TWIN FALLS, Idaho — A Twin Falls High School graduate returned to his alma mater this week, but this visit was different from all the others.
Travis Holt Hamilton, class of 1996, came back to share his filmmaking journey with current students as his seventh film, Finding Hozho, opens at the Lamphouse Theatre.
WATCH | Filmmaker visits Twin Falls High School & shares his journey with the community—
"I noticed driving across the bridge across the canyon into home, it just like I started feeling homesick and started having those emotions that I was observing myself experience," Hamilton told Idaho News 6.
While Hamilton has visited Twin Falls many times since graduation, this trip to his old high school carried special significance. He spoke to drama and graphic arts students about his path into filmmaking and answered their questions about pursuing art as a career.
"I think the next room over was a room where I had some special experiences there. A teacher told me that I had a really good eye for photography, and that stuck with me," Hamilton said. "I started believing what somebody else told me and started believing that," Hamilton said.
The filmmaker wanted to encourage students the same way he was encouraged 30 years ago by a teacher named Mrs. Woods.
"She was like a part-time teacher for a little while for some reason. She's the one that said like 'You have a really good eye for photography'. And then I bought into it, and I just see the power of that, of believing something," Hamilton said.
His latest film represents a milestone in his career. While major Hollywood movies typically open in 3,500 to 4,000 theaters, Hamilton's "Finding Hozho" is opening in 16 locations.
"It's the most I've ever opened on for me. It's like 'wow this is really good,'" Hamilton said.
Finding Hozho runs at the Lamphouse Theatre through November 20.
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