Felix Martiz

Award winning filmmaker Felix Martiz was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents. The first child of an Ecuadorian father and a Mexican mother, his cultural palette is vast. He attended the film program at Cal State University of Long Beach, the lack of diversity in student films inspired him to embrace who he was and where he came from. There was a sudden urgency to make the kind of films that his family and a Spanish speaking audiences could see and feel included in. He began to write and direct the type of films that showcased characters that are under-represented in the country. His Thesis Film, 'La Paz' was screened nation wide on PBS and the film went on to win the Cal Arts Rosebud Award for best Student Short Film. "I found a lot of pride and satisfaction in telling stories in my native language, that represented my cultural sensibilities." After graduating he wrote and directed a 'no-budget indie' film 'Santiago'. The film was well received in many festivals around the country and internationally, including the Chicago Latino Film Festival where it sold out the theater and validated his belief that audiences want to see more Latin Films. His next short film 'Amor Imposible' premiered at LA ShortsFest and can currently be seen as part of the PBS Shorts Showcase. In 2015 he directed three short films, the first was 'El Altar de Soledad'. The short film has won multiple 'Best Actress Awards' at various festivals. The second short film he directed is '400 Miles,' which began its festival run in February 2016. He is in post-production for 'Mia', which he expects to wrap up in April 2016. Felix continues to make films that explore the Latino perspective. "There is a lot of great Latin talent out there, I have worked with great actors and am happy to work on projects that give them an outlet to shine. I've been told that making Spanish language films, especially in the short film format, limits my exposure in the industry. Luckily, the actors I cast are bilingual." He plans on shooting a new short film 'Kiko' in the fall of 2016, after receiving his Masters in Film and Television from Mount St Mary's University.