Robby Reis is a visual artist known for merging filmmaking, photography and painting to tell intimate stories which blur the line between documentary and art. His personal relationships serve as both subject and catalyst to exploring themes of love, loss, memory and dream symbolism. 

Interested in alternative approaches to storytelling, Reis’ offbeat narratives habitually follow unassuming characters that might otherwise go unnoticed. Fuelled by his long-term commitment to Graffiti and DIY art practices, Reis’ aesthetic offers up a sense of immediacy and a love for analog tools such as xerox machines, VHS tapes and audio cassettes.

Reis studied visual arts at Dawson College (2002) and film production at Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of cinema (2006). He is co-founder of Natali Film, a Montreal based film collective. He participated in the Magnum Photo Long Term Mentorship Program (2021-2022), led by Susan Meiselas and Matt Black.

FILMOGRAPHY

2022 | The Art of Marco Royal | 4min | HD 1.85:1 | Stereo
2018 | My Father | 8min | HD 4:3 | Stereo
2018 | Drive Home Safe | 1h 22min | HD 1.85:1 | Surround 5.1
2010 | Suha | 8min | 16mm | Stereo
2010 | Hellbound for Baja | 52min | HD 16:9 | Stereo
2008 | Tell me This is Right | 3min | HD 16:9 |Stereo
2007 | Feeding the Raging Heart | 23min | SD 16:9 | Stereo
2006 | Rocket Man | 16min | SD 16:9 | Stereo
2005 | Alexander Berger DNA | 8min | SD 16:9 | Stereo

SCREENINGS

2021 | My Father + Drive Home Safe | Cinémathèque Québécoise | Montreal, QC
2019 | Drive Home Safe | Cinéma du Parc | Montreal, QC
2016 | Au Contraire Film Festival | Montreal, QC
2015 | REEL Recovery Film Fest | Los Angeles, CA
2015 | REEL Recovery Film Fest | New York, NY
2015 | Awareness Film Festival | Los Angeles, CA
2013 | Ndg Off the Wall | Montreal, QC
2010 | Film Pop | Montreal, QC
2010 | Fantasia Film Festival | Montreal, QC
2010 | Philadelphia Independent Film Fest | Philadelphia, PA
2010 | Calgary Underground Film Fest | Calgary, Alberta
2010 | New Directors, New Films | MoMA & Lincoln Center for the Arts | New York, NY
2010 | Les Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québecois | Montreal, QC

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2020 | Detroit is for Lovers | Lili & Oli | Montreal, Qc
2009 | Purgatory; or Some Place Like it | Emporium Gallery | Montreal, Qc
2007 | November Reign | Sub V Shop & Gallery | Montreal, Qc

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2021 | Pébéo Urban Art Prize: The Exhibition | Fluctuart – Centre d’Art Urbain | Paris, Fr
2020 | Beyond The Wall Of Sleep |Studio 206 | Montreal, Qc
2019 | Novos Desenhos | Galerie du Viaduc | Montreal, Qc
2019 | Everything Connected | Studio MW | Montreal, Qc
2011 | En Masse – Big Bang | The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts | Montreal, Qc
2009 | En Masse | Galerie Pangee | Montreal, Qc
2007 | Paper Back | Cinéma du Parc | Montreal, Qc

GRAFFITI + MURAL ART FESTIVALS

2014 | MURAL international, Urban Art Movement | Montreal, Qc
2010 | Under Pressure Graffiti Festival | Montreal, Qc
2008 | Under Pressure Graffiti Festival | Montreal, Qc
2007 | Under Pressure Graffiti Festival | Montreal, Qc
2005 | Under Pressure Graffiti Festival | Montreal, Qc

MENTORSHIPS + AWARDS + PRIZES

2021 | Magnum Photos, Long Term Mentorship with Matt Black and Susan Meiselas
2021 | Pébéo, Urban Art International Contest | Finalist