Elias Matar

Elias Matar was born July 20, 1964 in Berkley California. Growing up in Syria, his love of filmmaking was always present. His first film at the age of 9, was confiscated by government officials in Syria.
His passion of the arts continued and after the tragic death of his best friend in an explosion, he came to the USA and got an engineering degree at Purdue. After a few years at McDonnell Douglas, he decided to pursue a new avenue of art and design.
Elias launched STORM in the US, Clothing and Watches Company that spread from New York to Beverly Hills. After years of success, Elias was finally ready to enter the film world once again. His first project was a short based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's story entitled "Light is Like Water". This film is about childhood lost and rediscovery.
His second foray is entitled "Chingaso the Clown" based on the ultra popular pulp comic "Chingaso the Clown". This film is about the war between clowns and mimes within a town called Messiah. Elias is seeking funding for the full feature now.
Elias's other projects in development are: "Masque of Red Death" this film is about a disconnected future society and a palague empath that's commissioned to save humanity. The script was written by the acclaimed writer, David Aaron Cohen("Friday Night Lights" and "The Devil's Own") & Jack Reher. "The Witch List" Graphic Noval writen by Elias and Paul Taegel.
Elias Matar resides in Los Angeles and is surrounded by his lovely wife, two brilliant children and an extended family that spans the globe.
THE WORLD OF "CHINGASO THE CLOWN" FEATURE
..Well, there goes one funny mother fucker... Bastard the Clown, leader of the Clown Army, stands over the grave of his top general. ..Would you have me water Diablo..s grave with the blood of a hundred Mimes?.. Clowns gathered around the gravesite howl with approval. Bastard silences them. ..I..d like nothing better, on general principle. But it..s not a Mime were after.. It..s an insignificant, rat-fuck, poseur Clown and his name is Chingaso...
Based on the cult comic of the same name, Chingaso the Clown is like no other comic book hero. The world he inhabits is a bizarre explosion of color and sound, where brutal Clowns rule the streets as jack-booted thugs, while their mortal enemies, the Mimes, silently stalk the shadows with murderous intent. To avenge the death of his parents, Chingaso pits himself against the two warring factions to bring the whole twisted system crashing down.
My vision as a director is to expose this graphic world in saturated colors by slamming Hong Kong style action into Spaghetti Western mythology, where good and evil collide under the sights and sounds of the Big Top. However, at the heart of this insane world are characters grounded in reality, facing real human struggles.
My short film version of Chingaso the Clown is currently taking the world by storm. It has appeared in over thirty venues, traveling several continents including America, Asia and Europe and still going strong. It has been translated into four languages, garnished praise from critics and audiences alike, and won numerous awards, including most recently, Kevin Smith..s Movie Askew Film Festival Audience Award.
Lloyd Kaufman of TROMADANCE.
Q&A with Jonithan Lees at TROMADANCE
LUC BESSON at SUNDANCE
RIE EASMUSSEN at SUNDANCE with ANGEL-A
Kevin Smith and Elias at Movie Askew
Richard Kelly and Elias at Movie Askew
Elias With Gris Grimly
The Best Editiong Award at Action On Film Festival
Q&A at COMIC CON
On the set of CHINGASOChingaso The Clown

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