Jose Antonio Vargas
Directing
Biography
Jose Antonio Vargas (born February 3, 1981) is a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist. Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States from the age of twelve, he was part of The Washington Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2008 for coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting online and in print. Vargas has also worked for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Daily News, and The Huffington Post. He wrote, produced, and directed the autobiographical 2013 film Documented, which CNN Films broadcast in June 2014. In a June 2011 essay in The New York Times Magazine, Vargas revealed his status as an undocumented immigrant in an effort to promote dialogue about the immigration system in the U.S. and to advocate for the DREAM Act, which would provide children in similar circumstances with a path to citizenship. A year later, a day after the publication of his Time cover story about his continued uncertainty regarding his immigration status, the Obama administration announced it was halting the deportation of undocumented immigrants age 30 and under, who would be eligible for the DREAM Act. Vargas, who had just turned 31, did not qualify. Vargas is the founder of Define American, a nonprofit organization intended to open up dialogue about the criteria people use to determine who is an American. He has said: "I am an American. I just don't have the right papers." In September 2018, his memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, was published by Dey Street. In July 2022, he was appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Known For
The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.
The Daily Show
Each week Bill Maher surrounds himself with a panel of guests which include politicians, actors, comedians, musicians and the like to discuss what's going on in the world.
Real Time with Bill Maher
Max is a Jack Russell dog genetically modified for criminal purposes so he is able to talk. Running away from the criminals he's working for, he is wounded, then saved by detective-wannabe Alberto, who is fire and house-hunting. They end up staying with Alberto's sister-in-law Marta and her two children. Thanks to them all, Alberto finally manages to be a detective, and he and Max establish their detective agency: Sabuesos.
Sabuesos
An indictment of closeted politicians who lobby for anti-gay legislation in the US.
Outrage
In 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outed himself as an undocumented immigrant in the New York Times Magazine. 'Documented' chronicles his journey to America from the Philippines as a child; his journey through America as an immigration reform activist/provocateur; and his journey inward as he re-connects with his mother, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years.
Documented
Not far from the White House, the Capitol, and the National Mall lies a part of Washington, DC that the tourists never see and the mainstream media virtually ignores. At least three percent of DC is HIV positive, a staggering rate higher than parts of Africa. Behind all the stories of heartbreak, loss, and struggle there are also the incredible, encouraging stories of the people behind grassroots movements to extend education, combat stigmas, and spread hope.
The Other City
Documentary on the concept of white privilege and how it effects white people and other cultures.