Dial Tone Pictures, based in New York City, was formed in 2008 by three filmmakers and old friends—Max Azulay, Matt Porter, and Phil Primason. Their first feature film, "5 DOCTORS" (2017), will be be premiering later this year. Their short film “MORE PERFECT UNION” (2011), a thirty-minute comedy, competed at the DeadCenter Film Festival in Oklahoma City, Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival, and was shown as part of the NewFilmmakers screening series at the Anthology Film Archives on the Lower East Side. Dial Tone’s subsequent films, a series of sub-ten minute character-based comedies, were shot in a period of nine months and featured a community of emerging and veteran talent, including comedian Leo Allen (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Comedy Central Presents), Mark Blum (Desperately Seeking Susan), E.J. Bonilla (“Revenge”, Four), and Kevin O’Rourke (Boardwalk Empire). Dial Tone’s most recent film “FIRST TIME” (2012), was screened as an official selection of the L.A. Comedy Festival.

Dial Tone makes its living in the field of character-based narrative comedy. With an approach influenced in part by past experiences working with comedy institutions like the Upright Citizens Brigade and The Onion, Dial Tone aims to tell accessible, well-crafted stories that make you laugh, hit you in the gut, and remind you of home.
  • Shiksa

    Shiksa

    The familiar rigmarole of Ben's family Passover Seder is shaken by the mysterious presence of a beautiful young Blonde. 12 min.

    WATCH // TRAILER // CREDITS

    Dial Tone Pictures Presents
    "Shiksa" Written by Matt Porter, with Phil Primason and Max Azulay
    Produced by Joe Greco
    Directed by Matt Porter
    Cinematographer - Andrew Ellis
    Gaffers - Praveen Elankumaran, Ryan Nethery
    1st AC - Peter Steusloff
    2nd AC - Ainura Kazhkarimova
    Production Designer - Alix Pentecost-Farren
    Art Director - Charlie Hankin
    Wardrobe - Ann Hacket
    Location - Julia Schwartz-Leeper, Joel Weinberg
    Craft Service - Gail Topol
    Production Assistant - Ruby Kirby

    Editor - Matt Porter
    Color - Vlad Kucherov
    Sound Design - Jonathan Seale

    Liz Holtan as The Blonde
    George Kareman as Greg
    Joel Weinberg as Uncle Rich
    Maura Shapiro as Aunt Ellie
    Lea Osiason as Aunt Phyllis
    Sam Rappoport as Uncle Ira
    Peter Knobler as Charlie
    Phyllis Topol as Nancy
    Lewis Porter as Gene
    Starr Shapiro and Parker Shapiro as the Children
  • First Time

    First Time

    When Jay shambles into an early morning meeting with his English professor, their conversation takes an unexpected turn. 8 min.

    WATCH // CREDITS

    Dial Tone Pictures Presents
    "First Time" Written by Max Azulay, with Matt Porter and Phil Primason
    Produced by Matt Porter, Phil Primason, and Max Azulay
    Directed by Matt Porter and Max Azulay
    Cinematographer - Ryan Nethery
    1st AC - Alix Pentecost-Farren
    Sound - Phoebe Ryan

    Will Dagger as Jay
    Mark Blum as Professor Reinsch
    Kate Armstrong Ross as the Girl

    Featuring "Terrifying Family" by Krill
    And "The Truth" by Twain, Courtesy of ShyDad Records
    myspace.com/twain
  • Fellow

    The Fellow

    Oscar, a student whose tuition is paid for by the Windham Ross fellowship, meets the shadowy figure who has been bankrolling his education. 9 min.

