Thaelman Urgelles

Thaelman Urgelles is a Venezuelan filmmaker. Born in Barquisimeto, he began studying psychology, art, and social communication in 1965. He then worked as a journalist covering sports and current affairs. Beginning in 1973, he became involved in a theater project that eventually led him to cinema—starting with small productions in Super 8 and 16 mm, as well as educational and political documentaries and narrative short films.

His first feature film was part of the prolific cinematic movement that made Venezuela the third-largest producer of feature films in Latin America at the time. Co-directed with Carlos Rebolledo in 1977, Alias (El rey del Joropo) was based on Edmundo Aray's Los cuentos de Alfredo Alvarado. The film explores the life of a famous Venezuelan dancer and criminal, told through the format of a television program that recounts his gruesome adventures while also revealing the contradictions of the television medium itself.