The Mitú | Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program is Changing the Landscape for Ultra-Talented, Under-Funded Latino Filmmakers

This story was created in paid partnership with Walmart.

While Latino audiences consistently show up at the box office, in record numbers, the community remains underrepresented both in front of and behind the camera. Latino-led projects that do make it to air often face short lifespans, sometimes canceled before finding their audience. That limited support is too often misread as a lack of interest, perpetuating a cycle of missed opportunity.

That’s what makes initiatives like the Mitú | Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program so important. Now in its third year, the program continues to spotlight emerging Latino filmmakers while providing the resources needed to turn creative visions into reality.

This season introduced an enhanced 11-week accelerated format, offering hands-on training, production tools, and access to Mitú Studios and the Walmart prop house in Los Angeles. Participants — Glenís Hunter, Eric Armando Ibarra, Stephanie Osuna-Hernandez, and Sophia Costanzo — each produced an original short film between five and ten minutes and received a $10,000 Walmart equipment kit to support future projects.

All four short films will premiere this November at the 24th Miami short Film Festival, marking a milestone for the program and its creators.

The Short Films

“15” by Glenís Hunter: Fired on her 40th birthday, Ana receives a mysterious chat message that transports her back to her 15th birthday in 1999, giving her one hour to reconnect with her younger self and the father she lost.

“Spill the Frijoles” by Stephanie Osuna-Hernandez: When new parents, Paola and Fabian, decide to keep their swapped parenting gender roles a secret from her huge Mexican family, they entangle themselves in a web of lies that keep getting worse and worse until it all inevitably explodes in their faces.

“Two Steps” by Eric Armando Ibarra: In 2005, a lovestruck 12-year-old obsessed with R&B and slick dance moves prepares for his first quinceañera, determined to dance with his crush, but when things don’t go as planned, he finds confidence (and maybe love) in the most unexpected way.

“Cups” by Sophia Costanzo: According to Little League baseball rules, every player must wear a cup – even the girls. When Valeria, a determined nine-year-old Cuban American girl, decides she wants to play baseball with the boys, her and her father must find a way to fashion a cup for her to be eligible to play despite these outdated rule.

The Mentorship Experience

Returning as mentor was Oz Rodriguez, the Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer best known for his work on Saturday Night Live. His guidance, the filmmakers said, was instrumental in refining their storytelling and sharpening their craft.

During a nearly hour-long conversation with the filmmakers, one word kept surfacing: support. While filmmaking can be an isolating process, each participant spoke about how the program created a genuine sense of community — both logistical and emotional. They leaned on one another through creative challenges and deadlines, fostering friendships in an industry often defined by competition. But most importantly the creators knew they could count on the support of Mitú | Walmart throughout this creative adventure.

Their shared takeaway? Mentorship and opportunity can make the difference between an idea that fades and a career that flourishes.

In a time when funding for diverse creators is shrinking, Mitú and Walmart’s continued investment in underrepresented storytellers stands out. This program fosters success, as past participants have already gone on to direct new films, win awards, and expand their artistic impact. There’s a saying often heard in Mexico: “Hay talento, solo falta apoyo.” There’s talent — only support is missing. With programs like this one, that gap is finally starting to close a small bit.

Meet the Artists

Glenís Hunter is a Bronx-born actress, writer, and filmmaker based in L.A. After earning degrees in Psychology and Women’s Studies, she pursued acting in theater and national ad campaigns before creating her own work.

Her projects—including Woke, Dinner Date, and Supa Hair—have screened at festivals like LALIFF and HBO’s NY Latino Film Festival. A NAMA TV Writers Lab Fellow and Netflix Accelerator Grant recipient, she’s currently in post-production on her latest psychological horror short, Breathe.

Stephanie Osuna-Hernandez is a first-gen Latina writer/director from Inglewood, CA, known for creating heartfelt, humorous stories. She worked on Netflix’s Gentefied as assistant to the showrunners and was a directing fellow in Film Independent’s Project Involve, where her short Calabaza screened at LALIFF, Palm Springs ShortFest, and NYLFF. In 2022, she joined Film Independent’s Episodic Directing Intensive.

Her rom-com web series & They Were Roommates has over 60K YouTube views, and she’s currently writing her first feature, (Emo)tionally Yours, set to shoot in 2026.

Eric Armando Ibarra is a Chicano filmmaker from Chula Vista, CA, whose work has been recognized at festivals worldwide.

He’s created content for The FADER, Live Nation, and Sundance, and was selected for Warner Bros. Discovery’s Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today and Netflix’s 2024 Inclusion Fellowship. Eric is currently a writer at Rockstar Games and is developing his first feature film and an adult animated series.

Sophia Costanzo is a Cuban-Italian-American writer/director known for heartfelt, multigenerational stories that blend humor and authenticity.

Drawing from her family’s rich storytelling tradition, her work centers on Latina representation and cultural identity. Her short film Good Cuban Girls premiered at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival and explores the complexities of being Latina. A former baseball player, basketball player, and boxer, Sophia also champions female athletes through her storytelling.

She holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MFA in directing from Loyola Marymount University. She’s also an excellent home cook who shares her love through food.

To learn more about the Mitú and Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program and to keep up with the filmmakers’ journeys, click here.