
New Board of the Colombian Academy of Motion Pictures
Pantalla Colombia No.: 140june 01 - july 15 / 2025
Actress Cristina Umaña takes on the presidency, joined by producer Paola Pérez Nieto and costume designer Catherine Rodríguez as first and second vice presidents. Alongside them, the newly elected representatives of the 14 specialties complete the new board of directors.

For a two-year term, the Colombian Academy of Motion Pictures will be led by a new board of directors. For the first time, the three top positions—presidency, first vice presidency, and second vice presidency—are held by women with outstanding careers in the industry. They were elected through a closed-list voting system: actress Cristina Umaña, producer Paola Pérez Nieto, and costume designer Catherine Rodríguez.
Cristina Umaña has built a distinguished acting career across television, film, digital platforms, and theater. She began on the small screen with telenovelas such as Yo amo a Paquita Gallego (I Love Paquita Gallego), in a role that became one of her most memorable and iconic, and La dama de Troya (The Lady of Troy), where she played Patricia Cruz, among many others. Her body of work also includes several productions for various streaming platforms. On the big screen, she has appeared in Los iniciados: el diario de las sombras (The Initiated: Written From the Shadows) by Carlos Moreno and Lecciones para un beso (Lessons for a Kiss) by Juan Pablo Bustamante, to name just a few.
"A feminine approach to filmmaking is a reflection of the transformation taking place within society—one in which women have greater space for decision-making and action, while also raising our voices to express our perspective in more universal stories. These stories reflect the diversity that lives within social change and within the power of art—cinema, in our case—to make that change visible,” said Umaña as the newly appointed president of the Colombian Academy of Motion Pictures.
Paola Pérez Nieto, who now takes on the role of first vice president, is a film producer with nearly 20 years of experience and founder of the production company Inercia Películas. Her work has stood out in films such as La tierra y la sombra (Land and Shade) and Horizonte (Horizon), both directed by César Acevedo; Los iniciados – Diario de las sombras (The Initiated: Written From the Shadows) by Carlos Moreno; Mi bestia (My Beast) by Camila Beltrán; Memoria by Apichatpong Weerasethakul; and Los iniciados (The Initiated) by Juan Felipe Orozco, among many others.
Catherine Rodríguez has been appointed second vice president. A costume designer and filmmaker for both film and television, she has worked on series such as Cien años de soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude) for Netflix; served as costume assistant on international productions including La ciudad perdida de Z (The Lost City of Z) by James Gray and Loving Pablo by Fernando León de Aranoa; and contributed to Colombian projects like García by José Luis Rugeles and Sin palabras (Speechless), directed by Ana Sofía Osorio and Diego Bustamante. She made her debut as a costume designer on Mateo by María Gamboa Jaramillo, El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent) by Ciro Guerra, and Pájaros de verano (Birds of Passage) by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra.
Among the newly appointed specialty representatives are both fresh voices and returning members who continue to contribute their experience. The work of this group builds on an ongoing effort to strengthen coordination across different areas of the industry, raise the profile of the Macondo Awards, advance professional training, and establish regional alliances that broaden the visibility of Colombian cinema. Diego Guzmán (La otra forma - The Other Way) will represent Animation; Jorge Forero (Matrioshka) Directing; Sofía Guzmán (Memento mori) Art Direction; Nicolás Ordóñez (La defensa del dragón - The Dragon Defense) Cinematography; Diana Zuleta (La sargento Matacho - Sargeant Matacho) Production Management; Julian Mauricio Grijalba Restrepo (El olvido que seremos - Forgotten we'll be) Costume Design; Carlos Eduardo Henao (Sumas y restas - Addictions and Subtractions) Screenwriting; Diana Wiswell (Celia) Performance; Lili Bonil (De rolling por Colombia - On the Roll through Colombia) Makeup Design; Esteban Eduardo Muñoz Bolaños (Güelcom tu Colombia - Welcome to Colombia) Editing; María Linares (Matrioshka) Original Music; Natalia Agudelo Campillo (Póker) Production; Daniel Vásquez Vélez (Positivo negativo - Positive negative) Sound; and Sergio Rincón (Oppenheimer) Visual Effects.
Looking ahead, the new board faces several key challenges. These include strengthening communication with other Ibero-American film academies, promoting training programs for industry professionals on topics such as best practices, professional ethics, well-being, and workplace culture, and organizing academic events focused on film production. In addition to a female-led leadership team, women also hold a strong presence among the specialty representatives.
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