Irene Muñoz Martín is a Spanish film producer based in Geneva, focusing on socially and politically-oriented documentaries. She specialized in Fine Arts and later obtained a bachelor's in cinema. In 2022, she co-founded Autre Terre film production. Her first documentary production, Para no olvidar premiered at Visions du Réel 2023 and was released in Swiss cinemas. Currently, she is producing two documentaries, Valeria Mazzucchi's Subterranea and Sarah Imsand's Kevine and Fortune. Irene was part of EURODOC (local) and Rotterdam Lab. An interview with her, now selected for the 2025 Emerging Producers programme (read her EP profile here).

Why do you produce documentaries?
Irene Muñoz Martín: I’ve always had a deep fascination with real stories – the lives of the people around us and also those we don’t know. I’m passionate about discovering how people lived in the past, and thanks to photographs, writings, videos, art, and cinema, we can connect with those lives today. Producing documentaries, for me, is an act of commitment to reality, even though my favorite films since childhood have been fiction. But I believe that even in fictional films, there has always been a significant part of reality and truth, the kind I love in documentaries.

I’m drawn to exploring stories that lie on the margins of society, those that aren’t always heard or understood. Through documentaries, we can peel back layers of human experience that often remain invisible, offering us a deeper understanding of what it means to live in this world, even if we can never fully grasp it. From my perspective, becoming a bit more aware of what it means to exist in this world makes us a little more human.

Do you see documentary cinema as an instrument of social and political change?
Yes, I definitely see documentary cinema as a tool for social and political change. However, for me, cinema doesn’t change the world directly; it influences the small sensitivities and emotions it stirs in the viewer. Those emotions can foster empathy, and empathy is the first step toward any real transformation.

If a documentary addressing social issues doesn’t provoke reflection, challenge power structures, or expose injustices and inequalities, it means that somewhere along the way, we’ve failed—we haven’t been able to effectively convey the message.

How do you achieve and maintain work-life balance and foster overall well-being?
Balancing work and personal life is challenging and fluctuates for me. As a producer, I often feel like a firefighter, constantly putting out last-minute problems. My workload is relentless, and I rarely have time to reflect on what I've learned or experienced until the pace slows. Exercise helps counteract the sedentary nature of my job, but the lack of fixed schedules can make it hard to avoid working late or on weekends. To maintain balance, I've learned to set boundaries and create my own schedule, which helps me preserve my social life and stay connected to who I am outside of work.

Where do you find audiences for your films?
I reach audiences for my films through film festivals, local screenings, and digital platforms. Festivals help connect with passionate, specialized audiences and industry professionals, while local cinemas and cultural spaces allow for more targeted connections. Social media and collaborations with organizations and educational institutions also play a crucial role in expanding the film’s reach, with the ultimate goal of finding an audience that resonates with the story.

What projects do you have underway (including fiction films and other projects)?
I have two ongoing projects at this moment.

The first, Fortune and Kevine, is a feature-length documentary filmed between Cameroon and France, following the lives of two young first-division female football players in Yaoundé. Their dream is to become professional athletes, but they face numerous obstacles, both familial and societal, that hinder their path and deny them the support they need. It’s an inspiring film about friendship and sisterhood, highlighting the struggle of women to gain recognition in both social and professional spheres. The project is currently in the editing phase, with a release planned for 2025.

The second is a short fiction film that explores family dynamics, focusing on single-parent structures. The story follows a young girl who, while spending the afternoon under the care of a babysitter on a cold winter day, anxiously waits by the window for her father’s arrival – who never shows up. The film subtly and poignantly addresses the impact of paternal absence during childhood while paying tribute to single mothers and the immense emotional and practical burden they carry in raising their children alone. The film will be shot at the end of February 2025, with a release planned for the end of 2025.

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EMERGING PRODUCERS is a leading promotional and educational project, which brings together talented European documentary film producers. The programme is organised and curated by the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.

Deadline for applications to the EMERGING PRODUCERS 2026 edition is 31 March 2025.