Thaelman Urgelles
Producer · Born November 16, 1948 (77) · Barquisimeto, Venezuela
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. Urgelles went on to become one of Venezuela's most successful and acclaimed directors. He produced and directed La venganza o ¡Qué bellas son las flores! (1978), a satire of the deep social inequalities in Venezuelan society. He also directed La boda (The Wedding), considered by many to be one of the greatest Venezuelan films of all time. The film revolves around a wedding in which the guests form a microcosmic representation of the nation—its past, present, and future—bringing together different social classes and tracing thirty years of Venezuelan history, including the country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy between 1950 and 1980. His subsequent productions, El atentado (1984) and La generación Halley (1986), which he wrote and directed, were films aimed at reaching a larger audience. During this period, he also produced Casa tomada (1985) and Pacto de sangre (1988), both directed by his wife Malena Roncayolo. Between 1987 and 1990, he produced several documentaries and directed two television miniseries. Urgelles was a key figure in the institutionalization of Venezuelan cinema beginning in 1976. He served as president of the National Association of Film Authors (Asociación Nacional de Autores Cinematográficos, ANAC), among other roles. In 2000, he adapted Edilio Peña’s 1975 play Los pájaros se van con la muerte (The Birds Leave with Death) for the big screen.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 16, 1948 (77)
- Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- Producer
- 4 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
What are Thaelman Urgelles' films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Thaelman Urgelles' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Thaelman Urgelles' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.
Filmography
17 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.
Julia tiene Sugar(2024)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Amor en el aire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
One Way(2022)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Un Cupido sin Puntería (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Bleeding Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
The Special(2020)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Following You(2019)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Los pájaros se van con la muerte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Hounded on a Carnival Monday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Los Platos del Diablo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Pacto de sangre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
La generación Halley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
El atentado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Lily (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
The Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
(Alias) El Rey del Joropo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Los muertos sí salen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Career shape
A full career of 15 titles from 1976 to 2023.
How do Thaelman Urgelles' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 41st percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 39th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 4 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive1
- Mixed2
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Thaelman Urgelles work with?
People who share at least 2 of Thaelman Urgelles' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Luis Villanueva shares the most, 4.
Producers
- Luis VillanuevaShared titles: Julia tiene Sugar (2024), One Way (2022), The Special (2020), Following You (2019)See all 4 shared titles with Luis Villanueva
- Ivanna Victoria VillanuevaShared titles: Julia tiene Sugar (2024), One Way (2022), The Special (2020)See all 3 shared titles with Ivanna Victoria Villanueva
- José Antonio VarelaShared titles: Julia tiene Sugar (2024), The Special (2020)See all 2 shared titles with José Antonio Varela