Mat Hames

Directing

Mat Hames

Mat Hames is a director and producer, known for his documentaries What Was Ours (2017), When I Rise (2010), both of which were included in the TV series Independent Lens. His films have screened at SXSW, HotDocs, IDFA, and the Santa Barbara Film Festival. When I Rise (2010) was nominated for an IDA Award. Hames is the show runner for Rooster Teeth's documentary series RTDocs, the PBS/ Prime series…

Known For

A Life Outside: American Mountain GuidesA Life Outside: American Mountain Guides · 2026
A Life Outside: American Mountain Guides
★ 10.02026
MovieDocumentary
A gripping look at mountain guiding and its deep roots in the legacy of Paul Petzoldt — founder of the National Outdoor Leadership School and North America’s oldest guide service, Exum. The film weaves the story of a modern climb gone wrong with the life of Petzoldt, a pioneer who scaled K2, set records on the Matterhorn, trained soldiers to fight Nazis in the Alps, and defined adventure itself. Featuring today’s mountain guides alongside rare archival footage and breathtaking cinematography from Wyoming and France, this feature-length documentary explores risk, grit, mentorship, and the enduring call of the mountains.
Haus of PainHaus of Pain · 2017
Haus of Pain
★ 6.52017
MovieDocumentary
A professional gamer teams up with a coworker to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming a pro-wrestler.
The Meme MachineThe Meme Machine · 2016
The Meme Machine
★ 6.02016
MovieDocumentary
An exploration of the origins of memes, how they spread, and the stories behind some of the most popular “human memes” like Ermahgerd Girl, Overly Attached Girlfriend, and Chocolate Rain Guy.
Why We’re Here: 15 Years of Rooster TeethWhy We’re Here: 15 Years of Rooster Teeth · 2018
Why We’re Here: 15 Years of Rooster Teeth
★ 8.62018
MovieDocumentary
The founders and media personalities of Rooster Teeth reflect on their history, growth and fandom throughout the years.
The World's Greatest Head Massage: An ASMR JourneyThe World's Greatest Head Massage: An ASMR Journey · 2016
The World's Greatest Head Massage: An ASMR Journey
★ 6.72016
MovieDocumentary
Two men fly to India to search for Baba, the "Cosmic Barber of Pushkar," whose famous "World's Greatest Head Massage" videos gave them both tingling ASMR sensations.
Becoming Jessica NigriBecoming Jessica Nigri · 2018
Becoming Jessica Nigri
★ 6.52018
MovieDocumentary
A portrait of cosplayer Jessica Nigri, from a magical childhood growing up with quirky parents in New Zealand, to entering middle school in the U.S. where she was mercilessly teased for her "nerdy" interests.
Waiting for the PunchlineWaiting for the Punchline · 2019
Waiting for the Punchline
★ 8.02019
MovieDocumentary
A Rooster Teeth documentary by Mat Hames following podcaster Nick Scarpino as he works to reinvent himself as a standup comedian working comedy clubs in San Francisco.
What Was OursWhat Was Ours · 2016
What Was Ours
2016
MovieDocumentary
Like millions of indigenous people, many Native American tribes do not control their own material history and culture. For the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes living on the isolated Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, new contact with lost artifacts risks opening old wounds but also offers the possibility for healing. What Was Ours is the story of how a young journalist and a teenage powwow princess, both of the Arapaho tribe, travelled together with a Shoshone elder in search of missing artifacts in the vast archives of Chicago’s Field Museum. There they discover a treasure trove of ancestral objects, setting them on a journey to recover what has been lost and build hope for the future.

Filmography

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When I RiseWhen I Rise · 2010
When I Rise
★ 10.02010
MovieDocumentary
A documentary about Barbara Smith Conrad, a gifted University of Texas music student who finds herself at the epicenter of racial controversy, struggling against the odds and ultimately ascending to the heights of international opera. A gifted black music student at the University of Texas is thrust into a civil rights storm that changes her life forever. Barbara Smith Conrad is cast in an opera opposite a white male classmate fueling a racist backlash from members of the Texas legislature. Barbara's expulsion from the cast escalates the incident to national news, prompting unexpected support from a pop superstar. This small-town girl, whose voice and spirit stem from her roots in East Texas, emerges as an internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano and headlines on stages worldwide.

Director