Pedro Ultreras was born in Durango, México. He is a journalist; filmmaker writer and photographer interested mostly in social and human rights issues.
His interest to extend his work as a social communicator took him to New York City in 2005 to study filmmaking at the New York Film Academy and professional photography at the New York Institute of Photography.
As a filmmaker, Pedro wrote and directed 7 Soles (2008), his first feature length film. 7 Soles was an official selection in more than ten international film festivals and was released in theaters in 2009. The film addresses the never-ending controversial human smuggling issue between Mexico and the United States. He also published a book under the same title.
In 2010, Pedro wrote and directed the documentary, La Bestia (The Beast) that shows the suffering experienced by immigrants from Central America when trying to cross Mexico illegally. La Bestia has been acclaimed internationally for exposing social issues and humanitarian crises of thousands of immigrants.
In order to film this documentary, Pedro traveled as one of the migrants and was subjected to the same dangers, abuses and life threatening experiences.
La Bestia was an official selection in multiple human rights film festivals and has been broadcasted in cable and television in several countries. The film has also become a reference to anyone interested in the topic.
His most recent work as a filmmaker is the documentary ABC Nunca Más (2012). This film is about a fire incident at a day-care center where 49 children died in Northern Mexico in 2009. The tragedy was plagued by corruption and negligence and involved government at all levels and some of the most prominent and influential families in Mexico.
ABC Nunca Más was an official selection in several international film festivals. It was released in theaters with great success in México in 2012. In New York the film was recognized by the international organization The Mount Hope Project for spreading social justice.
Pedro on the roof of "La Bestia"
Pedro has been in the news media for over 25 years and has been assigned to cover several national and international news events in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. As a news reporter, Pedro has been recognized with several awards and has been nominated four times to the prestigious Emmy awards.
Pedro currently works as a National News Correspondent for Noticiero Univision, and Aquí y Ahora, an in-depth investigating weekly TV show. He also works periodically as a correspondent for CNN en Español.
The Mexican-American journalist is well known for his sensitivity to investigate and report on social issues. In summer 2014, he received national attention for an extensive news coverage he did for Noticiero Univision when he traveled with thousands of Central American migrants across México on the roof of cargo trains known as, “La Bestia”.
His cunning and professionalism allowed television viewers see in detail the perils and suffering of Central Americans who try to cross México Illegally.
Pedro managed to report in a very palpable and impacting manner the exodus of thousands of mothers with babies and unaccompanied minors who were arriving illegally to the United States.
This news coverage on board of “ The Beast” earned him an Emmy National Nomination where he competed with the most recognized journalist of the English Television Networks in United States in September 2015.
Pedro is a frequent guest at prestigious universities, governmental institutions and international humanitarian organizations to discuss the social topics he addresses in his documentaries, news reporting, or in his film screenings
He resides in New York City.