A Conversation With Film Producer, Writer, And Director Max Neace

By Gill Holland • Headshot Photo Provided 

GH: Tell us about this new film you are shooting in town in May (I loved the short film “Oddities”). 

Max Neace - “Oddities” is a feature film adapted from that very same short that was on the film festival circuit in 2024. It’s on YouTube. Just search Tyler Savage “Oddities”. Our feature adaptation follows two junkies as they run from the law and then find something much more dangerous underneath a secluded antique barn. It’s a horror-romp. A really scary good time. Tyler Savage is again writing and directing. Adrienne Barbeau (“Swamp Thing”, “The Fog”) stars with Lilimar Hernandez and Lovie Simone. I am producing it alongside David Broad, Noah Lang, and Javier Gonzalez. This is Tyler’s and my second feature together. Our first, STALKER, filmed in Los Angeles and is currently on Hulu. It’s great to bring ODDITIES back to Louisville after our last production in California. Now we’ve shot in both of our hometowns together. 

GH: Was “Don’t Tell A Soul” your first major feature shot here? 

Max Neace - “It was! I produced that with Merry-Kay Poe and Chris Mangano. Afterwards we made “What We Do Next” together. 

GH: How do you think L.A. is doing post Covid, strikes, and more recently fires? 

Max Neace - “L.A. is rebounding, but in a tough place. After the fires, Los Angeles really came together as a community; it was great to see such an eclectic city rally around something so tumultuous. Production is still in a tough spot, however. Movies, commercials, TV shows—so much production is electing to shoot elsewhere. And it makes sense: it’s too expensive and there’s too much red tape to be able to shoot anything independent in LA. Even studios struggle to afford their own rent. Hopefully new incentives bring productions back, but it will be a few years before things feel “normal” again. 

GH: How is it different shooting in Louisville vs. L.A.? 

Max Neace - “There’s more excitement in Louisville vs. L.A. When a Louisvillian sees a camera and production crew, they stop to ask questions and even ask if they can help. If an Angeleno sees a camera and production crew, they roll their eyes and run the other way. The film community in Louisville is smaller, so when I bring a movie to town, it’s great to work with such talented and familiar faces. In L.A. you’re often working with different crews and rarely overlap on projects. There’s more depth and support in L.A. than there is in Louisville. But the community is growing here, and the support systems are growing stronger. 

GH: Have you been to the Flyover Film Festival here in town? If so, was it with a film or just checking it out? 

Max Neace - “I actually won Flyover’s Best Narrative Feature last year with my directorial debut, SHIFT, that comes out this summer! I have two movies in post-production that were shot in Louisville last year—GOBLIN and RED CAMELIA—that I hope to bring to Flyover in ‘26. I joined the board of The Louisville Film Society at the beginning of 2025, so I am working closely with Derek Sepe and Alex Reinnoldt to help program Flyover now, along with our other board members. We’re trying to find ways to bring more movies to the festival—big and small; local and distant—to elevate our programming. Louisville may not have gotten Sundance, but Flyover has been here for years and deserves more attention than it currently generates. 

GH: What made you want to or how did you end up at NYU film school, that is so prestigious! I used to teach grad film there by the way and signed Sean Baker to my management company when he was a student there, so I was his first co-manager and produced his early work on “Greg the Bunny”.) 

Max Neace - “I started off by plagiarizing “Peanuts” comic strips in grade school. A truly wonderful third grade teacher suggested I write my own comics, instead of using someone else’s work. So, I started writing creatively, while catching double features at the Regal on the weekend. Those comics were later published on our school’s news station, which led to filming YouTube videos with friends whenever we had free time. It was a gradual love of film and creating stories. I applied to NYU because everyone said the film school was great, without really knowing anything about it, and was accepted into their cinema studies department. I took actual Tisch film classes over the summer. Luckily, the dean of Tisch was my professor. When I asked the best path to transfer into the film department from the cinema studies department, he told me not to worry about it. Just to let him know when I submitted my application. I made a short film that summer, submitted my application and portfolio, and then voila, I was a film student at NYU! I guess he liked the shorts I made in Washington Square Park. 

GH: How can all of us support more films in the 502? 

Max Neace - “Part of the reason there’s such a boom to the 502 film community is the Kentucky tax incentives. They allow independent productions to thrive in the state. The clearest path to more movies in KY is through positive incentives legislation. Vote to keep them open and productions will continue to flourish. Offer services to film crews—like catering and access to locations, — there are so many services needed on a film production besides camera and acting. We’re always looking for ways to grow the community, so reach out and become a part of it. We’d love to have you. 

Of course, the best way to support films in Kentucky is by supporting young filmmakers around you—encouraging filmmakers is the only way to guarantee that there will continue to be filmmakers.