Draft:Demián Rugna

Demián Rugna (born September 13, 1979) is an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and editor of horror films.

Biography
Rugna was born in Haedo, Buenos Aires Province. From an early age, he made his own comic books that recreated his favorite movies. This led him, years later, to study comic illustration under Horacio Lalia, from whom he learned visual storytelling. In 2003, he graduated from Universidad de Morón with a degree in graphic design.

In 2005, after making several short films in the horror genre, he wrote the original screenplay for the film Death Knows Your Name. In 2007 he directed his first feature film, based on one of his short films named The Last Gateway. In 2008 he wrote the original screenplay They Want My Eyes.

His second feature film as a director was Cursed Bastards, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Fabián Forte. It was released nationwide in Argentina in 2013. Between 2016 and 2017, two of his films were released: You Don't Know Who You're Talking To and Terrified. Terrified was a commercial success and considered one of the best Argentine horror films in recent years. Although already a commercial success based on its performance in Argentine theaters, its release on the streaming service Netflix additionally had large viewership numbers.

In 2022 Rugna filmed his next feature film, When Evil Lurks, while participating in the project Satanic Hispanics, an anthology of horror stories from Latin American directors, with his story I Also Saw It. When Evil Lurks had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in the "Midnight Madness" section.

Filmography

 * The Last Gateway (2007)
 * Cursed Bastards (2011): segments Cafeomancia and El curandero
 * You Don't Know Who You're Talking To (2016)
 * Terrified (2017)
 * Satanic Hispanics (2022): segment I Also Saw It
 * When Evil Lurks (2023)

Awards and recognition

 * Best Feature Film at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival in the Oficial Fantàstic Competition section for When Evil Lurks.