Oakland-based filmmaker Max Good is a Bay Area native . He also lived on the East Coast (Philadelphia & NYC) for over ten years. His unique perspective is informed by street culture, politics, music, and an eye for the twisted, earnest, and incisive.
Max released his first feature documentary in 2011, Vigilante Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a provocative exposé on the phenomenon of anti-graffiti vigilantes. The film enjoyed a small theatrical run, playing at theaters including San Francisco’s Roxie and the IFC in New York. Variety said of the film, “Engaging…Entertaining…Nary a dull moment,” and it went on to a highly-rated two-year run on Netflix. Previously, he worked as assistant producer and distribution manager on the Academy Award-nominated documentary, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.
Max’s short documentaries include Perpetual Ed, Dry Season, and goodbye oldschool, which have played at festivals including the Sheffield Doc/Fest and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Max is fascinated by marginal characters and provocative stories. Often taking an interventionist approach, his films aim to challenge comfort and complacency.
His latest feature-length documentary was released in 2022: The Assassination & Mrs. Paine. He is currently wrapping up his latest short doc, CARL, which should be released in 2025.
Max holds a B.A. in Communications from The University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford University. He has learned more on the streets than at any school.