‘Define American Film Festival’ Highlights Immigrant Stories

Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist, from San Francisco, holds up his California Driver’s License as he speaks to supporters of fair immigration reform gather in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, April 18, 2016.
Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist, from San Francisco, holds up his California Driver's License as he speaks to supporters of fair immigration reform gather in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, April 18, 2016. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo
Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist, from San Francisco, holds up his California Driver’s License as he speaks to supporters of fair immigration reform gather in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, April 18, 2016.
Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist, from San Francisco, holds up his California Driver's License as he speaks to supporters of fair immigration reform gather in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, April 18, 2016. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo

‘Define American Film Festival’ Highlights Immigrant Stories

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

As DACA legislation and President Donald Trump’s travel bans hang in limbo, immigration activists like Jose Antonio Vargas believe that film can build a bridge to tolerance and understanding. He turned his belief into the annual Define American Film Festival,” coming to Chicago this week. Vargas jumped into the national spotlight after his acclaimed 2011 New York Times Magazine essay, “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” His forthcoming memoir is Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen.

Worldview talks with Vargas about his views on the growing climate of xenophobia in the Trump era. Joining Vargas is Robert Greene, a documentary filmmaker, writer and assistant professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. His latest project, Bisbee ‘17, will screen at the film festival.