Born in Reus (Catalonia, Spain), Maria Martínez Bayona is a Catalan/Spanish writer and director based in London. She moved to the UK in 2014 to study the MA in Directing Fiction at the National Film and TV School with the support of a “La Caixa” Scholarship.
Her graduation film MIA premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, was long-listed for the BIFA Best British Short and won three awards at the RTS Student Awards among other awards.
Her short WAKE was commissioned by Film4, released on Channel 4, and selected at festivals like the Encounters Film Festival and the LSFF.
Also commissioned by Film4, her last short SUCH SMALL HANDS is an adaptation of a novella by Spanish award-winning writer Andrés Barba. The short won Best Short and the Audience Award at the Strasbourg Fantastic Film Festival; Best Director in the Fantastic Fest "Short Fuse" strand; and Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Thriller at the Aesthetica Film Festival.
Her debut feature, THE END OF IT, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2026. Starring Rebecca Hall, Gael Garcia Bernal, Noomi Rapace and Beanie Feldstein, the film is produced by BBC Film, The Mediapro Studio, Elation Pictures, Fasten Films and Eye Eye Pictures.
Represented by Kelly Knatchbull at Sayle Screen.
T: +44 (0)20 7823 3883
F: +44 (0)20 7823 3363
E: kelly@saylescreen.com