Matthew Chozick
# Matthew Chozick

Matthew Chozick is an American actor, writer, filmmaker, scholar, and television personality (tarento) in Japan.

## Career

Since April 2012, Chozick has starred weekly with Takeshi Kitano on Nippon TV's Sekai marumie! Terebi tokusôbu, one of Japan's most popular comedy-variety shows. In addition to TV work, Chozick is known for acting in the film Love and Other Cults (2017), for co-hosting a popular show on NHK Radio, and for his writing in Japanese and English. He also teaches at Temple University Japan Campus and has lectured at other universities in the US, UK, and Japan.

Chozick's directorial debut, Toshie the Nihilist, garnered numerous awards after premiering at the Academy Award and BAFTA qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival in 2021. That same year, Chozick also appeared in Sion Sono's Prisoners of the Ghostland, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival.

Aside from media work and teaching, Chozick publishes academic research in the fields of comparative literature, cultural studies, and translation theory. He has also edited, written, and translated several books. Chozick earned a PhD in the UK at the University of Birmingham and studied method acting in Los Angeles at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He has also trained in New York at the Barrow Group.

## Filmography

### Select Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2017 | Love and Other Cults | Ravi | |
| 2019 | Jebiotto vs. Mechajebiotto | God | |
| 2020 | Midnight Swan | Announcer | Voice |
| 2021 | Prisoners of the Ghostland | Sheriff Matthew | |
| 2021 | Toshie the Nihilist | Anh Dung | Also writer and director |
| 2022 | Offbeat Cops | Town Priest |

### Select Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2012-present | Sekai marumie! Terebi tokusôbu | Himself | |
| 2020 | Perfect I Nogizaka Cinemas Story of 46 | Evil Tech Guru | |
| 2021-present | Smitten in Japan | Himself | Host |
| 2022-present | Ethical Every Day | Himself | Co-host |

## Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations received by Matthew Chozick :

| Award | Year | Work | Category | Result |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| New York Shorts International Film Festival | 2021 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Best Comedy Award | Won |
| Sydney Underground Film Festival | 2021 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Audience Choice Award | Won |
| Burbank International Film Festival | 2021 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Best Foreign Short | Nominated |
| Shenzhen International Film Festival | 2021 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Best Visual Award | Won |
| Hong Kong International Short Film Festival | 2021 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Most Promising Director | Won |
| Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes | 2021 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Best Comedy Short Film | Won |
| Boston Underground Film Festival | 2022 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Best Short Film | Won |
| New York City International Film Festival | 2022 | Toshie the Nihilist (wrote and directed) | Best International Short Film | Won |
