
Isabel Coixet
Directing
Born April 9, 1960 · Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, Spain
Also known as Isabel Coixet Castillo
Biography
Isabel Coixet Castillo (Catalan: [izəˈβɛl kuˈʃɛt]; born 9 April 1960; Sant Adrià del Besòs) is a Spanish filmmaker. She is one of the most prolific film directors of contemporary Spain, having directed twelve feature-length films since the beginning of her film career in 1988, in addition to documentary films, shorts, and commercials. Her films depart from the traditional national cinema of Spain, and help to “untangle films from their national context ... clearing the path for thinking about national film from different perspectives.” The recurring themes of “emotions, feelings, and existential conflict” coupled with her distinct visual style secure the “multifaceted (she directs, writes, produces, shoots, and acts)” filmmaker's status as a “Catalan auteur.”
Awards & recognition
- 100 most influential women in Catalonia · 2025
- European Film Academy Achievement in World Cinema Award · 2023
- Gaudí Award — Best Documentary · 2023
- Premio Nacional de Cinematografía · 2020
- Goya Award — Best Film · 2018
Show all 11 awards →
- Goya Award — Best Director · 2018
- Atlantida Prize · 2016
- Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts · 2009
- Saint George's Cross · 2006
- European Film Award — Best Film · 2003 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Director · 2003 · nominated
Filmography13 titles

Elisa & Marcela

The Secret Life of Words

Aida: The Movie

Paris, Je T'aime

The Bookshop

Elegy

Learning to Drive

My Life Without Me

Nobody's Watching

Dennis Hopper: Uneasy Rider

It Snows in Benidorm

Another Me

Kill Me Tender