A Rubén Ortiz-Torres Story | PBS / KCET Documentary, 1 hr

Since the early-80s, artist Rubén Ortiz-Torres has been working as a photographer, painter, sculptor, writer, filmmaker and video producer. Often associated with the development of a Mexican form of postmodernism, Ortiz-Torres's life is a collage that explores the social and aesthetic transformations related to cross-cultural exchange and globalization.

Directors: Michael Vargas & Moni Vargas | Producer: Moni Vargas | DP/Editor: Michael Vargas | Camera Op: Moni Vargas

Emmy Awards Nomination, Arts, 2023

Con Safos | PBS / KCET Documentary, 1 hr

A pioneer of Chicano rock 'n' roll, Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara recounts his life in music, performance art and activism — from his time as lead singer of the doo-wop band The Apollo Brothers, his collaborations with Frank Zappa and Cheech Marin, and his crossover into the Chicano performance art world of the 1960s and 1970s — all of which shaped Mexican American culture.

Directors: Michael Vargas & Moni Vargas | Producer: Moni Vargas | DP/Editor: Michael Vargas | Camera Op: Moni Vargas

Emmy Awards Nomination, LA Color, 2022

Winner: 2 x National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, 2022

Winner: 2 x Southern California Journalism Awards, 2022

Closer | Short Film

A woman’s cozy night home alone turns deadly after an endless string of terrifying neighborhood crime alerts bombard her phone with warnings of a killer on the loose who’s actually closer than she thinks.

Writer, Director, Editor: Michael Vargas

Audrey’s Poem | Short Film

Audrey, a teenage poet, processes and takes steps to heal from the abuse her mother suffered at the hands of an ex-boyfriend by writing about it for a high school poetry slam.

Writer, Director, Producer: Moni Vargas • Editor: Michael Vargas

PDX Recovery Film Festival, Second Place Winner

Big Little Girls, Film Anthology

Plus | Short Film

Short Film

Two make a crowd, but three make a family.

Writer, Director, Editor: Michael Vargas