William Higbie
William is a producer and documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. He just graduated from the University of Southern California studying in the School of Cinematic Arts.
Growing up in a leafy suburb two miles beyond the Detroit border, he quickly saw the economic and racial inequities in his larger community. This realization motivated him to learn how these stark differences came to be and to further explore the context of his own privilege. William’s interest in photography and filmmaking inspired him to get involved and use the documentary form to embed himself in communities to which he would not normally have access.
Starting in middle school, over four years, William created a short film “Painting the Town: the Street Art of Detroit”. This effort won Best Documentary at the All-American High School Film Festival (the largest high school competition in the U.S.) and gained subsequent acceptances to DOC NYC, the Mill Valley Film Festival, Traverse City Film Festival, and four other regional festivals.
His course of study at USC has focused on understanding what equitable and inclusive storytelling looks like through cinematic and American history. William's passions for politics, the climate crisis, and criminal justice reform are at the root of his work today.
William’s latest film, “Healing the Discarded - The Power of Redemption in the Prison System”, tells the story of Tobias Tubbs, a formerly incarcerated individual whose life sentence was commuted after 28 years by California Governor Jerry Brown. Since his release, Tobias has leveraged his freedom by supporting and advancing communities of color in South Los Angeles.