    WATCH // CREDITS

    Dial Tone Pictures Presents "The Fellow"
    Written by Phil Primason, with Max Azulay and Matt Porter
    Produced by Matt Porter, Phil Primason, Max Azulay, and Victor Suarez
    Directed by Matt Porter and Phil Primason
    Cinematographer - Victor Suarez
    Art - Alix Pentecost-Farren, Tara Perry, Ann Hackett, and Meredith Lippincott
    1st AC - Justin Kaplan
    Gaffer - Julien Lasseur
    Grip - Dan Erickson
    Sound - Alan Gordon
    Editor - Matt Porter

    EJ Bonilla as Oscar Vergara
    Kevin O'Rourke as Windham Ross
    Rich Topol as Gabriel Sussman
    Robert Evers as The U.S. Marshall
    Yonatan Gebeyehu as Chris
    Jennifer O'Neill as the Sign-in Alumna
    Charlie O'Rourke as the Spitting Waiter

    Donors and Fellows:
    T. Boomer Tibbs, Edis Delgado, Portia Racasi, Ernest Perry, Don Leftt, Cheryl Stark, Sam Gonzalez, Justin Avila, Giselle Hyland, Jordan McGill, Madara Kanele, Victoria Stevens, Anna Lewgood, Michael Mitchell, Colin Drummond, Heather Wahl, Dave O'Brien, Eugene Dmitriev, Colin Hylander, Tom Corbisiero, Jess Brecker, Sara Amri, Riley Hooper, and Denis Jasavic

    Music by the Due Diligence
    iwillwreckyourlife.com
  • Homage

    The Homage

    At a baby shower, a young and expecting couple pull their old friend Carlton aside to deliver an important piece of news. 8 min.

    WATCH // CREDITS

    Dial Tone Pictures Presents "The Homage"
    Written by Max Azulay, with Matt Porter and Phil Primason
    Produced by Phil Primason, Matt Porter, and Max Azulay
    Directed by Matt Porter and Max Azulay
    Cinematographer - Andrew Ellis
    1st AC - Katrina Sorrentino
    Gaffer - Esteban Pedraza
    DIT - Evan Polivy
    Art - Meredith Lippincott
    Makeup and Costumes - Carrie Crowell

    Max Azulay as Carlton
    Tom Levin as Rich
    Diana Kolsky as Diane

    Music by Ian Davis and Gabriel Gall
  • 5 Doctors

    In our first feature film, a self-centered hypochondriac returns to his quaint hometown to visit his five childhood doctors in a single day, avoiding everyone from his past except his hapless former best friend whom he ropes into driving him around.

    TRAILER // WEBSITE // CREDITS

    Dial Tone Pictures Presents "5 Doctors"
    Starring Max Azulay, Matt Porter, Emily Walton, and Adam Dannheisser
    Written by Phil Primason, Matt Porter, and Max Azulay
    Cinematography by Zach Kuperstein
    Production Design by Gabriella Moses
  • More Perfect Union

    Hank, fresh off of a potentially relationship-ending argument with his girlfriend, decides to go alone on a trip they had planned together, to a quaint and isolated bed & breakfast run by an elderly Indian couple.

    WATCH // TRAILER // POSTER // CREDITS

    Dial Tone Pictures Presents "More Perfect Union"
    Starring Max Azulay, Arish Sahani, Neena Sahani, and Kate Eastman
    Written by Matt Porter, Phil Primason, and Max Azulay
    Cinematography by Andrew Ellis
    Production Design by Tara Perry
    Poster by Alix Pentecost-Farren
    Music by Ian Davis and Gabriel Gall
  • Argyle

    Aspiring filmmaker Charlie Feinman reluctantly agrees to return to the small town where he was raised to investigate the origins of a notorious serial killer who also grew up there.

    You can also watch "Gunderson's", one isolated storyline from the film.

    WATCH // TRAILER // GUNDERSONS // CREDITS

    Dial Tone Pictures Presents "Argyle"
    Starring Harry Zittel, Max Azulay, Alexey Novikov, Greg Zittel, Lucia Brizzi
    Written by Matt Porter, Phil Primason, Mallory Westfall and Max Azulay
    Color by Alan Gordon
    Sound by Arjun G. Sheth
    Music by Ian Davis and Gabriel Gall