INSPIRING YOUTH TOWARD SUCCESS THROUGH THE ART OF FILMMAKING

Filmmaker and Full Vision’s Producing Artistic Director Tony Spires, celebrates three years as an Artist-In-Residence for the Making Movies That Matter Youth Film Festival.  His group of talented, teenage filmmakers took home the Best Overall High School Film Honors and The Grand Prize for Best Film of the Festival for "Papi, Tengo Hambre."

Making Movies That Matter Youth Short Film Festival merges schools, students, professional filmmakers and teachers from elementary school, middle school, high school and college, along with other youth organizations for the purpose of making short films that share stories that are important to the young people and their communities. The highly anticipated project and festival was created to engage, encourage and help cultivate the next generation of Los Angeles filmmakers.

Each year more than 1,700 students, families and teachers pack Cal State Northridge’s elegant Valley Performing Arts Center for the landmark festival.  This year’s class of youth filmmakers generated more than 150 films in categories such as: Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animation Short and Hybrid Short.

Spires’ dedicated group of student filmmakers from Devonshire PALS in Northridge took away top honors with wins for Best Overall High School Film and the Grand Prize for Best Film of the Festival Overall for PAPI, TENGO HAMBRE, the moving narrative short about an immigrant day worker struggling to put food on the table for his family.  Very relevant and near to the hearts of the young filmmakers, the film embodied the festival’s title: “Making Movies That Matter.”  Congratulations to all!