FILMMAKING: Emily Hagins has become a teen inspiration for aspiring young filmmakers across America.
By Cole Nelson, Staff Writer
Have you ever imagined having your dream job before getting a higher education? How about before you even enter high school? For 19-year-old Emily Hagins, filmmaking is not just a dream job, but a reality—a reality achieved without the help of film school.
After seeing Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring in the third grade, Hagins became inspired to create films of her own. Starting her career, which at the time was just a hobby, with a few short films and minor music videos, Hagins decided to write her first feature-length screenplay about a horrific zombie outbreak at the mere age of 11. She later went on to direct and produce the film, finishing production at age 12. Her first feature-length film received such immense publicity in Hagins’ hometown—Austin, Texas—that it spawned a documentary following the young girl hard at work. This attention encouraged Hagins to write, produce and direct her second film at age 16.
By the end of high school, Hagins had completed eight short films, two feature-length films and begun production on a third feature about a teenage romance between a blood-sucking vampire and a typical head-over-heels schoolgirl. Enitled My Sucky Teen Romance, the film had a budget of $8,000 from community donations, allowing Hagins to begin production with a significantly larger budget and crew than ever before.
In March 2011, My Sucky Teen Romance premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Surprisingly, the day before the big premiere, 18-year-old Hagins was rejected from her desired film school. After a minor setback, as anyone who is passionate about his or her craft would do, Hagins continued to engage her life in all things film, expanding her knowledge and practice of the art form. A year later, My Sucky Teen Romance earned a limited release in select theaters throughout America.
Emily Hagins currently continues to work with her production company Cheesy Nuggets (www.cheesynuggets.com) to promote her most recent feature-films and maintain her title as America’s youngest filmmaker.
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