Filmmaker Matthew Mishory's work has been shown at major film festivals and art galleries in London, New York, Reykjavik, Toronto, and São Paulo, prompting French magazine Les Inrocks to declare Matthew, "a new hope of American indie cinema." Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean, currently in post-production, is his feature film debut.
In 2009, Matthew directed Delphinium: A Childhood Portrait of Derek Jarman, a stylized and lyrical coming-of-age portrait of legendary painter, filmmaker, and activist Derek Jarman's artistic and sexual awakening in 1950s England. Delphinium has continued to screen at dozens of festivals around the world after its UK premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London and received the Eastman Kodak Grand Prize for Best Short Film at the 2010 United States Super8 Film and Digital Video Festival. After screening at the 2011 BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the film was acquired by the British Film Institute for preservation in the National Film Archive.
Previously, Matthew's short film Nick and Kate screened in competition at Filminute 2008, one of 25 selections culled from a field of nearly 2,000 by a jury that included two-time Oscar winner Paul Haggis and German film critic Andrea Dittgen. He also directed the commissioned marriage equality piece The Marionettes (shot entirely with miniatures), an official selection of the 2010 Newport Beach International Film Festival.
In September 2009, Matthew traveled to Iceland, where he was invited to participate in the RIFF Transatlantic Talent Laboratory. A program held in conjunction with the film festival and intended for young filmmakers preparing to direct a first feature film, the Talent Lab is where Matthew first developed Joshua Tree, 1951. Master class instructors included Cannes award winners Giorgos Lanthimos, Jessica Hausner, and João Pedro Rodrigues, and Oscar nominee Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.
In 2008, Matthew formed the production company, Iconoclastic Features, LLC, with actor/producer Edward Singletary, Jr. Matthew previously studied Film Theory and Screenwriting at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has contributed to a number of film and fashion publications.