Award-Winning Teen Filmmaker Azai Willis Sets SHINE for June 30 Online Premiere

AUSTIN, Texas - EntSun -- Award-Winning Teen Filmmaker Azai Willis Sets SHINE for June 30 Online Premiere

Made by the generation we're trying to save.

Six-minute documentary from 14-year-old director that every parent and child must see! — SHINE, winner of Best Documentary Short at the Santa Monica International Film Festival, premieres live online followed by a live Q&A with Azai Willis and his father, renowned investigative filmmaker, Mikki Willis.

AUSTIN, TX — June 10, 2026 — Award-winning teen filmmaker Azai Willis will hold the online premiere of his new short film, SHINE, on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 7:00 PM CST. The free, live, one-night-only event will stream the film live, followed by a conversation and audience Q&A between Azai and his father, documentary filmmaker Mikki Willis. The June 30 event is the first time the film will be seen outside the festival circuit.

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"What I'm about to share could explain everything," Azai Willis says in the film, naming the conditions he sees as the defining marks of life inside a feed: depression, anxiety, emptiness, disconnection.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Azai Willis released his first film, For My Generation, and delivered his TEDx talk "De-Vice" at age 13 — a sharp, funny call-out of screen addiction and the dopamine economy capturing a generation. SHINE is his second film and his first festival win. He is the son of director and producer Mikki Willis (Plandemic series), who joins him online at the June 30 premiere for a live conversation and Q&A.

EVENT DETAILS
The free, live, one-night-only event will stream online and include the premiere of the film, followed by a live conversation between Azai and his father, documentary filmmaker Mikki Willis, plus an audience Q&A.

When: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 — 7:00 PM CST Where: Live online, viewable from anywhere  ·  Cost: Free  ·  RSVP: mikkiwillis.com/shine (registration closes June 29 at midnight)

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FOR PRESS AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
SHINE is offered to media outlets and partner organizations whose audiences are already organized around the same conviction this film carries: that childhood is worth protecting, that screens are not a substitute for living, and that creative work is the antidote. Of particular relevance: homeschool networks, screen-free and smartphone-delay advocacy, faith and family media, and outlets covering youth creativity and adolescent mental health.

Available on request: interviews with Azai and Mikki Willis (radio, podcast, video, print), trailer and social assets, the film's poster and stills, and op-ed and guest-post placements by Azai and his family.

MEDIA ASSETS
Premiere RSVP page: mikkiwillis.com/shine  ·  Poster: mikkiwillis.com/img/shine/global-premiere-banner.jpg  ·  Stills, director headshot: on request  ·  Prior work — For My Generation: youtu.be/dgEIlao7lLY  ·  TEDx "De-Vice": youtu.be/Eeo1n0VvEjU