Ralfy Studios, an independent film studio established in 2016, is dedicated to producing authentic, bold narratives focusing on women-centered stories. Known for our distinctive doll stop-motion style, we bring dramatic, dark, yet significant stories to life. Our mission is to tell unusual stories in a deeply entertaining way.
Katrina Villarreal is a Mexican-American stop-motion animator and filmmaker based in Austin, Texas.
She has directed and written 18 short films exploring themes of beauty, identity, and the female body, where her artistry is deeply intertwined with her Latinx heritage and personal experiences growing up in El Paso, along the border of Mexico. She founded Ralfy Studios in 2016 and led her creative team to produce six notable animated short films. Her films have been showcased and celebrated at international film festivals, garnering awards from the New York Film Awards and Cayenne Short Film Festival, and a nomination for the National Board of Review (NBR) Grant.
Katrina earned her bachelor's degree in Film and Television from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2023 and was honored with the TSOA Animation Family Grant. Her filmmaking journey, which has included working for acclaimed independent animator Bill Plympton, and experimental filmmaker Jeff Scher, has significantly honed her directing skills to tell stories about human existence as the advent of artificial intelligence takes shape in our society. Recently, Katrina was selected by Women in Animation (WIA), to participate in a mentorship program with world-renowned animation film producer Manuel Cristóbal (The Glassworker, Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles) to bring her animated dystopian sci-fi drama “Perfect Life,” about a mother being turned into a robot by her husband to the screen. As Katrina continues to develop her film projects, she is excited to focus her lens on stories about empowering Latinx women through animation.
