Matthew Beavers is an LA-based African American and Filipino cinematographer and 2026 Film Independent Project Involve Cinematography Fellow. Beavers developed a curiosity in films as a teenager when he felt heartbroken every time credits rolled and the world he was enveloped in seemed to fade away. He explored that curiosity in community college at the College of the Sequoias; then, pursued filmmaking at Cal State Northridge, where he earned a B.A. in Television Production; and finally, honed his craft of cinematography at the University of Southern California, where he earned an M.F.A in Film Production. Beavers is also an Adjunct Professor at USC’s Summer Film Intensive Program, where he teaches cinematography with an emphasis on collaboration, representation, and trust in students’ own lived experience as their guide to becoming the most honest filmmakers. Beavers’ visual language heightens reality of ordinary moments through lighting, as well as brings the audience closer to those moments through intimate framing and composition. Beavers roots his visual work in ideas like identity, memories, and the quiet beauty of life and is seeking collaborators to nurture more of those stories with.