Eugenia Ratcliffe, born in Argentina, is a film director, screenwriter, and creative writer. She gained recognition for her novel Japen, winner of the Latin American First Novel Prize. She currently works as a screenwriter for television and film, advises on various projects, and recently launched the series Animals in Danger of Extinction, starring Natalia Oreiro.
Ratcliffe studied Film Directing at FUC (Universidad del Cine) and later completed the Master’s Program in Creative Screenwriting at EICTV (Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV). Thanks to her strong academic and professional background, she has been teaching at FUC since 2018 and has written articles for several publications.
Japen, the novel that marked a turning point
The protagonist of Japen is Ruge, a fictional character who, after a breakup, explores dating and discovers her sexuality. Ratcliffe has said she wanted to portray a female character’s sexuality as she or her friends might live it, criticizing the societal prejudices and “hypocrisy” surrounding women’s roles and desires.
The dating app becomes a key device in the novel, allowing characters to create their own image. Ratcliffe has mentioned that she initially wrote the book without the intention of publishing it, which allowed her to avoid self-censorship and stay true to the narrator’s voice. Experiences and stories from her friends helped shape the final version. After winning the Latin American Prize in Mexico, the novel was published there and in Argentina. Ratcliffe has also written for Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, and Flow, and played a leading writing role in the Disney+ series Entre Paredes.
Animals in Danger of Extinction, Ratcliffe’s project with Greenpeace
Released in November 2025 through Flow’s On Demand service, the series consists of six episodes in which a group of influencers travels across Latin America to highlight the crisis faced by endangered species, largely driven by climate change. The project was created by Ratcliffe, with Natalia Oreiro as the main host and three actors portraying the influencers. Ratcliffe shaped the series through her script and creative direction.
Her screenwriting has earned her multiple grants from institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Talents Buenos Aires, Berlinale Talents, Nuevas Miradas (Cuba), among others. She has advised various directors and directed several short films.
Literature, cinema, and beyond
In interviews, Ratcliffe has said that her passion for literature began in childhood. After finishing high school, she found in cinema a way to keep writing. Today, as a specialist in screenwriting and creative storytelling, she participates in numerous film and TV projects and considers screenwriting her main focus.
Committed to gender equality and stronger female representation in audiovisual media, she has expressed feeling empowered by the support of women and has noted positive changes in Argentina and Latin America. Her artistic vision is summed up in her reflection that cinema influences her writing, while literature shapes the way she experiences cinema.
Since completing her master’s degree in screenwriting, she has worked continuously—also teaching at FUC, where she studied and graduated. Ratcliffe continues to develop projects ranging from Japen to Animals in Danger of Extinction, the docuseries created with Natalia Oreiro and Greenpeace to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on wildlife.
