Alexandra Cardona Restrepo: Writing and Fighting for Authors' Rights in Colombia

Alexandra Cardona Restrepo is a is an audiovisual and literary writer, director and producer and the current president of REDES, the Colombian Network of Audiovisual Writers. From this position, she has been a central figure in the fight for the rights of audiovisual authors in her country. By Ulises Rodriguez

By Ulises Rodriguez

“Being a screenwriter is essentially a collective job. Even when you write alone, stories don’t come to life without dialogue with others. Maybe that’s why, for a long time, I felt my place was also in building community among authors,” Alexandra Cardona Restrepo tells AV Creators News.

She is widely recognized for a career committed to human rights and the historical memory of her country. Through her production company, Karamelo Producciones Ltda, she has addressed sensitive topics related to the Colombian conflict in documentaries such as Escuela y desplazamiento (2002), ¡La vida Vive! (2007), Los derechos humanos, el punto de entrada: El Corazón (2004), and Tiempo de la verdad (2007), which aired on all public television networks and focused on the victims of the Justice and Peace Law.

Her feature-length documentary Retratos de familia (2010–2013), centered on the tragedy of the so-called “false positives” and the struggle of the Madres de Soacha, has had both national and international impact. She has also directed pieces on reconciliation processes in rural and underserved communities with the Fundación Nacional Batuta, and co-created the television program Las Kosas por su nombre, where media criticism is delivered through humor. Confesión a Laura (1992), of which she is the screenwriter and producer, directed by Jaime Osorio, has won multiple international and national awards, while also being considered a cult film in Colombia.

This creative journey found a new path with the founding of REDES in 2016, a space born out of the urgent need for representation for screenwriters and directors, historically excluded from the right to public communication of their works.

The “Pepe Sánchez Law”: A Historic Victory

“At that moment, we came together to defend something very basic: that we be recognized as authors. It seemed obvious, but it wasn’t. In practice, we had no right to any compensation for the exhibition or broadcasting of our work,” Cardona Restrepo recalls.

The struggle took legal and political shape in what is now known as the Pepe Sánchez Law (Law 1835 of 2017), a landmark regulation for audiovisual authorship in Colombia. Its approval was far from immediate: it required legislative debate, union mobilization, alliances with collective management organizations, and, above all, sustained conviction.

“Being actively involved in that process was one of the most transformative moments of my professional life. It was a lesson in citizenship: we learned that rights are won through organized action, not by waiting for the industry to grant them out of goodwill,” she affirms.

REDES: An Organization That Unites and Empowers

REDES, made up of authors from all generations and regions of Colombia, played a key role in raising public awareness, highlighting the role of screenwriters, and forging consensus that had previously seemed impossible. “The power of an organization like REDES is that it brings together diversity and we work on the collective management with a humanistic vision. There are writers of series, feature films, short films, public and private television, from the Caribbean and the Andes. That plurality gave us the legitimacy to demand a law that belongs to everyone,” the president explains.

Since the implementation of the law and the beginning of royalty collection for public communication of works—managed by DASC (Directores Audiovisuales Sociedad Colombiana)—the transformation has been tangible. “It’s not just about the income, which in many cases is a vital lifeline. It’s also about a symbolic change: we are no longer invisible. Today, those who write have a place in the audiovisual value chain,” Cardona Restrepo emphasizes.

But the work didn’t end with the law’s enactment. REDES has driven forward new agendas: training programs, international participation, defense of screenwriters’ labor rights, ethical debates on artificial intelligence, and actions to raise the visibility of women authors in a field still marked by gender inequality.

Board of REDES

A.I.: Between Threat and Urgent Debate

One of the issues currently at the forefront for the organization is the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the profession. “We’re facing a major challenge. AI raises deep questions about authorship, originality, and the value of creative work. At REDES, we’ve opened up spaces for discussion on these issues because we believe you can’t legislate or negotiate what you don’t fully understand,” she says.

According to the screenwriter, it is crucial for governments and tech platforms to recognize that automated tools cannot replace the human experience of storytelling, and that any implementation must include protections for authors’ rights.

Regarding the general state of the sector, Cardona Restrepo acknowledges progress, but also ongoing structural problems. “There’s a growing supply of content, but working conditions are often precarious. It’s essential to establish ethical minimums for contracts, guarantee real writing time, and promote diversity of voices. We can’t be writing stories for millions and still be unable to pay the rent,” she states firmly.

The president of REDES believes that strengthening the role of the author in the industry is not just a labor demand, but a commitment to content quality. “When the screenwriter has decent working conditions, time for development, and a place in creative decisions, stories become richer. The audience benefits too. It's a virtuous circle.”

Board of REDES and technical team

International networks: building strength from Latin America

In addition to her work in Colombia, Alexandra Cardona Restrepo is an active member of international organizations such as AVACI (International Confederation of Audiovisual Authors) and FESAAL (Federation of Societies of Latin American Audiovisual Authors)—platforms that have been essential in linking local struggles to global processes. “These forums allow us to learn from other experiences, share tools, and apply joint pressure on platforms and lawmakers. In Latin America, we need transnational alliances because many of our challenges are shared,” she says.

Looking ahead, Cardona Restrepo emphasizes the importance of strengthening guild structures: “None of the progress we've made would have been possible without collective organization. Today, younger writers work knowing there’s a space that supports them, that they’re not alone.”

To those just starting out in screenwriting in Colombia, she offers a clear message: “This is a beautiful craft, but also a very demanding one. Don’t be seduced by the myth of the solitary genius. The best stories are written in community. And for us, that community is called REDES.”