Theo Matza's Faux Amis: catfishing, Paris and long‑lens voyeurism

Theo Matza is a New York–based writer‑director who, according to a Directors Notes interview, has just premiered a 15‑minute short called Faux Amis (False Friends). The Paris‑set comedy‑mystery upends the usual ’woman scams man’ trope and folds in a critique of AI‑assisted catfishing as two Americans try to find the man behind a polished Instagram profile.

Matza told Directors Notes he shot the bulk of the film overseas: "filming the bulk of this independent short on location in Paris (6 production days there, 1 day in New York)." The production was small and international, with producers including Farmhands Productions and leads Michelle Moriarty and Clarice Reiner; Angelo Chammah joined as a Parisian producer and facilitated guerrilla shooting, with support from his parents Ronald Chammah and Isabelle Huppert, the article says.

Cinematographer Max Fly‑Goldstein and Matza leaned on unusual glass to create the film’s distinctive gaze. They shot on an Alexa 35 with Fujinon zoom lenses and a broadcast box lens—stacking focal extenders—so long zooms could telescope across landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré‑Cœur. Matza explains the intent plainly: "I wanted the geography itself to become part of the comedy and the story," he told Directors Notes.

"We were aiming to invert the typical romantic vistas of Paris... portraying the city as a sinister force watching its non‑citizens’ every move," Matza told Directors Notes.

The shoot relied on tight collaboration: co‑writer Jefferson Randall edited with Matza, sound was shaped by Tim Perdoch, and a chance meeting led to casting French actor Vincent Macaigne. Matza is now developing a feature written by Jefferson Randall while continuing to make music videos and other projects, he says.

The account and quotes above are from Directors Notes’ interview with Theo Matza.