Biography
Moni Vargas is an Emmy-nominated, AfroMestiza filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist who advocates for broad representation in media, art and storytelling as tools for social progress. Her original series, Friends We Love, has screened at The Brooklyn Museum, The Bronx Museum and international film festivals. Her screenwriting serves as an extension of her multiracial background and interests at the intersectionality of social and racial justice, mental health, immigrant, LGBTQIA and women’s rights. Moni is the Program and Creative Director at Breakthrough, leading the Our Stories In Vivid Color initiative amplifying the stories and dreams of BIPOC girls and gender non-conforming youth. The project includes a short-form documentary film series, a user-generated story archive, grassroots and media partnerships, and an incubator for young creatives to develop and scale their own initiatives. Moni leads with the understanding that media has the power to build solidarity between movements and drive narrative change.