Hugo Max is a filmmaker, painter and musician based in London. His films have been programmed by the Austrian Filmmuseum, TIFF Cinematheque and Modern Art Oxford, screening at festivals in the UK, Northern Ireland, Germany and South Korea.
Max performs live scores to silent films on solo viola, regularly soundtracking screenings at London's Prince Charles Cinema and Picturehouse Cinemas across the UK. He has presented nationwide tours focussing on silent horror, expressionism, the films of F. W. Murnau and Alfred Hitchcock, making solo appearances at many of the country's landmark venues including the BFI Southbank, Bo'ness' Hippodrome and Tyneside Cinema.
Music-making and improvised performance stimulate Max’s image-making, activating solo exhibitions at London’s Phoenix Cinema, JW3 and Robert Phillips Gallery. He has been a visiting lecturer on improvisation and multidisciplinary practice at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Collaboration underpins his process, whether playing chamber music, making films or curating events and exhibitions. He has devised ensemble projects at Oxford's Holywell Music Room, London’s Close-Up and the Locarno Film Festival.
Publications in conjunction with screenings and exhibitions include TAKE ME HOME (with Bora Rex, 2026), Kosher Giraffe Trilogy (2024), The Dissonance Book (2023) and The Stanley Series (2020). His writing has featured in TheStrad, Little White Lies and theseaccents.
Max read Fine Art at Magdalen College, Oxford and studied Film at the Friedl Kubelka School for Independent Film, Vienna.
© Sarah Catterall