Rhayuela's next gen takes over at famed Colombian studio
Rhayuela's next gen takes over day-to-day leadership at the Colombian studio behind Cannes standout Alias María, with Catherine Villareal and Ana María Tarazona at the helm and filmmaker Danniela Castro Valencia as content consultant. All six founding partners remain invested as the 30-plus-year-old company restructures for global growth.
The shuffle matters because Rhayuela is not stepping back from television. The Bogota Audiovisual Market just wrapped with its detective series Rookies sweeping in-kind awards, and the company is actively developing multiple scripted projects for international audiences. For viewers tracking Latin American streaming pipelines, this is a leadership handoff, not a retreat.
Key Takeaways
- Catherine Villareal and Ana María Tarazona now lead Rhayuela while Danniela Castro Valencia serves as content consultant.
- All six original founding partners remain on board; Federico Duran has launched El Sol Ermitaño but keeps a stake in Rhayuela.
- The studio's active slate spans five feature films and three television series across thriller, drama, comedy, and documentary.
- Rookies won big at the Bogota Audiovisual Market, signaling momentum ahead of the leadership transition.
- The new structure lets veteran partners pursue outside projects while Rhayuela pushes co-productions worldwide.
Who Is Taking Over Leadership at Rhayuela?
Prominent Colombian shingle Rhayuela, known for memorable pics including Cannes 2015 Un Certain Regard title Alias María, El Páramo, and Rebellion, is shuffling its leadership. Catherine Villareal and Ana María Tarazona will take over the helm while filmmaker Danniela Castro Valencia takes on the role of content consultant.
Among the six original partners, Federico Duran has formed his own company, El Sol Ermitaño, but retains a stake in the 30-plus-year-old company. Founding partner and director José Luis Rugeles, alongside Jader Rangel and Oscar Navarro, framed the move as making way for a new generation handling management and daily operations.
Why Does Rhayuela's Leadership Shuffle Matter for TV Fans?
This new structure gives the partners greater flexibility to pursue projects with other companies and platforms, rather than working exclusively through Rhayuela. That matters for streaming audiences because the studio is simultaneously expanding its television footprint.
Rugeles and Tarazona's TV series project Rookies (Oficina de Detectives) just swept the in-kind awards given out at the Bogota Audiovisual Market, which wrapped July 10. Beyond Rookies, Rhayuela is developing On Hold and We Promise You Nothing (No te prometemos nada), reflecting a commitment to varied genres and narrative formats.
Villareal and Tarazona said the shift represents Rhayuela's natural evolution rather than a change in creative direction. They aim to keep producing stories with a unique voice that embrace creative risk and connect with global audiences without losing commercial appeal. Keep an eye on more streaming and TV alerts as Latin American studios reposition for international co-productions.
What Projects Are on Rhayuela's Current Slate?
Rhayuela's current slate includes some five feature films and three television series in various stages of development, production, and distribution. Its editorial line features auteur cinema, documentary, thriller, contemporary drama, and comedy.
Among its pics are The Other Side (El otro lado), the fifth feature by Rugeles; Oblivion (El Olvido), a Latin American Gothic thriller; Lovers Go Home, a co-production between Colombia, Canada, and France; military action thriller The Awakening (El Despertar), which premiered at the Guadalajara Film Festival and was sold by Latido to multiple territories; and documentary The Shape of Trees (La forma de los arboles), directed by Castro with backing from JustFilms at the Ford Foundation.
Rhayuela Films wrapped the shoot of Lovers Go Home! in Montreal earlier this year. The multi-country co-production involves Rhayuela, Duran's El Sol Ermitaño (Colombia), Dublin Films (France), Potenza Producciones (Spain), and Camera Oscura (Canada), with filming in Medellín and Santa Marta in November and December last year.
What Did Rhayuela's Leaders Say About the Transition?
According to Variety, Villareal and Tarazona emphasized continuity of vision. Rugeles echoed that sentiment, noting the partners will continue supporting the new leaders while opening themselves to fresh opportunities and challenges.
For a studio with more than three decades behind Alias María, El Páramo, and Rebellion, the handoff reads less like an exit and more like a generational upgrade built to keep Colombian stories on festival screens and streaming queues alike.