Max Barbakow

Max Barbakow is an American filmmaker.^[1] After directing several short films, he received widespread critical acclaim and recognition for his directorial debut feature film, Palm Springs.^[2][3] He followed that movie with Brothers, starring Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin,^[4] and his upcoming projects include an untitled body swap comedy featuring Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston^[5] and Epiphany starring Bill Murray and Kristen Wiig.^[6]

Max Barbakow
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Director and writer
Years active	2013–present
Notable work	Palm Springs (2020)
Website	https://www.maxbarbakow.com/bio

Education

Barbakow attended The Thacher School in Ojai, CA. He received his bachelor's degree from Yale University,^[7] trained with Werner Herzog in Cuba,^[8] and graduated from the AFI Conservatory with an MFA in directing.^[9]

Career

After making short films for a number of years, Barbakow directed his first feature film, Mommy, I'm a Bastard!, in 2013.^[10] His thesis at Yale, Mommy, I'm a Bastard! is a documentary about his open adoption and relationship with his birth mother.^[10]

Barbakow found widespread critical and commercial success after the release of Palm Springs. After its premiere at Sundance, Neon and Hulu acquired the distribution rights to the film in a $17.5 million deal.^[11] The film won Best Comedy at the 26th Critics' Choice Awards, Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie at the 2021 Critics' Choice Super Awards,^[12] and Best Comedy or Musical from the Hollywood Critics Association.^[13] Palm Springs also garnered two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture Comedy, and Barbakow was nominated for The Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay with Andy Siara.

In 2021, Barbakow participated in a commentary cut of Palm Springs, the first of its kind on a streaming platform.^[14]

Brothers, starring Brolin, Dinklage, Glenn Close, and Brendan Fraser, was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios in select theaters on October 11, 2024 before debuting on Amazon Prime Video on October 17, 2024.^[15]

Personal life

Barbakow is married. He met his wife before production began on Palm Springs.^[16]

Filmography

• Mommy, I'm a Bastard! (2013)
• The Duke: Based on the Memoir 'I'm the Duke' by J.P. Duke (2016; short film)
• Mi Dulcinea (2017; short film)
• Palm Springs (2020)
• Brothers (2024)