“Latino is NOT a Genre”: Interview with Rafael Agustin Author of “Ilegalmente Tuyo (Spanish edition): La Comedia de Mi Vida”
This week I had the pleasure of having a candid conversation with Rafael Agustin a writer on the award-winning The CW show, Jane The Virgin, CEO of the Latino Film Institute, where he oversees the Youth Cinema Project, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), LatinX in Animation and author of the book “Illegally Yours” which now has a new Spanish edition “Ilegalmente Tuyo (Spanish edition): La Comedia de Mi Vida”.
We talk about our experiences with LALIFF, the importance of Latino representation, immigration, and his book “Illegally Yours”.
About The Book (Available in English and Spanish)
Illegally Yours is a heartwarming, comical look at how this struggling Ecuadorian immigrant family bonded together to navigate Rafa’s school life, his parents’ work lives, and their shared secret life as undocumented Americans, determined to make the best of their always turbulent and sometimes dangerous American existence. From using the Ricky Martin/Jennifer Lopez “Latin Explosion” to his social advantage in the ‘90s to how his parents—doctors in their home country of Ecuador—were reduced to working menial jobs in the US, the family’s secret became their struggle, and their struggle became their hustle. An alternatingly hilarious and touching exploration of belonging and identity, Illegally Yours revolves around one very simple question: What does it mean to be American?
Translation: Ilegalmente tuyo es un conmovedor y cómico vistazo al modo en que esta familia de inmigrantes ecuatorianos metidos en problemas se une para navegar en la vida escolar de Rafa, la vida de trabajo de sus padres y su vida secreta compartida como estadounidenses indocumentados, determinados a hacer lo mejor de su, siempre turbulenta y a veces peligrosa, existencia en los Estados Unidos. Desde el uso de la “Explosión latina” de Ricky Martin/Jennifer López para sacar ventaja en la sociedad en los años 90 hasta cómo sus padres —doctores en su país de origen, Ecuador— fueron reducidos a realizar trabajos domésticos en Estados Unidos, el secreto de la familia se convirtió en su problema, y su problema se convirtió en maña. Exploración de pertenencia e identidad que alterna entre lo gracioso y lo conmovedor, Ilegalmente tuyo gira alrededor de una pregunta simple: ¿Qué significa ser estadounidense?
“Ilegalmente Tuyo (Spanish edition): La Comedia de Mi Vida” is available now on Amazon | Charis Books & More | Bright Side Bookshop
About Rafael Agustin
Rafael Agustin was a writer on the award-winning The CW show, Jane The Virgin, is the author of the new bestselling comedic memoir, Illegally Yours (Grand Central Publishing), and is a past Sundance Institute Episodic Fellow.
Agustin currently serves as CEO of the Latino Film Institute, where he oversees the Youth Cinema Project, the Los Angeles
Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), and LatinX in Animation. In 2018, LA Weekly named Agustin one of the fifty most essential people in Los Angeles. Also in 2018, the United Nations invited Agustin to speak at their 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 2022, the LA Times declared Agustin a “Power Player” in their inaugural LA Vanguardia class.
Agustin is a Board Member of Mother Jones, the oldest nonprofit investigative newsroom in the United States, and of the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress.
Agustin received his AA from Mt. San Antonio College, which awarded him Alumnus of the Year in 2015, and his BA and MA from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television.
