Erik Matti

Erik Matti (born December 21, 1970) is a Filipino filmmaker. He is known for directing On the Job (2013), Honor Thy Father (2015), Seklusyon (2016), BuyBust (2018), and On the Job: The Missing 8 (2021).

Matti co-founded the production company Reality Entertainment with Dondon Monteverde, son of film producer Lily Monteverde. Matti and Monteverde also co-founded the streaming service Upstream.

Early life and education

Matti hails from Bacolod. He is the sixth (and youngest) children of Enrique, an atheist and custom's agent, and Julieta, a government employee raised in a family. Of his deceased father, Matti reminisced that he was "an intellectual and never really saw work as something to devote himself into. He was a dreamer and a debater."

Matti graduated from elementary and high school at Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod. He studied college at the University of St. La Salle initially as a biology major but eventually shifted his focus to mass communication. Despite his six years in college, he did not graduate.

Career

Erik Matti's career in the film industry began when he was hired to supervise the script continuity for the 1994 superhero film Mars Ravelo's Darna! Ang Pagbabalik.

His new project, TV series The Squatter, won the development prize at 2024 Series Mania Seriesmakers section. The show is produced by Ronald Monteverde.

Personal life

Matti is married to screenwriter Michiko Yamamoto, with whom he has two daughters. Politically he is an outspoken critic of Rodrigo Duterte, in part due to the Filipino president's proclamation of martial law during the Marawi crisis. As such, Matti sparked criticism for cursing at Duterte's supporters in social media.