Festival Submission
2026 Season
TRT: 01:02:36 (63 min) • Thousand Oaks, CA • Stereo / 5.1

MANDO: Youth Mentors on a Mission

A Documentary by Tomás Hidalgo

Every young person deserves a strong support system. MANDO follows the mentors in Thousand Oaks, California, who walk alongside them.

Watch Official Trailer View Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
MANDO: Youth Mentors on a Mission trailer cover
DIRECTOR: TOMÁS HIDALGO RUNTIME: 01:02:36 (63 MIN) LOCATION: THOUSAND OAKS, CA AUDIO: STEREO • 5.1
Behind The Project

The story and the mission

On location filming MANDO documentary
Production Journal

On Location in Southern California

Chapter 01

The Origin

The mentors in MANDO walked the same hard roads as the young people they now guide. They lived it, and chose different. Now they turn that history into a lifeline for the next generation.

00:00:08Chapter 02

What MANDO is today

MANDO is still active today, walking alongside youth through mentorship, sports, art and honest conversation. The film shows the weekly work: Friday nights, boxing, free haircuts, and mentors who stay long after the cameras leave.

Mentorship classroom workshop
Mentors at Dodger Stadium
MANDO community group gathered
Civic dialogue and advocacy
The Objective

The Mission

The film has two jobs. It honors the people doing this work with the dignity they deserve, and it gives the community a reason to show up for them: to support it, fund it and talk about it. MANDO does it for hope, change and community. So does this film.

Director's Note

“No forced scripts. Just honest voices, community resilience, and stories that deserve to be remembered.”

— Tomás Hidalgo, Director
Stills from the film

Where the work happens

The gym, the barber's chair and the porch on a Friday night. These are the places in Thousand Oaks where MANDO's mentors show up for young people, week after week.

A MANDO youth throws a punch at Thor, who holds the pads
▸ 01Boxing with Thor
A mentor with tattoos gives a young man a haircut outdoors
▸ 02Catchin' Fadez
A mentor fist-bumps a boy on the porch at dusk while another eats pizza
▸ 03Friday Nights
Two young men in barber capes getting haircuts while mentors look on
▸ 04Catchin' Fadez
Two boys lean on a brick wall on the porch, watching
▸ 05MANDO youth
Young people and mentors on a sidewalk at golden hour
▸ 06Thousand Oaks
Official Electronic Press Kit (EPK)

Festival and media dossier

Materials for festival programmers, juries, press and educators.

Download EPK (PDF) Download High-Res Stills Pack (ZIP)
Quick Technical Reference

Specifications

PROJECT TITLE
MANDO: Youth Mentors on a Mission
DIRECTOR
Tomás Hidalgo
TOTAL RUNTIME
01:02:36 (63 min)
COUNTRY / ORIGIN
United States (Thousand Oaks, CA)
LANGUAGE
English
PRODUCTION YEAR
2026
CAPTURE FORMAT
Digital Cinema 4K
ASPECT RATIO
16:9 (1.78:1 Native)
AUDIO FORMAT
Stereo 2.0 & 5.1 Surround
EXHIBITION DELIVERIES
DCP (DCI Compliant), ProRes 422 HQ
GENRE: Social Justice / Documentary
00:00:21Program Grid Logline (25 Words)

Following frontline mentors in Thousand Oaks, California, MANDO shows what happens when people with lived experience step back into their community to walk alongside youth.

Official Festival Synopsis

Filmed on location in Thousand Oaks, California, MANDO: Youth Mentors on a Mission follows credible messengers who walked the same hard roads as the youth they now mentor. Through boxing at Pugilist Gym, barbershop conversations that build confidence, and outreach inside juvenile detention, the film shows what it takes to stay in a young person's corner, and why every young person deserves a strong support system.

Director's Statement
“MANDO began with honest listening, sitting down with individuals who turned personal struggle into an active lifeline for others. This film preserves the dignity of grassroots leadership and demands that we invest in the people doing the work on the ground.”
TOMÁS HIDALGO, DIRECTOR & CINEMATOGRAPHER PORTLAND, OREGON
00:00:34Featured Voices & Collaborators

Key participants

Marcos Aviles (Founder), Felix Gamez & Rigoberto Gurola Credible Messengers & Mentors
Tim Hagel Former Chief of Police (2010–2014), Ventura County
Sergeant Dillan Alvarez Special Gang Unit, Thousand Oaks
Daniel “Danny Boy” Ramirez Barber & Mentor, Catchin' Fadez
Thor Athletic & Youth Leadership
MANDO Youth & Families Southern California Community
Portrait of director Tomás Hidalgo
About the director

Tomás Hidalgo

Tomás Hidalgo is an independent documentary filmmaker and cinematographer based in Portland, Oregon. He grew up between France, Chile and the United States.

He started as a nightlife photographer before moving into documentary film. His work centers on grassroots leaders, community organizations and the people doing the work on the ground. MANDO: Youth Mentors on a Mission is his recent feature documentary.

Production Roster

Key creative credits

TOMÁS HIDALGO MEDIA PRODUCTION
Director

Tomás Hidalgo

Cinematographer

Tomás Hidalgo

Editor

Tomás Hidalgo

Production Company

Tomás Hidalgo Media

Subject Organization

MANDO YDG

Community Outreach

MANDO Mentorship Team

Audio Master

Stereo 2.0 • 5.1 Surround

Press Inquiries

Tomás Hidalgo

Felix Gamez, Tomás Hidalgo, Doheen Pratt, Marcos Aviles and Daniel “Danny Boy” Ramirez stand arm in arm outside the MANDO center
From left: Felix Gamez, Tomás Hidalgo, Doheen Pratt, Marcos Aviles and Daniel “Danny Boy” Ramirez Outside the center · Thousand Oaks, CA
The Work Continues

Support MANDO Youth Development Group

The film shows where it started. The work goes on every week in Thousand Oaks. MANDO walks alongside youth at risk of incarceration and those coming home, with mentors who lived it and chose different. Every program is free and long-term, so young people always have someone in their corner:

Catchin' Fadez

Free haircuts once a month that build confidence, with a listening ear in the chair.

Friday Nights

Every Friday, 5:30 to 8:00 PM: a safe space where young people feel valued and connected.

Boxing

Discipline, self-confidence and healthy habits, with a mentor in their corner.

Support for Families

Case management, art therapy and Triple P parenting classes for youth and their families.

Marcos Aviles, founder of MANDO Youth Development Group
Marcos and MANDO Marcos Aviles was incarcerated at 15. Today he leads MANDO with a simple promise: show up, listen, and stay.
Official Organization Site

Visit mandoydg.org

Meet the mentors, check the program calendar, or give toward the mentors, meals, haircuts and Friday nights that change a young life.

Visit the MANDO site Donate to MANDO
Booking & Inquiries

Host a screening or invite MANDO

For festival invitations, institutional educational licenses, or community panel presentations with Director Tomás Hidalgo. (Feature Documentary • 01:02:36)

Inquiries are reviewed directly by Director Tomás Hidalgo.