BIO

Max Duncan Filmmaker Journalist profile portrait image

Max Duncan is an award-winning, multilingual director, cinematographer and journalist making long- and short-form documentaries and series. He started his career in China as a video journalist for Reuters before going freelance to dive into the human stories at the heart of the country’s transformation. After a decade in Beijing, seven years in Madrid and one year in London, he brings the same energy and curiosity to diverse factual projects around the world.

His films are urgent but intimate, always cinematic while never losing sight of the humanity or the facts. He uses fluent Mandarin and Spanish and cultural sensitivity to build trust with subjects from farmers and factory workers to celebrities.

Max has received recognition including a World Press Photo Award, support from Pulitzer, and is an alumnus of Yaddo and Logan Nonfiction programs. His first feature documentary Made in Ethiopia was awarded the Jury Special Mention at Tribeca Festival 2024, toured 50 international festivals and screened on 15 international broadcasters.

Resumé / Equipment list

Logos of different media outlets including Arte, PBS, Vice, WSJ, TMT, NBC News, and the United Nations on a black background.

FILMS

Multiple film festival laurels and awards from various international festivals for 2024, including Sheffield, Hong Kong, Rome, Cleveland, Docufest, and others, displayed on a black background.
Text in white on a black background that says 'Made in Ethiopia' in a stylized font.

Feature-length Documentary

Director/Producer/DoP/Co-editor

When a massive Chinese factory complex attempts a high-stakes expansion in rural Ethiopia, three women have their faith in industrialisation tested to the limit.

After premiering at Tribeca Festival, where it received the Special Jury Mention, Made in Ethiopia went on to screen at over 50 international film festivals. Represented by Dogwoof, it has sold to 15 international broadcasters and counting, including PBS POV, Arte, Al Jazeera and NHK.

“Absorbing study of Chinese investment in Africa”
One of FT’s Six Films to Watch this Week  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
‍ Danny Leigh, The Financial Times

Women working at sewing machines in a factory setting.
Crowd of people walking on a wide street lined with trees, with some buildings and power lines in the background.
A woman and girl stand in a dry field with a dog to the right, trees in the background, mountains and structures in the distance, under a cloudy sky.
A woman in a blue dress with ruffled sleeves and bow detail sitting on a black leather couch in a modern room, taking a close-up mirror selfie with a small round mirror.
A woman wearing a white shirt, red and white visor with star design, red earrings, and a yellow bracelet, holds a phone to her ear on a sandy beach with a group of people in the background.
People in a makeshift settlement with blue tarps, trash, and a large unfinished stadium in the background under a cloudy sky.
A woman wearing a head covering and face mask pulled down to her chin looks into a mirror at night with colorful city lights blurred in the background.
An aerial photo of an industrial complex during sunset with smoke rising from several buildings.
WATCH

Down from the Mountains

A young boy jumps in the air, reaching for a string tied to a kite, in a rural village with traditional clay houses in the background. The image features the title 'Down from the Mountains' by Max Duncan, with the Pulitzer Center logo.

Documentary short (24 mins)

PBS/The Atlantic/Aeon/China File

Director/Producer/Director of Photography/Editor

A World Press Photo Award-winning documentary follows the lives of three children left behind in the mountains of southwest China by parents seeking work over 1,000 miles away. The film was made with the support of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and featured on PBS, The Atlantic and Aeon.   

WATCH

Divided Cities

Short Documentary Series, The Guardian

Series Director/Director of Photography/Editor

WATCH

Frozen Out

Short Documentary, The Guardian

Director/Producer/Director of Photography/Editor

WATCH

OTHER WORK

Selected documentaries and reportage for platforms including Al Jazeera, BBC, The FT, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Vice and the New York Times.

VIEW HERE

REEL

Awards and Recognition

Made in Ethiopia (Festivals, Various Broadcasters)

  • Tribeca Festival – Special Jury Mention, Documentary Feature

  • Warsaw International Film Festival – Special Jury Mention, Best Documentary

  • Planet in Focus International Film Festival – Best International Feature

  • Austin Asian American Film Festival – Best Documentary, Jury & Audience Award

  • Moritz Feed Dog Film Festival – Best Film

  • SIMA Awards – Finalist

  • Cinema for Peace Awards – Nominee, International Green Film Award

  • Rory Peck Awards – Nominee, Sony Impact Award for Long-Form

  • Wickers Awards — Finalist

Down from the Mountains (PBS, The Atlantic, Aeon, ChinaFile)

  • 1st Prize, World Press Photo Long Form Digital Storytelling Award

  • Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting Grant

Mekong:  A River Rising (Guardian)

  • Webby Award — Best Use of Video

  • One World Media Award — Digital Media Award

Other Awards

  • Peabody Award — Spain COVID reporting (PBS Newshour, overall coverage)

  • Better Cities Award —Why do Havana's taxi drivers earn more than doctors? (Guardian)

  • Vimeo Staff Pick — The Artist and Their City: Ai Weiwei on Beijing (Guardian)

Fellowships

  • Yaddo Artists’ Residency

  • Logan Non-fiction Fellowship

Black banner with white logos and text announcing the 2023 Rory Peck Awards, SIMA finalist documentary, Logan Nonfiction Program, One World Media Awards, and Yaddo.
Logos of Peabody Award, Pulitzer Center, Webby Awards, The Whickers, and World Press Photo on a black background.

CONTACT

Open to commissions, co-productions, collaborations and good ideas