react to the world around them.

I am absolutely open to working with actors who have strong potential, regardless of their experience. On I Am Here, this entire cast was new to film acting, especially our lead actor Lucas Iverson, who was finishing up his studies at Adelphi University at the time and is now all these years later set to star in a recurring role on season 2 of HBO Max’s The Pitt. It gave everyone a hands-on introduction to the differences between stage and screen. On Abigail, that was almost entirely different, as we took a hybrid approach alongside countless auditions: our lead, Richie Allan, who was recommended to me by Chris, was a seasoned actor (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Escape at Dannemora, Meet Dave), while the supporting roles were filled by emerging talent. I believe that this blend of experience can make for an effective and supportive set, becoming a model that I hope to use again on future projects, alongside my goal to finally get to work with A-list talent like Eddie Redmayne, Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaac and Emma Stone to name a few.

Interviewer: What is the most challenging part of filmmaking for you — and what comes the easiest? Why?

Max: I get asked this a lot, and the answer is sometimes the same. Among the most challenging aspects of filmmaking for me are lighting and audio. I’m comfortable using natural light, but I’m actively working to become more meticulous with professional lighting setups and plan to create detailed floor plans alongside any future cinematographers I end up working with during pre-production. With audio, ensuring the levels are perfectly balanced on set is critical, because you often don't know for sure if you have clean recordings until post-production.The easiest part of filmmaking, in terms of my experience, is the creative development and editing. I love brainstorming a shot list and figuring out the best way to bring those ideas to life on screen. This also applies to when I am editing, since I have a very sharp eye for detail, which is essential for maintaining continuity, ensuring consistent color correction, and pacing the story effectively.

Interviewer: What films or projects are you currently working on?

Max: Since 2020, I’ve been primarily working remotely as a video editor for Chris’ Long Island-based video production company Reel Life Cinematography, where I have been employed since 2014. Here, we create grand entrance/hype videos and montages for B’nai Mitzvahs and corporate content for clients like Nespresso, Altice, Audi, Dream Downtown, the New York Mets, Outfront Media and more. During the pandemic, I worked on the promotional campaign and making-of documentary for Bálint Varga’s musical audiobook d’ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical, which involved talent from all over the world like Broadway actor Julian R. Decker (who played Houdini), Quiana Holmes, Rico LeBron, Ben Toomer, Andrea Sooch, Adam B. Shapiro, among others. The audiobook itself is streaming now on all music platforms. I’ve also done freelance promotional work for the marketing campaigns of Broadway shows including Hamilton, Shucked, Stereophonic, Back to the Future: The Musical, The Outsiders, and the 2023 revival of Parade, as well as some US Tours. On the filmmaking side, I am still looking for what short film I want to make next so I can at least get back in the saddle of being physically on set again, whether it be another narrative or documentary. However, I do have some big long-term goals ahead of me: I am currently revising the screenplay for my first original narrative feature film, The Lens Within Me, which I began writing in January 2024 and also intend to produce and direct. It is a semi-autobiographical coming-of- age drama in the vein of Spielberg’s The Fabelmans (2022) and Morgan Matthews’ X+Y (2014), with additional influences drawn from A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Souvenir (2019) and the montage sequences in Oppenheimer (2023). While loosely inspired by my time in the Film and Media Program at FIT, I've taken creative liberties for dramatic effect. I believe its story, of using art to navigate personal struggles, is so relatable, that I hope it will help and inspire others, especially those who may have been in my shoes. I do plan to give more updates such as plot and character details once I believe the script is in a good place and when I feel like I’m ready to begin seeking co-producers and investors to help bring it to life. I am also aiming to adapt maybe 2-3 stage musicals for the screen, depending on film rights availability.

Interviewer: Which moment in your film holds the most meaning for you personally? Why is it special?

In Abigail, the scenes depicting Elmer’s grief are the most personally meaningful.

During pre-production, I drew on my own experience of losing my father, Alan, an EMT who worked for the Wantagh-Levittown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, to 9/11-related illness in May 2010, the month after my Bar Mitzvah. Watching our actor, Richie Allan, portray those moments of loss felt like looking into a mirror and seeing my own grief reflected back at me through the camera. The scene where Elmer argues with Abigail over her end-of-life decision hits me hard every time.

These moments are special because incorporating my own experiences lends an undeniable authenticity to the story. It allows me to add a piece of myself to the characters and, hopefully, create a more emotionally profound connection with the audience.

Interviewer: What is one piece of advice you wish you had received at the beginning of your journey — but never did? Why that particular one?

Max: I wish someone had stressed the architectural nature of screenwriting earlier in my journey. While I learned the fundamentals in my classes at FIT, I wish I'd had a more comprehensive understanding from the very beginning of how to shape a character’s voice through dialogue and action descriptions. It’s a skill I’ve had to develop through practice, and earlier guidance probably would have smoothed out some of my initial difficulties with original scripts.

Interviewer: What mission do you carry as a film director? Why does that matter to you?

Max: My mission as a filmmaker is to tell stories that encourage audiences to think, question and open the doors to conversations about difficult subjects. Art has the power to heal and inspire, and I want my films to ultimately lead to positive outcomes and a greater sense of understanding. This matters to me because through most of my life, I’ve faced many obstacles and challenges, and filmmaking is my way of connecting with others and showing them they aren’t alone. As I continue to learn and expand upon my craft, my goal is to fulfill this mission in every project and inspire other emerging filmmakers to do the same.

Interviewer: What word would you say best describes your approach to filmmaking — and why that word?

Max: This was a tough one to answer, but I would say that a word that best describes my approach to filmmaking is “insightful.” I choose that word because my approach is rooted in developing a deep, empathetic understanding of the stories I tell. I want to go deep beneath the surface of a subject, visually depict its core meaning, and express that understanding through a cinematic combination of intentional visuals, music, editing, and captivating performances.

It’s all about revealing a deeper truth and not just showing events as they would normally happen.

Pictures were provided by Max Hechtman