William Varela

Native El Pasoan, experimental filmmaker and educator William “Willie” Varela passed away on February 24, 2024, at the age of 74, due to a long-term illness. He was born in El Paso, Texas on January 8, 1950. He graduated from Jesuit High School in Spring 1968 and enrolled at UTEP in the fall that same year. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in Secondary Education, he worked as a radio announcer at Radio KAMA and at KINT and began making films. He graduated from UTEP with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1976. In 1996, he earned a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at El Paso. He subsequently taught filmmaking at UTEP for nine years, from 1997 to 2006.

During his lifetime, Varela exhibited at film centers and major museums such as UC Berkeley, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum. He also produced over 100 experimental films and 30-40 videotapes, numerous installations, and thousands of photographs over his career. Varela was both an artist and an advocate for film as a form of personal expression. In the early 1980s, Varela also created venues for bringing experimental filmmakers from across the U.S. and abroad to showcase their work in El Paso, including an experimental film series at the El Paso Public Library.

In the last decade of his life, he had been hosted by newer generations of university student organizations who discovered the cultural treasure he represented. His last showcase was in March 2023 at the Aurora Picture Show, a Houston non-profit media arts center.

Varela is preceded in death by his parents Jesus Varela and Delia Rodríguez and is survived by his daughter Marisol Varela, brother James Varela, his wife Frances, and their family. He is also survived by his two former spouses, Rebecca Mares and Jan Jones. Visitation services will be on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 7 p.m. with burial on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 10 a.m. at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Services are being handled by Hillcrest Funeral Home.