Stephen Joshua Martinez

Stephen Joshua Martinez is an American writer and director working across documentary and narrative film. His work explores countercultural themes through experimental ethnography, blending observational filmmaking with immersive character studies rooted in contemporary American life. Drawn to people living on the margins of institutional systems, Martinez's filmmaking often examines the emotional and psychological effects of media, politics, and spectacle on ordinary individuals. With Post-Democracy Days, Martinez combines direct-cinema techniques with a deeply personal approach to storytelling, embedding himself within the chaotic ecosystem surrounding Donald Trump's hush money trial to capture a portrait of ambition, instability, and political theater in modern America.