HUNTER WILLIAMS
NEW ZEALAND, 19
Project: Focal Projects
Basic Human Needs: Education
His mother’s journey with cancer and his parents’ divorce inspired Hunter to make films. Seeking both a distraction as well as an emotional outlet, he picked up a handicam at the age of 8, opened Windows Movie Maker and hasn’t looked back. Hunter first entered the film industry shooting weddings at age 13, and quickly realized his passion for telling stories about the human condition and social sustainability. In 2018, just before finishing high school, Hunter founded Focal Projects – a film production company focused on telling important stories for social impact. Focal Projects has worked on countless projects that focus on a variety of issues faced by people from all walks of life, ranging from human trafficking to dementia to child cancer. His films have screened across the globe, won various awards and have been nominated for three top awards at the All-American High School Film Festival, the world’s largest high school film festival. Currently, Hunter is directing a short film titled, “The Darkest Tunnel”, which looks at the issue of human trafficking. Hunter looks forward to growing Focal Projects into a sustainable business, allowing him to continue using social issue narratives to create tangible impact.