Target Is Hiring
TFI Suppport
Our Local Is Global 2018
Logline
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.
Joel Vargas
Writer/Director
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.
Karla Rodriguez
Co-Producer
Karla Rodriguez was born in Medellin, Colombia, the youngest of five children. She currently resides in the Hunts Point Community of The South Bronx. Karla is a graduate of Fordham University, with a double BA in Political Science and Philosophy and also holds an MA in Media Studies from The New School. The values her parents taught her, coupled with the rebellious voice of Hip Hop and the misunderstood socio-political history of her native country inspire a deep-rooted passion for social justice-- using her vision and skills in media to fight for gender, racial and class equality. Her affinity for photography has led her to develop a talent as a videographer, editor and graphic designer. Karla currently works as a media educator and film producer in New York City.
Mike Tyner
Co-Producer
Mike Tyner is a producer and director who co-founded the independent film collective Truth 2 Power Films. Tyner has produced six narrative shorts, two television shows, and many short documentaries. In 2016, Tyner produced THE LAST DAYS OF HUSTLING, a lyrical short by award-winning director and editor Karim López. Tyner made his directorial debut in 2011 with MALCOMOLOGY, a nationally televised six-part documentary series based on Manning Marable’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.
James Duarte
Co-Producer
James is a creative producer based in The Bronx, New York. He has served as the Creative Director for the Dominican Film Festival and Associate Manager of the Ecuadorian Film Festival.
Alyssa Villegas
Consulting Producer
Alyssa was born and raised in Uptown, Chicago. She worked as a community organizer in Humboldt Park, the historically Puerto Rican community in Chicago. For three years, she was a collective member for Batey Urbano, a former youth space aimed at providing artistic means of expression for at risk youth, focusing on spoken word, creative writing, and film. Alyssa worked as a program coordinator, mentor, and teacher at two community high schools, where she assisted Black and Latinx students’ transitions into post-secondary education.