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Documentary Diesel Films & Seth Shapiro

Matt

Doctors gave him a five-percent chance of survival when he was born three months pre-mature. Now, he's defying everyone's expectations.

Play
Documentary Diesel Films & Seth Shapiro

Matt

Doctors gave him a five-percent chance of survival when he was born three months pre-mature. Now, he's defying everyone's expectations.

Matt

Directed By Diesel Films & Seth Shapiro
Made In USA

If you happened to glance down the sideline at a Santa Monica High School football game, you’d see a line of players in navy and gold, standing shoulder pad-to-shoulder pad, chinstraps buckled, shoelaces double-knotted, each of them ready to sprint onto the field if the coach were to give them the go-ahead. Like thousands of other high school players, the Vikings have congregated under the buzzing Friday-night lights amidst the roaring crowd, the shrilling whistles, the thump-thump-thumping of the pep-band’s bass drums, ready to wage war against their rival in this violent national past time.

But if you were to look closer, you’d see one player, the number “86” emblazoned across his jersey, itching with nervous anticipation. The helmet hides his infectious smile, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that he’s just another team member cheering on his fellow Vikings in the Division II playoffs. That player — that special player, wearing “86” with indelible pride — is Matthew Tapia.

Matt was born three months pre-mature, weighing only one-and-a-half pounds when he took his first breath. Doctors gave him a five-percent chance of survival, telling his parents that he would likely never walk or talk — and, if he did so happen to speak, it would only be in the form of parroting those around him. But Matt, encouraged by his loving father Rudy, forged on, denying the doctors’ destiny for his life, making the most of what life has to offer. He is currently a senior at Santa Monica High School, where he has been a member of both the varsity football and basketball teams — not an easy task for a normal student, let alone one with Matt’s setbacks.

“I believe there is truly nothing in life we want more than to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.” – Seth Shapiro, Director

Matt wears its inspirational heart firmly on its sleeve; everything from the slick cinematography to the orchestral score have you rooting for the Rudy-like figure who’s waiting (somewhat impatiently) on the sidelines for his chance to “dive over the pylon and score a touchdown”. Director Seth Shapiro, taking cues from Brian’s Song, Friday Night Lights, and Rudy, crafts a deceptively simple narrative about friendship, brotherhood, teamwork, and family. And while it would be nice to hear more from Matt himself, to hear parts of his story in his own words, you forgive the piece those misgivings because it’s already swept you up in a wave of emotion, whether you’re a football fan or not.

The road to bringing Matt’s story to the screen was a long and winding one. Shapiro has been neighbors with the Tapias since 2010, bonding over common interests like sports. “Last summer,” Shapiro said, “I got a knock on my door (as I so often do). I opened the door and there was Matt, proudly wearing a SMHS football t-shirt…[he] had an ear-to-ear grin on his face and I couldn’t help but start smiling myself…I saw a change in him. He was so happy; he was part of a team.” With Rudy’s approval, Shapiro put the plan in motion to capture the SMHS home opener (where Matt was to walk out on the field as captain), but fate had other plans for the director: his wife was having their first child.

When SMHS made the playoffs in the fall, Shapiro knew that it was now or never; he quickly recruited an additional cinematographer (editor Taylor Hawkins), and the two of them, armed with lean-and-mean DSLR packages, headed for the stadium. “[The school] wouldn’t let us in with our cameras because we didn’t have permits or permission…After a lot of persuasion and a handwritten-release that I drew up at the hot dog stand — basically promising that I wouldn’t release any of the footage until approved by SMHS and the district — they allowed us on the sidelines to film.” Several interviews and b-roll shots later, Shapiro finally had a story to tell.

Check out more about Matt’s story at www.mattthefilm.com, and be sure to follow Shapiro’s company, Diesel Films, for more sports-related content.