Juan Urgell is a Venezuelan-Mexican writer, director and producer based in Mexico City. He discovered his filmmaking passion after finishing his Economics degree at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Juan is the director and producer of three independent short documentaries, Lok’tavanej, A Hunter of Images (2017), A Poet in the Dark (2021) and Bleeding Gold (2022), which have premiered in international film festivals across the United States, Wales, Spain, India, Uruguay, Panama, Mexico and Venezuela. Embarking in the industry as a self-taught documentary filmmaker, Juan is now evolving his career as a screenwriter and narrative film director, bringing his unique vision to the world of fiction. Juan is currently writing his first feature film, Ak’majel, with the support of a grant from Mexico’s National Fund for the Arts and Culture. He is also in production of two narrative short films, to be shot in Mexico City in 2024.

Ak’majel (Fighter) — Cristian, an indigenous young man from Chiapas, dreams of becoming a professional mixed martial arts fighter. As he struggles with poverty and an undiagnosed mental disorder, he meets Andrés, a foreign filmmaker eager to document his story. While the documentary takes shape, Cristian finds himself questioning his own identity as the film blurs the lines between reality and fiction.