“We grow with every project, we keep exploring cinema”: producer María Zamora on CineMart selection and Carla Simón’s Romería.
Spanish producer María Zamora returns to CineMart this year following her 2022 selection with Carla Simón’s Romería, now presenting Adarna by Lois Patiño. She spoke to us about a career defined by long-term creative partnerships and a commitment to singular voices.
Among her most significant collaborations is her creative alliance with Carla Simón. The two first met through a mentoring programme that led to their first co-production, an encounter that would evolve into one of the most celebrated creative trajectories in recent Spanish cinema. Zamora reflects on that shared journey as a process of growth: “For both of us, every small step we take together feels like moving forward.”
From their first trip to Berlinale with Estiu 1993 (2017) to Romería’s world premiere in the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival in 2025, with a Golden Bear win for Alcarràs (2022) in between, their collaboration has been marked by a rare consistency of artistic ambition and international recognition. “The feeling with Carla, always shared, is that we grow with every project. We’re in this for that reason: to keep learning from cinema.”
What she values most in working with Simón is that while she remains faithful to her intimate, naturalistic approach, she continually seeks new expressive terrain. Romería, Zamora explains, remains deeply rooted in Simón’s cinematic universe, “a cinema that is close to reality, and stays grounded” but also ventures into a more poetic and imagined space than ever before. The film is an intimate autofictional exploration of identity and family, and marks a subtle yet meaningful expansion of Simón’s emotional and visual language.
Simón’s work is also defined by her extraordinary ability to direct children and non-professional actors, an approach that brings a striking authenticity to her films. In Romería, performers such as Llucia Garcia and Mitch Robles embody this sensibility, creating characters whose emotional truth resonates deeply with audiences. For Zamora, this constant willingness to take risks is what matters most: “What is important is where the film can make you fly to.”
Beyond her collaboration with Simón, Zamora’s through her production company Elástica Films has supported stories that “tell truths”, often through deeply personal, female-driven narratives. Filmmakers such as Mar Coll, Elena Martín, and Paula Ortiz have found in Zamora a producer willing to support bold, intimate visions, earning recognition across festivals and awards, from the Goya Awards to Locarno. While she tells us she has had to learn to say no, Zamora sees this selectivity as a form of creative freedom, allowing her to fully commit to the projects she believes in.
One of those projects is Lois Patiño’s Adarna, selected for CineMart 2026. Following his recent experimental works such as Ariel (IFFR 2025), Patiño now embarks on his most narrative-driven film to date: a speculative exploration of the afterlife. For Zamora, the project’s openness was what made it resonate with her: “It doesn’t speak about certainty or fixed truths, but about possibilities.” She adds that what truly connects her to Patiño is that: “He believes there is a path toward understanding one another, toward understanding why we cling to life.”
Returning to CineMart for the second time, Zamora speaks of the platform as a turning point for Romería. “It gave us the momentum we needed so the film wouldn’t stay in a drawer,” she says. Reflecting on her experience and her “fond memories” of IFFR, she offers valuable advice to new participants: “Use your time in the best possible way in one-to-one’s. And IFFR also gives you the chance to meet incredibly interesting people in the film business. Make the most of it.”
-By Paula Estany Hachuel
