A Long Island filmmaker spends almost a decade trying to finish a documentary, only to become the subject of a far more revealing film about obsession, self-sabotage, and the stubborn refusal to give up.
BETTER THAN KUBRICK is a funny, chaotic, and unexpectedly moving portrait of Long Island filmmaker Matt Berkowitz—a man who has spent over a decade trying to finish a documentary and, in the process, inspired a far more revealing one about himself.
Back in the late ’80s, Matt seemed destined for success: SUNY Purchase film school, talent, connections, and just enough chutzpah to believe he was headed somewhere big. Years later, still chasing his break, he lands what feels like his chance—a paid job directing a documentary about a pioneering Jewish basketball player from the 1920s.Simple enough. Except it isn’t.
What should have been a straightforward project instead spirals into a years-long saga of false starts, creative detours, and a revolving door of collaborators. Along the way, Matt—half joking, half serious—declares himself “the f**king Kubrick of documentaries,” a nickname that becomes both the problem and the punchline.
Built from an extraordinary archive of home movies, raw footage, and voicemails, BETTER THAN KUBRICK becomes something stranger—and better—than expected: a film about a film that won’t get finished, and the person who refuses to quit anyway.
Set over two decades on Long Island, New York City, and beyond, and steeped in the rhythms of Jewish family life, the film captures a man who is always on the edge of something—just credible enough to get the job, just chaotic enough to lose it.
He’s a hustler, a dreamer, a bit of a mess…and, somehow, impossible not to root for.
Matthew L. Berkowitz
Matthew Berkowitz is an independent filmmaker from Long Island, New York with a diverse body of work spanning documentaries, live events, and filmmaker interviews.Matthew is the creator of the successful An Evening With... series hosted live at The Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, New York, where he presented intimate conversations with acclaimed artists and creative voices.His documentary, Play It Again Sam: The Sam Schoenfeld Story, is the culmination of a decades-long creative odyssey chronicling the remarkable life and legacy of basketball pioneer Sam Schoenfeld.
Stan Friedland
Stan Friedland is an educator, author, and speaker whose work explores inspiring true stories across a range of subjects.His biography, Play It Again Sam: The Sam Schoenfeld Story, brought the life of basketball pioneer Sam Schoenfeld to a new generation and served as the inspiration for the documentary of the same name.
Dr. Robert P. Schoenfeld
Dr. Robert P. Schoenfeld was a physician, author, photographer, painter, and lifelong historian of his family's legacy.The eldest son of Sam Schoenfeld, Dr. Schoenfeld devoted decades to researching his father's life, meticulously gathering photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, and personal recollections that ultimately became the foundation for Play It Again Sam: The Sam Schoenfeld Story.
Sam Schoenfeld
Sam Schoenfeld was one of the pioneering figures of early American basketball. Over a remarkable career, he excelled as a player, coach, referee, and broadcast commentator. He founded the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association, officiated in the early years of the NBA, and was posthumously inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.Though largely forgotten for decades, his extraordinary contributions to the game are the subject of Play It Again Sam: The Sam Schoenfeld Story.
Mike Schiff
Mike Schiff is a filmmaker and cinematographer from The Bronx, New York. After eight years at The Howard Stern Show, he founded M.A.S. Productions Inc. His credits include music videos for John Carpenter, Fozzy, and Charred Walls of the Damned, as well as the feature film My Uncle John Is a Zombie.A lifelong fan of heavy metal and horror, Mike wrote, directed, produced, shot, and edited the feature documentary The History of Metal and Horror. He also served as cinematographer on Play It Again Sam: The Sam Schoenfeld Story, bringing Sam Schoenfeld's remarkable story to the screen.
Jay Reiss
Jay Reiss is a playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. He is the co-creator of the Tony Award-winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and most recently, he co-wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Iceboy!, which premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2026.His screenwriting credits include The Oranges, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and starred Hugh Laurie, Allison Janney, Oliver Platt, and Catherine Keener. He also wrote the documentary New Wave: Dare to Be Different, chronicling the legendary New York radio station WLIR, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival before airing on Showtime. Jay is a graduate of The Juilliard School's playwriting program.
Craig Lechner
Craig Lechner is the owner and head casting director of Impossible Casting, a prominent boutique casting agency based in New York City specializing in finding highly unique, niche, and "hard-to-find" talent for television commercials, independent films, music videos, and commercial print.Over the past three decades, Craig has cast projects for many of the world's leading brands, including Starbucks, Puma, Verizon, Doritos, Target, Nokia, Disney, HBO, and Sony.
Directed & Produced by
Rick SymondsOriginal Music by
Francis RodriguezAnimation by
Peaches S. GoodrichDirector of Photography
Rick SymondsProduction Sound
Boris KrichevskyEditor
Rick SymondsColorist
Sarah LondonRe-Recording Mixer
Steve MaherStory Consultant
Kevin Huffman
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