Undocumented tales
“Undocumented Tales” is a YouTube web series that follows the journey of Fernando Gutierrez, an undocumented queer immigrant from Mexico living in U.S. Fernando’s story is one that is rarely told in the broader immigrant and LGBTQ communities, and one that is almost never told in mainstream media. The series serves as an online platform that brings together the intersections of immigration status, homophobia/transphobia, class, and race to portray the realities of what it means to both undocumented and queer in the United States.
The vision of this project is to authentically tell the stories of our communities and bring to the front and center the lives of those living at the margins.
The series is being directed, written, and produced by an immigrant filmmaker, Armando Ibanez, someone that is directly impacted by the issues the series highlights.
The thirds season of “Undocumented Tales” hopes to continue encouraging and inspiring many to tell their own story, on their own terms. the series focus is to connect our communities, engage in dialogue and provide opportunities for audiences to join our fight for social justice. Also, the series addresses how someone’s immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, class and race present additional barriers in someone’s life.
In 2016, Armando Ibanez created the project. Undocumented Tales was inspired by Armando’s own life and experiences. The series has been screened around the country, at universities, community spaces, and film festivals including Outfest. In 2018, the series received four nominations from the Los Angeles Web Festival. Armando Ibanez was nominated in the categories of outstanding writing, outstanding directing, outstanding drama series, and won for outstanding lead actor. Irving Pineda won for supporting lead actor.
ARMANDO IBAÑEZ
Creator | Writer | Director
“Writing is therapy... And putting those words on the screen is healing.”
Armando Ibanez at the Immigrants Rising Conference.
INTERVIEW FOR LUSH COSMETICS
BIO
Armando Ibañez is a latinx queer filmmaker from Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. He has been living in the United States for over 20 years and lives in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Cerritos Community College with an AA in Film and TV production.
His passion for film began at the age of 7 years old while watching Mexican cinema from the 1950s. Armando is the writer and director of the award-winning YoutTube series Undocumented Tales, a story that follows the journey of a Mexican undocumented and queer server living in Los Angeles. The series has been screened around the country, at universities, community spaces, and film festivals including Outfest. In 2018, he was nominated for the LAWEBFEST Awards in the categories of outstanding writing, outstanding directing, outstanding drama series, and won for outstanding lead actor. In 2019, Armando received the Entrepreneurship Fund from Immigrants Rising to finish the third season and it premiered in 2019. In September 2023, Armando Premiere the 4th and final season of the series.
In 202, Armando directed Freedom for All, in collaboration with Lush Cosmetics as part of a campaign to advocate for the rights of undocumented immigrants. Armando’s work includes collaborations with CultureStrike, Translatin@ Coalition, Familia:TQLM, The Center for Cultural Poer, Immigrants Rising, and SolCollective. In 2021, Armando premiered his short film Before and After Detention, a documentary that follows the journey of transgender women pursuing a better life in the U.S. Armando was also part of the Artists Disruptors Fellowship program. The Fellowship provides opportunities to emerging television writers of color who also identify as transgender, non-binary, disabled, undocumented, and/or formerly undocumented. Armando is currently promoting the 4th and final season of Undocumented Tales that premiere in September 2023. Armando is committed to portray authentic Latinx characters and address real issues impacting immigrants and LGBTQ communities in the United States.
