The equipment in the Cinematic Arts Lab at McCallum High School and Fine Arts Academy is in need of upgrading. This is a cutting-edge 4-year program designed to prepare students for college and the industry.

McCallum High School and Fine Arts Academy is a public high school located in central Austin, Texas. The curriculum is designed to give students an extensive understanding of the filmmaking process.

Students that have graduated from my program have gone on to universities such as Columbia University, NYU, the University of Texas, and Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Some of the projects they have worked on include True Grit, Fear The Walking Dead, and Godless.

I have worked hard to make my program and my students successful. My student’s films have been in many festivals including Cannes, South by Southwest, Austin Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, the Los Angeles Movie Awards, and many more.

All contributions will go toward upgrading our existing equipment and expanding the resources available to students. We will be purchasing 5 RED Raven Cameras, accessories, lenses, and upgrading our computers. Our goal is to get students the industry certifications necessary to be successful after high school. We currently are the only AVID learning partner in Texas, certifying in Media Composer and our hope is to be able to certify the students on the RED Camera giving them an advantage when entering the industry.

For contributions over $10,000, please call Juliana Castillo at 512-414-9851

I thought I'd add some samples of the kids work to give you a better idea how your donations are being used.

Honey Butter Freedom Biscuit - Writer/Director William Magnuson
2018 Carson Cummings Film Scholarship First Place Winner. https://vimeo.com/301031993

Dante - Writer/Director Isabel Lerman
2018 Carson Cummings Film Scholarship Second Place Winner.
https://vimeo.com/258892238

Powdered - Writer/Director Paul Plath
2017 Carson Cummings Film Scholarship First Place Winner, Official Selection Youth Filmmaker Division Austin Film Festival.
https://vimeo.com/237239314

Double Date - Writer/Director Sida Bruno
2017 Carson Cummings Film Scholarship Second Place Winner.
https://vimeo.com/238882718

It’s Really Odd - Writer/Director Elisabetta Diorio & Josh Leftwich
2015 National Winner Youth Filmmaker Division Austin Film Festival, Official Selection SXSW Film Festival, Best Cinematography, Best Performance, Austin Youth Film festival, Official Selection Dayton Film Festival, Second Place Outsiders Film Festival.
https://vimeo.com/152212299

Lucy & Grasshopper - Writer/Director Elisabetta Diorio
2014 University Interscholastic League State Finalist, Official Selection Youth Filmmaker Division Austin Film Festival.
https://vimeo.com/87618772

A Wrong Note - Writer/Director - Josh Leftwich
2014 Official Selection SXSW Texas High School Competition
https://vimeo.com/86654931

He Tangata: It is People - Writer/Director - Nicolai Valdivieso-Sinyakov
2015 Winner Robert Redford/Milagro Scholarship, 2014 Recipient Santa Fe University of Art and Design Portfolio Scholarship.
https://vimeo.com/85502670