Colombian production company Rhayuela, recognized for films like the 2015 Cannes Un Certain Regard title “Alias María,” “El Páramo,” and “Rebellion,” is undergoing a leadership transition. While all six founding partners remain involved, Federico Duran has launched his own venture, El Sol Ermitaño, yet continues to hold a stake in the company that has been around for over 30 years.
Catherine Villareal and Ana María Tarazona are set to take the lead, with filmmaker Danniela Castro Valencia stepping in as a content consultant.
This restructuring enables partners to engage with other companies and platforms, providing greater flexibility compared to exclusively operating through Rhayuela.
According to Villareal and Tarazona, “More than a change, this new structure represents Rhayuela’s natural evolution. What is changing is not the company’s direction, but who is leading it. We want to continue producing stories with a unique voice—stories that embrace creative risk, engage with the world and find new ways to connect with audiences without losing their commercial appeal.”
Director José Luis Rugeles, a founding partner along with Jader Rangel and Oscar Navarro, reflected on the transition: “I think they’re a natural evolution of Rhayuela. We’re making way for a new generation that is taking on the company’s management and day-to-day operations. Of course, we, the partners, will continue to support them, while also opening ourselves up to new opportunities and new challenges.”
Rugeles and Tarazona’s television series project “Rookies” (“Oficina de Detectives”) recently won in-kind awards at the Bogota Audiovisual Market, which concluded on July 10.
Rhayuela is currently working on five feature films and three television series in various stages of development, production, and distribution. Their editorial focus includes auteur cinema, documentaries, thrillers, contemporary dramas, and comedies.
The company’s film portfolio features “The Other Side” (“El otro lado”), the fifth film by Rugeles; “Oblivion” (“El Olvido”), a Latin American Gothic thriller; “Lovers Go Home,” a collaboration between Colombia, Canada, and France; the military action thriller “The Awakening” (“El Despertar”), which premiered at the Guadalajara Film Festival and was sold by Latido to multiple regions; and the documentary “The Shape of Trees” (“La forma de los arboles”), directed by Castro, with support from JustFilms at the Ford Foundation.
In addition to “Rookies,” the company is developing television series “On Hold” and “We Promise You Nothing” (“No te prometemos nada”), showcasing Rhayuela’s dedication to exploring diverse genres and narrative styles.
Earlier this year, Rhayuela Films completed the shooting of “Lovers Go Home!” in Montreal. This multi-nation co-production involved Rhayuela, Duran’s El Sol Ermitaño (Colombia), Dublin Films (France), Potenza Producciones (Spain), and Camera Oscura (Canada), with filming taking place in Medellín and Santa Marta, Colombia, in November and December of last year.
