Karla Vargas Gastélum
- Cinematographer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
Karla Vargas Gastélum (she/they) is a Mexican-American, queer screenwriter/director based in Los Angeles.
She earned her B.A. in Visual Arts at UC San Diego in 2016, and in 2017 Karla was admitted into the Directing MFA program at the UCLA School of Film, Theater & Television, where she wrote and directed four shorts before graduating in 2021.
During their time at UCLA, Karla was awarded the full-ride Banky-Larocque Directing fellowship sponsored by film director Donna Deitch. She was also the recipient of the Carl David Memorial Fellowship in Film, the Lynn Weston Fellowship in Film and the Four Sisters Scholarship in Screenwriting, Directing & Animation. Additionally, she was a Hispanic Scholarship Foundation Scholar in 2017 and 2018.
Born in Baja California, Mexico, Karla moved to the United States at age eleven to have a chance at obtaining higher education. From an early age, her work as a studio artist reflected her commitment to tell stories that promote social change. As an undocumented, queer Latina she never saw herself represented in the media - this lack of representation and diversity pushed Karla in the direction of film.
Karla's first film, Americano premiered at Outfest LA in 2019, and she is set to release her most recent short film, Parhelio, in 2023. Karla is currently working on her first feature titled, El Matiz del Torogoz (The Torogoz' Tail), a tale that follows a similar structure as Parhelio.
She earned her B.A. in Visual Arts at UC San Diego in 2016, and in 2017 Karla was admitted into the Directing MFA program at the UCLA School of Film, Theater & Television, where she wrote and directed four shorts before graduating in 2021.
During their time at UCLA, Karla was awarded the full-ride Banky-Larocque Directing fellowship sponsored by film director Donna Deitch. She was also the recipient of the Carl David Memorial Fellowship in Film, the Lynn Weston Fellowship in Film and the Four Sisters Scholarship in Screenwriting, Directing & Animation. Additionally, she was a Hispanic Scholarship Foundation Scholar in 2017 and 2018.
Born in Baja California, Mexico, Karla moved to the United States at age eleven to have a chance at obtaining higher education. From an early age, her work as a studio artist reflected her commitment to tell stories that promote social change. As an undocumented, queer Latina she never saw herself represented in the media - this lack of representation and diversity pushed Karla in the direction of film.
Karla's first film, Americano premiered at Outfest LA in 2019, and she is set to release her most recent short film, Parhelio, in 2023. Karla is currently working on her first feature titled, El Matiz del Torogoz (The Torogoz' Tail), a tale that follows a similar structure as Parhelio.
