‘IT’S HARder to make people laugh than to make them Cry’

Maria Ripoll

‘IT’S HARder to make people laugh than make them Cry’

Maria Ripoll
about

Maria

Maria Ripoll is an award-winning Spanish film director with an international background. She is currently the highest-grossing female film director in Spanish history, with over a dozen feature films to her name.

A graduate of the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles, her short film Kill Me Later won First Prize at the Oberhausen Film Festival and the Panavision Grant at the Houston Film Festival. She made her feature debut with Twice Upon a Yesterday (If Only), starring Lena Headey, Douglas Henshall, and Penélope Cruz. The film won Best Screenplay at the Montreal Film Festival, the Audience Award at Sitges and the Seattle Women’s Film Festival, and earned her a Goya nomination for Best New Director.

She then directed Tortilla Soup in Los Angeles, produced by Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and starring Héctor Elizondo, Jacqueline Obradors, Raquel Welch, and Elizabeth Peña. The film challenged Latin American stereotypes and received nine ALMA Award nominations. She followed with the New York-shot documentary Witness for Canal Plus.

Back in Spain, she directed the thriller Utopia, which was well received by critics and audiences, and Your Life in 65’, based on a play by Albert Espinosa. The latter screened at numerous festivals including the AFI Fest and Stockholm International Film Festival. For Spanish TV, she directed Fame, Everything for a Dream (TVE) and also produced and directed Chromosome 5, a documentary for TVE that won multiple awards internationally.

In 2014, she directed Traces of Sandalwood, shot in Mumbai and Barcelona, which won the 2014 Gaudí Award for Best Film and the Audience Award at both the Montreal and Cinequest Festivals.

Her 2015 romantic comedy Ahora o Nunca (Now or Never), starring Dani Rovira and María Valverde, was a box-office hit and cemented her as the highest-grossing female director in Spain. In 2016, she directed No Culpes Al Karma Por Lo Que Te Pasa Por Gilipollas (Don’t Blame Your Karma For Being An Idiot), based on Laura Norton’s novel. Both films were selected for the Miami International Film Festival.

In 2019, Ripoll co-authored her first novel with Elisenda Roca, Two Naked Women, published by Suma and loosely inspired by real events. That same year, she directed Vivir dos Veces (Live Twice, Love Once), starring Oscar Martínez and Inma Cuesta. The film won six Valencian Academy Awards and became a viewer favorite on Netflix.

In 2021, she released her tenth feature, Guerra de Likes (Likes War), a Sony Pictures International comedy shot in Mexico City and released on Amazon Prime. In 2022, she directed A Private Affair, starring Jean Reno and Aura Garrido, for Prime Video and produced by Bambú Producciones. That same year, she premiered We Won’t Kill Each Other with Guns at the Málaga Film Festival.

In 2023, she launched The Love Collection with Sony Pictures and El Estudio, a romantic comedy label by female creators. She directed the first film, I’m Not Her (Yo no soy esa), starring Verónica Echegui, which premiered in October 2024 and reached #1 on Amazon Prime.

In 2024, she directed This Too Shall Pass (Esto también pasará), based on Milena Busquets’ novel, premiering at the Málaga Festival and in theaters in May 2025.

In 2025, Ripoll filmed a new comedy starring Javier Rey, María Hervás, Loreto Mauleón, and Macarena Gómez, currently in post-production. She is also developing a series as showrunner.

film

AWARDS

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Filmography

2025- feature

This too will pass

2025- feature

This too will pass

ORIGINAL TITLE
Tambien esto pasará

CAST
Marina Salas, Sara Espígul, Andrea Trepat

2024- feature

Yo no soy esa

2024- feature

Yo no soy esa

ORIGINAL TITLE
Yo no soy es

CAST
Verónica Echegui, Silma López, Adam Jezierski

2022- limited series

A PRIVATE AFFAIR

2022- limited series

A PRIVATE AFFAIR

ORIGINAL TITLE
Un Asunto Privado

CAST
Aura Garrido, Jean Reno, Gorka Otxoa, Alex Garcia

2021- feature

Guerra de likes

2021- feature

guerra de likes

ORIGINAL TITLE
Guerra De Likes

CAST
Regina Blandón, Ludwika Paleta, José Sefami

AWARDS
coming soon 

2019- feature

Live Twice, Love Once

2019- feature

Live Twice, Love Once

ORIGINAL TITLE
Vivir Dos Veces

CAST
Oscar Martínez, Inma Cuesta, Mafalda Carbonell

AWARDS
Premios del Audiovisual Valenciano 2020: Best Original Score, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Fiction Feature. Premios Forqué : Premio al Cine y Educación en valores

