News

In high school, Rafael Agustin was desperately trying to be a "normal" Southern California teen. He was a young American who liked action movies, television shows like "Saved by the Bell" and of course, the singer Paula Abdul. But he had a big secret.

The 'Jane the Virgin' writer's memoir puts a comedic and pop cultural spin on a classic American coming-of-age tale.

I’m standing in the parking lot of an ampm gas station on a cloudy but muggy Sunday morning in Pasadena with my friend Rafael Agustin. He’s a TV writer, the Latino Film Institute CEO, and most recently author of the critically acclaimed coming of age memoir Illegally Yours.

Television writer Agustin makes a splashy debut with this humorous account of coming-of-age, undocumented, in Southern California.

TV writer and producer Rafael Agustin was 7 years old when he first came to the United States from Ecuador with his parents.

It was the week of the Fourth of July in 1988 when, at 7 years old, “Jane the Virgin” TV writer Rafael Agustin first arrived in the United States from Guayaquil, Ecuador. In his debut memoir “Illegally Yours”, Agustin recalls looking out at the fireworks lighting up the night sky, convinced they were announcing his arrival.

There is something strangely fitting about the painting that looms behind Rafael Agustin during our video interview. The “Jane the Virgin” TV writer is discussing his new memoir, “Illegally Yours,” about growing up without documents in the Los Angeles area and succeeding against tough odds.

The CW is developing a drama/satire series (with comedic elements) called Hipster Death Rattle. According to Deadline, the series is being developed by Rafael Agustin, Marvin Lemus, and Wilmer Valderrama.

Hipster Death Rattle, a drama/satire with comedic elements from Rafael Agustín, Marvin Lemus, and Wilmer Valderrama, is in the works at The CW.

When Rafael Agustín was a first-year student at the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television, it rapidly became clear that, as an immigrant from Ecuador, he would have to carve his own path to success. As an aspiring filmmaker, he recognized that not many of his fellow students or Hollywood creators looked like him or shared his background.

"I always knew we were immigrants. I didn't know we were undocumented immigrants," Agustín said. "In high school, I was an overachieving immigrant student. I was the class president, the prom king, the top 10% of my class. Then I applied to go to college and discovered that I was undocumented," said Agustín, who thinks a more appropriate term is "undocumented American."

As the entertainment industry braces for another few months of continued self-distancing and stay-at-home orders in California, the folks at the Latino Film Institute keep finding new and exciting ways to keep Latino cinema in LA alive. After making their Youth Cinema Project go digital in hopes of keeping it afloat, they’ve just announced that they’ll be hosting LALIFF Connect, a virtual edition of the 2020 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF).

As the Coronavirus pandemic takes hold of the entertainment industry — with films being delayed and other TV productions on hold — little has been said about how it’s affecting a younger generation of would-be filmmakers. Students of film will remember this moment as a turning point not just in the industry but in their lives. Nurturing them and making sure they still see a future that includes them is key. To that end Academy Award-nominated actor Edward James Olmos announced that the Latino Film Institute will livestream script reading sessions from their Youth Cinema Project (YCP) students. YCP, which is implemented in public schools across California, introduces elementary, middle, and high school students to the art of filmmaking and hopes to train the next generation of Hollywood filmmakers.

NCIS co-star Wilmer Valderrama has renewed his first-look deal with CBS TV Studios, the studio behind the popular CBS drama series. Valderrama stars as Special Agent Nick Torres on NCIS, which was just renewed for an 18th season. He has been on the show since Season 14, with the first-look producing pact running parallel to his acting deal for the show.

On the heels of an Academy Awards ceremony that found South Korea breaking into the Oscars for the first time with the history-making “Parasite,” and at a critical moment for diversity in the entertainment community, the Center for Cultural Power wants to disrupt Hollywood inequality with a new initiative for artists of color. In partnership with the Time’s Up-inspired movement 5050×2020, the Oakland-based Center for Cultural Power has announced the first-ever The Disruptors Fellowship, a five-month program that will be awarded to 10 artists of color who identify as trans and/or non-binary, disabled, undocumented and/or formerly undocumented immigrants. Head to the fellowship’s website for information on how to apply here. The deadline to apply is March 23, 2020, and while the fellowship takes place in Los Angeles, non-LA residents are welcome.

In this current climate that we find ourselves have been extraordinarily difficult for everyone, but for some reason we have been pinpointed out. And the latino community has been hit so hard and has been hit so hard for the last two years.

Latin American filmmakers have earned much critical acclaim (and several Oscars) in recent years, but the 2019 edition of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, which takes place July 31 to Aug. 4 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, will put the spotlight on Latinx talent from the United States.

In April, a Season 4 episode of Jane the Virgin sees Alba—the titular character’s grandmother—applying for her U.S. citizenship. It’s a story line that’s been seasons in the making, as viewers watched Alba evolve from undocumented immigrant to green-card holder to naturalized American. When Alba passes her test with a perfect score, stars from her new country’s flag float around her head as she celebrates with her family. A portrait of Donald Trump also transforms into one of his predecessor, offering a smile and a wink to Alba. It’s a subtle critique of the current president and his anti-immigration policies that reminds viewers of how citizenship isn’t always attainable for others. But this scene—and this arc—is just one of many stories in the show featuring Alba. Her character is not confined to her citizenship status, making her a rare example of an immigrant on TV who is depicted with nuance and care.