Alex Avila is an Austin-born filmmaker and former NPR producer with deep roots in storytelling. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, he spent 25 years in journalism, including 12 years producing award-winning content for NPR. He later returned to UT to complete a PhD in Journalism.

    In 1993, he co-founded the Chicano/Latino Film Forum, an influential Austin collective that connected Latino filmmakers with audiences until 1999.

    Avila has written multiple feature screenplays recognized in national competitions. His debut feature, Closer to Bottom—a Latino coming-of-age drama—won Best Texas Feature at the 2017 Austin Indie Fest. His second feature, Vecinos: Love Thy Neighbor, marked his directorial debut and earned awards at WorldFest-Houston and Cine Las Americas in 2021.

    In 2021, he launched TexMex FilmWorks, a production company focused on cinematic stories with broad appeal. Their first project under the TexMex FilmWorks banner is Cerebral—a psychological thriller written by Avila—will premiere in Fall 2025.

    As a Master Filmmaker Fellow with the Mexican American Cultural Educational Foundation, Avila is developing A.I. Dad, a sci-fi feature guided by industry veterans Moctesuma Esparza and Jesús Treviño, slated for production in Summer 2026.

   Dr. Avila currently teaches mass communications full-time at Huston-Tillotson University and part-time at Texas State University.