Biography
Rigoberto Castañeda was born in Mexico City and studied at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, the city's film school. He directed several student short films, notably "Necrophilia" and "Sin Sentido," which garnered international acclaim at film festivals. His passion has always been to create horror films, alongside science fiction and fantasy, his favorite genres.
He wrote his first feature film inspired by the popular Mexican legend, "La Llorona." It was quickly optioned by the Mexican mini-studio Lemon Films. In 2007, he directed the horror movie "Kilometer 31" (Km 31), based on his own script, starring Iliana Fox ("Señor Ávila"), Raúl Méndez ("El Señor de los Cielos," "Narcos"), and Spanish actor Adriá Collado ("Aquí no hay Quién Viva," "Lo que se Avecina"). The film became the highest-grossing movie in Mexico that year and remains the top-grossing Mexican horror film to date. It also dominated the Mexican Academy Awards with six nominations and five wins.
Building on this success, Castañeda directed the Hitchcockian psychological thriller "Blackout," released in 2008. This independent film premiered in Mexico, the UK, and other European countries, featuring international stars like Amber Tamblyn ("The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," "Two and a Half Men," "House"), Armie Hammer ("Call Me by Your Name," "The Social Network," "Death on the Nile"), and Aidan Gillen ("Game of Thrones," "Peaky Blinders," "Bohemian Rhapsody").
During this period, he created, directed, wrote, and produced "M13DOS," an anthology horror series for Televisa that aired in prime time on the Mexican national channel XHGC. This series stands out as one of the few horror-themed productions ever made for Mexican television.
In 2010, he made his debut as a producer with the adaptation of Mexican author Juan José Rodríguez’s bestselling book "Murder in a Chinese Laundry," which was released in 2012 under the title "Reincarnation."
Rigoberto has also directed numerous TV series across various genres, gaining extensive experience. He led "Terminales" for Televisa, a successful drama about a group of extraordinary terminally ill patients who become friends and support one another. Starring Ana Claudia Talancón ("El Crimen del Padre Amaro," "Arráncame la Vida") and Poncho Herrera ("La Reina del Sur," "Sense8," "The Exorcist"), the series was so successful that a U.S. remake was commissioned.
Another series he directed was "Paramedics," an action-drama for Channel 11 focusing on intense real-life cases of paramedics working at the Mexican Red Cross. The cast included Irene Azuela ("Hotel de los Secretos," "Monarca") and other versatile actors.
For Disney, Rigoberto directed a dramatic biographical series about the famous Mexican singer Juan Gabriel. "Hasta que te Conocí," starring Julián Román ("Historia de un Crimen"), was a huge success across Latin America and among Latin audiences in the United States, earning a nomination for the 45th International Emmy Awards.
Following the success of "Km31," he wrote and directed its sequel, "Km31-2," also based on the La Llorona legend, released in 2016. Featuring Carlos Aragón ("Señor Ávila," "Cantinflas"), the film received multiple nominations for technical achievements at the Mexican Academy Awards.
Rigoberto directed the Netflix original series "Diablero," a fresh horror-comedy about demon hunters based on Francisco Haghenbeck’s book. Starring Horacio García Rojas ("La Carga," "Narcos") and Christopher Von Uckermann ("Rebelde," "Kdabra"), the series was well-received in Mexico and gained even greater popularity with Latin audiences in the United States.
Recently, Rigoberto directed and adapted "Sin Origen" (Unsourced), a vampire story set in Mexico, and produced "Karem's Diary," a possession/exorcism film inspired by real events; both are slated for release in 2020. He also directed all eight episodes of an Amazon zombie-themed series, currently titled "Narcos Vs. Zombies," which has generated significant global anticipation and is also scheduled to premiere in 2020.
