Justin Tipping is a writer/director originally from the Oakland, CA Area. Following his Student Academy Award winning short film, “Nani,” Tipping makes his feature film directorial debut with “Kicks,” which is currently traveling the film festival circuit, with recent stops at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Festival.

The drama follows 15-year-old Brandon, who longs for a pair of the freshest sneakers that money can buy, assuming that merely having them on his feet will help him escape the reality of being poor, ignored by girls, and routinely bullied by other. Working hard to get them, he soon finds that the shoes have instead made him a target after they are taken away from him by local thug Flaco, a man with complexities of his own that will be revealed when Brandon goes on a mission to retrieve his stolen sneakers with his two best friends along for the adventure.

The film is described as a vibrant coming-of-age story bursting with magical realism, delivering an entertaining but sobering look at the realities of inner-city life, manhood, and sneaker culture, with a soundtrack that includes hip-hop classics.

The cast includes Jahking Guillory, starring as Brandon, as well as Christopher Meyer, CJ Wallace, Kofi Siriboe, and Mahershala Ali.

The script was penned by Joshua Beirne-Golden. David Kaplan is producer.

A first trailer for the film has been released: