Matthew Valdovinos

Matthew Valdovinos is a prolific writer-director originally from Los Angeles, CA. After spending the first part of his life in Compton, CA, his family relocated to his mother's hometown of El Paso, TX where he was soon immersed in its rich border culture. He started his education at The University of Texas El Paso where he was a part of the university's first film program. After taking a few years off, he went off to attended school in neighboring Las Cruces, New Mexico where he would graduate with honors from The Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University with his degree in Digital Filmmaking. Here, Matthew began to make a name for himself as an up and coming filmmaker, obtaining recognition for his ability to seamlessly meld story and visuals with maximum impact and artistic vision. After directing several shorts, music videos, commercials, and documentaries, Matthew decided to focus on his feature film screenplay Precious Cargo. The quality of the writing, as well as his determination to make a film true to the cultures and locations depicted within soon attracted attention from potential producers and collaborators. In 2016, Matthew wrapped production on his first feature film, River, with longtime friend and collaborator Mark Vasconcellos. Propelled by a desire to elevate his skills as a filmmaker, as well as a desire to share his knowledge with a future generation of filmmakers, he accepted the invitation to pursue his masters at Ohio University's MFA Film Program. Matthew is also an award winning artist and photographer.