Actor, writer and director Max Azulay leveraged his obsession with filmmaking to create unique, irreverent films armed with his comedic sensibility. The influence of the legendary Mel Brooks seeped in early on in his Suburban upbringing, which happened to take place 40 minutes from New York City, and helped inspire his young creativity. Finding his community of like-minded comedic cinephiles led to several short films which channelled his interests. He moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College, after transferring from Sarah Lawrence, his parents’ alma mater, and made a number of short films which led to 5 Doctors, his first feature film. Robert Altman would be proud of the film’s tone, which captured fundamental aspects of Max’s own life, including his high school, a thematic undertone of anxiety, and members of his family. He co-directed the film with frequent collaborator, Matt Porter. In addition to starring in the film, the pair wrote the screenplay alongside Phil Primason for an ensemble cast, including Bobby Moynihan, Jeremy Shamos, Peter Friedman and Eddie Pepitone among several others. In addition, Max has directed and written several short films with his collaborators, including Xander; Lenny; One Mutual Friend; and Carmen & Moony, the latter starring his partner Kate Adams, with whom he is developing his next feature. In our conversation, we discussed growing up near the big city; the influence of Borscht Belt comedy; the path towards his first feature; kleptomania; WiFi; and the through-line of family which runs through his catalogue.

Opening Credits: John Lopker - Embryo Murder I CC BY 4.0 DEED; Caleb Lemon - A Road in the Country I CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED; Jangwa - Jupiter Czar I CC BY 4.0 DEED; Closing Credits: Piki - Clear Blue I CC BY 4.0 DEED.