Max Barbakow is an American filmmaker. After making several short films, he became well-known for his first feature film, Palm Springs. He is currently working on two new projects: Brothers, with Peter Dinklage and Josh Brolin, and a comedy with Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston.
Barbakow went to The Thacher School in Ojai, CA. He got his bachelor’s degree from Yale University, trained with Werner Herzog in Cuba, and earned an MFA in directing from the AFI Conservatory in 2016.
Barbakow directed his first feature film, Mommy, I’m a Bastard!, in 2013. This documentary is about his adoption and relationship with his birth mother.
He gained widespread fame after the release of Palm Springs. The film premiered at Sundance and was bought by Neon and Hulu for $17.5 million. Palm Springs won several awards, including Best Comedy at the Critics’ Choice Awards and Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie at the Critics’ Choice Super Awards. It also received two Golden Globe nominations, and Barbakow was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay with Andy Siara.
In 2021, Barbakow created a commentary cut of Palm Springs, which was a first for a streaming platform.
His upcoming film, Brothers, featuring Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Glenn Close, and Brendan Fraser, will be released in select theaters on October 11, 2024, and on Amazon Prime Video on October 17, 2024.
Barbakow is married and met his wife before starting work on Palm Springs.