Writer, Toothpaste (2004 South Texas Contest Winner)

"We made our film because we want young people to make better decisions [about sexual health] and be sure about what they are doing... You need to know the consequences — you need to have the information."

- Toothpaste writers

The four writers of Toothpaste are from Mission, Texas a town with a population of 46,000 that sits just a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The girls wrote their story for a group project during their senior year of high school. They spent months turning their story into a professional script and then helped Ben Younger direct the film over two days during the summer after their graduation.

Kristal Villarreal is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin where she majors in Radio-Television-Film, Spanish, and Photojournalism. In high school, Kristal and co-writers, Laura Coria and Amanda Ramirez, won the Scenarios USA writing contest and created a film about making responsible decisions. Through the experience, Kristal has made lifelong friendships with Laura and Amanda and has talked to hundreds of teens about the options, risks, and consequences of sex.

Find out more about Toothpaste or view it now (16 minutes):

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