For more than 25 years, until 2018, Maite Ruiz de Austri was the only woman in Spain to direct animated feature films. She has produced a long list of award-winning films, television programs, and series. In addition, she is a screenwriter and director of television series, documentaries of both animation and fiction.

She was one of the founding members of the Association of Women Filmmakers es (CIMA) that was created to "give a boost to the role of women in film, especially in jobs of responsibility. She is a member of the Academy of Sciences and Cinematographic Arts of Spain.