An award winning film director provides free creative writing and filmmaking courses

    FORT MYERS, Florida (WFTX) -- A local film director uses his platform to spark imagination and hands-on projects for young people in Fort Myers.

Your Fort Myers community correspondent, Miyoshi Price, takes you into a classroom of future filmmakers, writers, and more.

An award-winning local film director, Curtis Collins, is teaching kids in southwest Florida how to write, produce, and direct films at Quality of Life Center in Fort Myers.

He says now is the time to give students the skills to express themselves.

"The only way to do that is to show them that if you create something, you can visually bring it to life," says the leader instructor and award-winning director Curtis Collins.

Collins is known for his films, which are doing well at film festivals worldwide and even on some streaming platforms.

During the 10-week program, he brings in speakers for lighting and camera work, but first, each student must write their own story.

"What excited me about the class is just being able to express myself and getting this opportunity to write because I actually like to write, and I just love to write books," says a student taking the course, Zion Merrick.

While in the program, Zion Merrick and Zakai Smart are in a competition for the best short story. "There are prizes and awards that I give out as a producer and an instructor in this class," says Collins, the lead instructor of the course and award-winning director. "So for this assignment, we gave $150 to the kid that created the best story, male and female."

The students in the program range from nine to sixteen. "So we have a judging contest between our students," says Collins. The winner will have their film made and created by them at the center.

"I got excited, and it motivated me," says Zakai Smart, another student taking the course.

Smart says his film is about him waking up and getting ready in the morning, which he calls relatable.

Another student did not talk much. Instructors told us that he was more on the shy side but was an incredible writer. We captured a few words from the student, Rashad. "I love the writing," says Rashad.

Like many classes at the Q.L.C., the program's goal is to give students trade skills so they can enter the workforce directly.

"I have a lot of occupations I like to do," says Merrick.

She says the center helps her reach her goals.

Collins told us that if your child is a member of the center, they can take the course for free.