Joel Vargas
About
Joel, creator of FLITE MODE (working title), was born and raised in public housing in The Bronx, New York. A filmmaker and activist, Joel is a former Fulbright Scholar and holds an MA in documentary filmmaking from the University of the Arts, London and has studied Narrative Film Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Since beginning his career as a director, Joel has worked on a range of films spanning documentary and fiction. His style often lingers at the intersection of the two forms and his work aims to collaborate with and advocate for communities at the periphery of society, centering on themes of racial, social, and economic justice via a lens of empathy. Joel also works as an educator in NYC where he teaches filmmaking to inner-city youth. He is a 2018 Tribeca All Access and Our Local Is Global Grantee and an IFP No Borders Alumnus.
Target Is Hiring
With the help of her riotous best friend, a misunderstood teen from Harlem uses her newfound talent for dancing on the subway to save her family from a looming eviction while also navigating young womanhood.
No Half Steppin'
When Malik’s single mother confiscates the speaker he uses to dance on the subway, he reinvents himself as the “man of the house” to earn her respect. As he fights a looming eviction from their South Bronx home, the call of his passion for dancing becomes too strong to ignore.