2016 - feature

Don't Blame your Karma

2016 - feature

Don't Blame your Karma

ORIGINAL TITLE
No Culpes Al Karma De Lo Que Te Pasa Por Gilipollas

CAST
Verónica Echegui, Alex García, Alba Galocha, David Verdaguer, Jordi Sanchez, Elvira Minguez

AWARDS
Nominee best film Miami film festival, Best Costume design, Goya Awards.  Official Selection – Miami International Film Festival (HBO Ibero American Competition category)

2015 - feature

IT's NOW OR NEVER

2015 - feature

IT's NOW OR NEVER

ORIGINAL TITLE
Ahora o Nunca

CAST
Dani Rovira, María Valverde, Jordi Sánchez, Clara Lago

FESTIVALS
Toronto Film Festival Canada, Miami Film Festival USA, Montreal Film Festival, Canada. Neox Fan Awards 2015 – Finalista en la categoría «La Peli del Año»

2014 - feature

Traces of Sandalwood

2014 - feature

Traces of Sandalwood

ORIGINAL TITLE
Rastres de Sàndal

CAST
Nandita Das, Aina Clotet, Vaibhavi Hankare

AWARDS
Toronto Film Festival Canada, Miami Film Festival USA, Montreal Film Festival, Canada

Best Film Gaudi Awards, Best Film Audience Award, Montreal Film Festival, Nominee for Best Soundtrack & Screenplay, Goya Awards

2013 - documentary

Chromosome 5

2013 - documentary

Chromosome 5

ORIGINAL TITLE
Cromosoma Cinco

CAST
Raül Tortosa (doctor’s voice)

AWARDS & FESTIVALS
Selected for Marfici Festival, Argentina & Malaga Film Festival, Spain. Winner Best Film in Bosifest Belgrade.

2009 - documentary series

50 years of fame

2009 - documentary series

50 years of fame

ORIGINAL TITLE
Fama, Todo Por Un Sueño

TV DOCUMENTARY SERIES
1 Episode, 2009 para TV1

CAST
Carmen Balagué, Carme Elias, Joan Pera

 

2006 - feature

Your life in 65 Minutes

2006 - feature

Your life in 65 Minutes

ORIGINAL TITLE
Tu Vida En 65 Minutos

CAST
Javier Pereira, Tamara Arias, Marc Rodriguez, Oriol Vila, Nuria Gago, Irene Montala

AWARDS
Best Screenplay, Barcelona Film Awards, Nominee for Best Director & Best Score, Nominee best Catalan film, Butaca Awards

2003 - feature

Utopía

2003 - feature

Utopía

ORIGINAL TITLE
Utopía

CAST
Leonardo Sbaraglia, Najwa Nimri, Tchéky Karyo

MUSIC
Najwa Nimri

2002 - documentary

Witness

2002 - documentary

Witness

ORIGINAL TITLE
Witness

TV DOCUMENTARY
Shot in New York for Canal +

 

2001 - feature

Tortilla Soup

2001 - feature

Tortilla Soup

ORIGINAL TITLE
Tortilla Soup

CAST
Elizabeth Pena, Hector Elizondo, Jacqueline Orbradors,
Tamara Mello, Raquel Welch

Awards& Festivals
Winner ALMA Award, Nominee Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Director & Actor/ Actress. Winner Best Theatrical Feature Film Imagen Award

1999 - feature

Twice upon a yesterday

1999 - feature

Twice upon a yesterday

ORIGINAL TITLE
Lluvia En Los Zapatos

ALTERNATIVE TITLE
The Man with Rain in His Shoes

CAST
Lena Headey, Douglas Henshall, Penélope Cruz

FESTIVALS & AWARDS
Nominee for Best New Director Goya, Best Film Sitges Film Festival, Audience Award – Film Festival Seatle, Best Screenplay – Montreal Film Festival, Nominee Best Film – Bogotá Film Festival