SXSW: 'Grow Up, Tony Phillips' Poster Debuts (Exclusive)

Getty Images

Emily Hagins

Emily Hagins' fourth feature, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, is set for a March 12 premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

our editor recommends

SXSW: 'Girls's' Christopher Abbott Gets Serious in 'Burma' (Exclusive Photos)

SXSW: Brie Larson and John Gallagher Jr. Get Intimate in New Dramedy (Exclusive Photo)

Tony Vespe stars as Tony Phillips, a high school senior who loves Halloween but begins to question himself as his friends decide that they are too cool for the kid-friendly holiday. The film is produced by Austin-based Arcanum Pictures.

“Grow Up, Tony Phillips is a story I felt passionate about telling because it reflects a genuine transition point in the teen experience I think is important and often overlooked,” said Hagins, 20, who was the first girl in the U.S. to make a feature film at the age of 12 (Pathogen). She was the subject of the documentary Zombie Girl: The Movie, and her third feature, My Sucky Teen Romance, premiered at SXSW in 2011, where it was picked up by Dark Sky Films.

AJ Bowen, Devin Bonnee, Katie Folger and Caleb Barwick also star in the film.

The Hollywood Reporter here hosts an exclusive first look at the Grow Up, Tony Phillips movie poster.