Matt Finlin

Matt Finlin is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, who is partners with Karen Barzilay in the Door Knocker Media film studio. He is most noted for his 2024 film The Movie Man and his 2025 film Matter of Time.

Early life and education Born and raised in Cambridge, Ontario, where he directed The Glass Box, a short film exploring Taiwan's betel nut trade. He later moved to New York City, where he released Below New York (2011), a documentary capturing the lives and performances of the city's subway buskers, in 2011.

Career Finlin founded Door Knocker Media in 2014 with producing partner Karen Barzilay. With the company, he worked as a director and producer of television specials and sponsored films for charitable organizations, including We Day specials, and a posthumous tribute special to actor Leslie Jordan.

The Movie Man, his feature documentary debut, premiered in February 2024 at the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and had its Canadian premiere at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. Pete Hammond of Deadline dubbed the film "a Canadian Cinema Paradiso." The film profiles Eddie Vedder's series of fundraising concerts to raise money for research into a cure for epidermolysis bullosa.

Matter of Time release and reception

Matter of Time had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June 2025, where it screened as part of the festival's documentary lineup.

Awards

The film received recognition on the international film festival circuit, including:

Best Feature Music Documentary – Nashville Film Festival (2025) Artistic Director's Award – San Diego International Film Festival (2025)