Matthew Roe

Matthew David Roe (born July 17, 1990) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, and editor. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Maryland. He has directed such films as the award-winning short film Remedy (2007), Soldalto E Pedina (2008), Macabre (2008), Stallions and Mules (2009), and Suburban Children (2010).
Early life
Matthew "Pharaoh" Roe was born in Catonsville, Maryland. Extraordinarily reclusive in his earlier life, there wasn't much he excelled in at all. This was true until he began to write extensively at the age of 8. Mainly due to the restrictions his parents placed on the watching of television, Matthew dove into a world of books and was able to attain a 9th Grade reading and writing level at the age of 10. Struggling with Social Anxiety Disorder and a low self-esteem, Matthew did poorly in grade school, with the exception of English. He was mortified with the possibilities of public speaking and academic achievement, so his grades remained at a C- average until the start of High School.
At the beginning of 9th Grade, Matthew had committed to not letting anything get the better of him and any goals he wanted. Through determination and struggle, he overcame his social awkwardness and began openly socializing and communicating with many people in a wide variety of settings. His grades did not improve a great deal, remaining at a C+ average until the start of 11th grade. Up to this point, he had tried, time and time again, to break into the professional field of creative writing and had failed repeatedly to get the smallest piece of work published. He did receive small acclaim for his poetry published in the school's creative writing magazine Tangents, but it afforded him little comfort.
By this time, Matthew had already shown a small interest in video production, constantly making slide show documentaries and mock trailers on his household computer and showing it off to his family. This was also the time in which he took a more invigorated awareness of the films of Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, John Waters, Elia Kazan, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and John Ford. And with a mounting complexity of the knowledge, as well as the encouragement of both his mother and sister Candice, who was attending Temple University in Philadelphia as a Film Major, he contacted Kevin Walla at the local TV station. Kevin was the Community Producer Coordinator and he became Matthew's mentor as he guided Matthew down the basic aspects of video production and editing.
After his basic training was complete, the director set to work and he wrote, directed and produced his first short film '. This 10-minute short he had originally written at the bequest of his sister Candice. Remedy later won a Vollie Award for Best Programming For/By Youth at a Carroll County local television competition. Matthew next created Mafia: The True Story (2008) for his high school film festival.
His first contractual job as a director came about in early 2008 when the Local Management Board of Carroll County hired him to create a documentary on the South-East Civil Rights Tour. This project also put him into contact with Eric Rhodes, who was the co-producer and eventually the composer of the score for the project. This became Fighting For Life: Teenage Opinions on US Civil Rights, which is an experimental documentary based on opinions of adolescents. It went on to win critical acclaim for originality of vision. The next two projects Matthew made were the shorts Soldalto E Pedina (2008) and Macabre.
He spent the rest of 2008 preparing and engaging preproduction with his first feature film which became Stallions and Mules, a crime docudrama that was created over four months and released in selective places and on public access in mid-2009. His latest feature length film Suburban Children will be released theatrically and through the internet early 2010.
Matthew Roe still currently resides in Maryland, producing and writing future films.
Additional Facts
All of the films that Roe undertakes, no matter the genre, expose the darker and more sinister nature of people.
Works constantly with friend, producer, and composer Eric Rhodes in creating the scores for his films.
Is a friend and admirer of avant-garde Cuban filmmaker Miguel Coyula.
When Roe is the producer of a film he uses the pseudonym Pharaoh, refrencing the character he once played in a staged production of the musical Aida.
Filmography
* ' (2007)
* ' (2008)
* ' (2008)
* ' (2008)
* ' (2008)
* Stallions and Mules (2009)
* Suburban Children (2010)
Awards
* 2008 Vollie Award for Best Programming For/By Youth - For Remedy

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