Prominent Colombian company Rhayuela, known for such memorable films as “Alias ​​María,” “El Páramo” and “Rebellion” at Cannes 2015, is changing its leadership, although its six original partners remain on board. Among them, Federico Durán has formed his own company, El Sol Ermitaño, but retains a stake in the company for more than 30 years.

Catherine Villareal and Ana María Tarazona will take the helm while filmmaker Danniela Castro Valencia assumes the role of content consultant.

This new structure gives partners greater flexibility to carry out projects with other companies and platforms, instead of working exclusively through Rhayuela.

“More than a change, this new structure represents the natural evolution of Rhayuela. What is changing is not the direction of the company, but who runs it. We want to continue producing stories with a unique voice: stories that embrace creative risk, interact with the world and find new ways to connect with audiences without losing their commercial appeal,” said Villareal and Tarazona.

Reflecting on the changes, director José Luis Rugeles, one of the founding partners along with Jader Rangel and Oscar Navarro, said: “I think they are a natural evolution of Rhayuela. We are making way for a new generation that is taking over the day-to-day management and operations of the company. Of course, we, the partners, will continue to support them, while opening ourselves up to new opportunities and new challenges.”

Rugeles and Tarazona’s television series project “Rookies” (“Detective Office”) has just swept the prizes in kind awarded at the Bogotá Audiovisual Market, which concluded on July 10.

Rhayuela’s current portfolio includes about five feature films and three television series in various stages of development, production and distribution. This is an editorial line that includes auteur films, documentaries, thrillers, contemporary drama and comedy.

Among his films are “The Other Side”, Rugeles’ fifth feature film; “Oblivion,” a Latin American gothic thriller; “Lovers Go Home”, a co-production between Colombia, Canada and France; the military action thriller “The Awakening,” which premiered at the Guadalajara Film Festival and was sold by Latido to multiple territories, and the documentary “The Shape of Trees,” directed by Castro, with support from the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms.

On television, in addition to “Rookies,” the company is developing the series “On Hold” and “We Promise You Nothing,” reflecting Rhayuela’s commitment to exploring a variety of genres and narrative formats.

Rhayuela Films wrapped filming on “Lovers Go Home!” in Montreal earlier this year. The multinational co-production, which includes Durán’s Rhayuela, El Sol Ermitaño (Colombia), Dublin Films (France), Potenza Producciones (Spain) and Camera Oscura (Canada), was filmed in the Colombian cities of Medellín and Santa Marta in November and December of last year.