Matthew Leutwyler

Matthew Leutwyler

Director, Writer, Producer

Leutwyler directed the adaptation of the acclaimed novel THE RIVER WHY (Mill Valley 2010) starring Academy Award winner William Hurt, Zach Gilford, and Amber Heard. He also exec produced SUPER (Toronto 2012) starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page; the 3D horror comedy HELLBENDERS and the comedy-drama THE GIRL MOST LIKELY, starring Kristen Wiig and Annette Benning (Toronto 2011).

Leutwyler stepped into the distribution side of the industry when he co-founded the theatrical distributor The Film Arcade in 2012. For two years, he oversaw the marketing of films including Sundance winner and Independent Spirit Award nominee AFTERNOON DELIGHT starring Kathryn Hahn and Jane Lynch, as well as other Sundance entries THE OTHER DREAM TEAM,
and A.C.O.D. with Amy Poehler, Adam Scott, and Jessica Alba. Matthew departed the company in 2014 to concentrate his efforts back on production and later that year produced the award winning food documentary SPINNING PLATES.

In 2015 Leutwyler directed the sci-fi drama UNCANNY, with Mark Webber and Rainn Wilson. The multi-award winning film has been critically praised with Sight & Sound Magazine calling the film “confident, meticulously crafted, and performed with perfect nuance.” And Ain’t-It-Cool-News “A rare breed of thoughtful, independent science fiction.”

In October 2017, he partnered with Morgan Spurlock to produce the coming-of-age film GOOD AFTER BAD starring Billy Burke, Maddie Hasson, and Melora Walters. The following year with Anton Laines he executive produced and created the reality-TV pilot THE BANK for The Africa Channel. Best described as SHARK TANK for micro-loans, it was directed by Rebecca Henning (creator of BRAVO’s hit series BELOW DECK).

Matthew spent the final six months of 2019 in Mumbai directing and co-showrunning the 8 episode action-drama series STATE OF SIEGE: 26/11, based on the true life events surrounding the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. The series was one of the most watched mini-series in India and was nominated for six 2020 FilmFare Awards.

For the past 20 months Leutwyler and partner Anton Laines have been shooting a docu-series about the legendary Congolese boxing champion Kibomango and the all women boxing team he developed as an antidote to sexual violence and endemic poverty in his country. In the summer of 2022 the team shot a scripted dramatized version of the story starring Ama Qamata (Netflix’s BLOOD AND WATER) and Hakeem Kae-Kazim (KING KONG, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN). The film, currently in post-production, is written and directed by Leutwyler. Executive producers are Congolese born NBA Champion Serge Ibaka through his Ouenzé Entertainment company and Colin Gayle and Yvette Davis Gayle of Africa Creative Agency. It is produced by Anton Laines.

Matthew and Anton are also developing ORPHANS VS. ALIENS, a sci-fi graphic novel about extraterrestrial invaders attacking East Africa and the group of orphans that band together to save the world. The artwork is being done by a group of Rwandan teenagers with the completed novel being separated into a series of 6 comic books in 5 languages that will be distributed for free to numerous orphanages in Sub-Saharan Africa so children in this part of the world can see themselves represented as the heroes of an epic story.

Matthew has also directed and produced spots for Chevy Volt and Coke Zero and a music video for Egyptian (Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds’s side project).

Outside of his career as a filmmaker, Matthew founded and oversees the non-profit WE ARE LIMITLESS. Since 2012 the NGO has been providing Rwandan and Congolese orphans and underprivileged youth with quality boarding school educations and healthcare. He also owns a popular restaurant in Rwanda’s capital city Kigali named after his mother, Lavana.

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