By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there’s always more we can learn about them as people. We decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
“When I was 14 years old, I watched a documentary on PBS by Arthur Dong called Licensed to Kill about hate crimes against gay men. I was so rattled by the film that I came out the next day because I recognized that visibility could combat violence,” says Matt Wolf, the director of Pee-wee as Himself. Dong’s devastating documentary premiered at the 1997 Festival, winning both the Directing Award: Documentary and the Filmmaker Trophy Documentary. Its legacy is still felt, especially by Wolf.
“After that, I went to the independent movie theater alone each week and became obsessed with new queer cinema films. At the same time, I was doing activism with other gay teens in the Bay Area,” he continues. “During that time, I was the subject of a short documentary. I didn’t like the experience, and I thought that I could have done it better, so I applied to film school and moved to New York to be like the filmmakers I most admired. I didn’t like traditional film school, so I joined a video activist collective and immersed myself in the experimental film community. Soon after, I found my own creative path into the world of documentary filmmaking.”
The director’s path has led him to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, with his two-part documentary about the life of Paul Reubens premiering in the Episodic section. Pee-wee as Himself lets audiences inside Reubens’ notoriously private world through candid and intense interviews, treasure troves of archival footage, and more.
Below, Wolf talks about the push and pull of working with a creative force, his advice for his fellow filmmakers, and what he’s got stocked in his fridge.
What was the biggest inspiration behind this film?
Paul Reubens’ work as Pee-wee Herman was a lifelong inspiration, and he was my dream subject.
Films are lasting artistic legacies, what do you want yours to say?
I make films about unconventional visionaries. In some respects, I act as a translator and I help to give the lives of my subjects coherence, significance, and emotional resonance. I like to do a reappraisal for somebody who has been unjustly overlooked or misrepresented. I’m also somebody who finds meaning and artistry in archives, and as a filmmaker, I’m dedicated to preserving voices, images, and stories before they’re gone.
Describe who you want Pee-wee as Himself to reach?
I want this film to reach anybody who saw Pee-wee Herman as a child, and realized that it’s okay to be a weird and creative nonconformist.
Your favorite part of making the film? Memories from the process?
Every part of this film process was challenging. As depicted in the film, my relationship with Paul Reubens was often tense, but I also found him to be the most hilarious, complex, and compelling human I’ve ever met. I will always hold on to vivid memories of the hundreds of hours of conversations I had with Paul on and off camera.
What was a big challenge you faced while making Pee-wee as Himself?
The biggest challenge I faced while making this film was Paul. He was at once the most compelling and motivated subject I’ve ever had the privilege of interviewing, and by his own admission, he also wanted to direct the film himself. That push and pull between Paul and I was something we both decided was interesting and worthwhile to include in the film. Talking about our dynamic on camera was cathartic for both of us, and I think became something very unique about this film.
Why does this story need to be told now?
Paul Reubens is one of the most important artists of his generation and a figure who has enormous significance for countless people. I am forever grateful that Paul was able to share his personal story in-depth for the first time on camera, and that he gave me his blessing to finish this film after his death.
Why is filmmaking important to you? Why is it important to the world?
I’ve got a lot of energy and when I find something compelling, I don’t want to just passively appreciate it, I want to make that subject a life experience. To be a documentary filmmaker is to live experimentally and to develop complex relationships with people you might not otherwise encounter. My hope is that my passion for filmmaking translates into emotional experiences for viewers. Anything that makes people feel things in nuanced and significant ways matters because we live in a culture that is increasingly nihilistic and inhumane.
What is something that all filmmakers should keep in mind in order to become better cinematic storytellers?
Filmmakers should lean into their ambivalence. You don’t have to tell people what to think or feel, and we should be able to hold multiple feelings and experiences at once.
Who are your creative heroes?
The photographer Larry Sultan, the writer Mary Gaitskill, the musician Nick Drake, and the generation of queer artists who died of AIDS, and who can’t be at Sundance with us.
What three things do you always have in your refrigerator?
Peanut butter, jelly, and almond milk.
One thing people don’t know about me is _____
I’m an oversharing open book.
Which of your personal characteristics contributes most to your success as a storyteller?
The gift of gab.
Tell us about your history with Sundance Institute. When was the first time you engaged with us? Why did you want your film to premiere/screen with us?
My film It’s Me, Hilary was the first to play at Sundance. I’ve had another short and two features at the Festival too. The energy of a premiere, especially for a documentary, at Sundance is incomparable.
What’s your favorite film that has come from the Sundance Institute or Festival?
As mentioned above, Licensed to Kill was a film that changed the course of my life.
