About me

BIO

Irene Cruz (Madrid 1987) is a Spanish cinematographer and photographer who currently resides in and works between Berlin and Madrid. She studied cinematography thanks to a scholarship (2013) at the EFTI school (where she also finished her masters on Fine Art Photography), and earned a double degree on Advertisement and Media Arts (UCM, 2011).

Irene has a highly poetic approach to photography, with a personal style that features meticulous lighting that adapts to all kinds of sequences.

As DOP she has participated in several feature films: the thriller “Diana” (Alejo Moreno, 101 min, 2018), “Proven Facts” (a feature documentary film and series of 3 episodes/60 min each, 2021). “Fraud” (Alejo Moreno TBD). Recently she has also worked with the renowned director and screenwriter Tirso Calero on “Mago” (2023, Mediterráneo Media).

Within the German cinema, she was the DOP of “Janine zieht aufs Land” (Fiction, Jan Eilhardt, Nordmedia 2024), “Bad Luck” (Jan Eilhardt, Kultur Brücke 2023) and “Nicht Fertig” (Hector Salgado, Tunnel Films, TBD).

In 2022 Irene has been one of the DOPs of “Planet Sex”, a six-part docu series starring Cara Delavigne (Jessica Chermayeff, Vicki Cooper, Ana Veselic, BBC, HULU).

On her commercial side, Irene has directed, worked as DOP, and as a photographer in numerous advertising campaigns for major brands such as DIOR, Levi’s, Pitillos, N26, DIM and Skintist, etc.

She has also created video art pieces, most notably her work for the Deutsche Oper (2014-17). In 2018 Irene was selected for the Malaga Film Festival Talents program.

In 2021, she was awarded as one of the 3 “Filmmakers of the Future” by Canon Europe EMEA pro, and she was serving as a brand ambassador for Canon, Lomography and MPB as a content creator. She actively collaborates with other brands such as Robisa, Peli Cases, Sony, Angelbird, Feelworld, and Hahnemühle. Irene works independently and is not exclusively tied to any production company.

In October 2023, Irene travels to Los Angeles to attend a practical course organized and led by DP Fernando Argüelles AEC, ASC, in collaboration with IATSE ltnx at the DMPC (Digital Media Production Center Studios) in Hollywood.

It included instruction from industry professionals such as Natasha Braier, ASC ADF, Sam Fares (Sony), Patti Lee ASC, Emily Stadulis (Rosco), Cynthia Pushek ASC, Juan Cabrera ASC Associate, covering topics like professional studio lighting and color grading.

She also had the opportunity to learn from DP Rodrigo Prieto ASC, AMC, in a masterclass he conducted for members at the ASC clubhouse.

Since 2019, Irene has been an associated member of the AEC (Spanish Society of Cinematographers) and of CIMA (Association of Women Filmmakers in Audiovisual Media) since 2018. In Berlin she is part of the organization of Women+ Film Network Berlin and she was working several years for ARSENAL – Institut für Film und Videokunst (by the Berlinale’s Forum section 2020-2023).

In February 2024 Irene makes her debut as a film critic / journalist collaborating with the cinematography magazine (online and print) "Camera & Light" covering the 74. Berlinale. Later that year, she also covered the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, further solidifying her ongoing collaboration with the magazine.

COMMERCIAL REEL 2024

DP | Creative Director
Dior / Sony / Pardo / Pitillos / BBC / DIM / Levi's / N26 / Killah

WORKS AS DP (Selection)
FEATURE FILMS
- Diana (Dir: Alejo Moreno, 2018, Erotic Thriller)
- Proven Facts (Dir: Alejo Moreno, 2021, Documentary)
- Janine zieht aufs Land (Dir: Jan Eilhardt, TBD)
- Nicht Fertig (Dir: H. Salgado, TBD)
SHORT FILMS
- Anhelo (Dir: Daniel Eceolaza, 2021, Fiction)
- Lunar Ring: Present of AI (Dir: Beatrice Heredia, 2022, Documentary)
- Mago (Dir: Tirso Calero, 2023, Fiction)
- Bad Luck (Dir: Jan Eilhardt, Fiction)
SERIES
- Planet Sex with Cara Delevigne (6 episodes
  Dir: Jessica Chermayeff, Vicki Cooper, Ana Veselic, Documentary)
- Proven Facts (3 episodes. Dir: Alejo Moreno, Documentary)
- El juego del Fraude (6 episodes. Dir: Alejo Moreno, Documentary)
- Seasonal (4 episodes, Dir: D Eceolaza, 2017)
- Levi’s
- Dior
- Pitillos
- DIM
- Canon
- Killah
- Skintist
- Scoutbee
- Avisual
MUSIC VIDEOS
- Maria de Juan
- Millennium Mambo
- Sunday (Miami Horror)
- Minencial
- Marien Baker
VIDEO INSTALLATION
- Palais de Tokyo (Paris)
- Deutsche Oper (Berlin)
- CEART Museum (Madrid)
- Ateneo (Malaga)
- Pompidou Museum (Malaga)
- IFEMA (ARCO, Madrid)
- Watergate (Berlin)
- Silent Green (Berlin)
- Private Galleries (BAT, Madrid / Espacio Nuca, Salamanca / Palacio de Pronillo, Santander / Konvent.Zero, Barcelona / PPC Gallery, Berlin / Fk-Galerie, Berlin…)
VIDEO ART EXHIBITED IN
- Palacio de Cibeles (Madrid)
- Project Art Space (NYC)
- Instituto Cervantes (Rome)
- Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid)
- Espace des Blancs Manteaux (Paris)
- Louvre Museum (Paris)
- Circulo de BBAA (Madrid)
- MUA Museum (Alicante)
- Tempelhof (Positions, Berlin)
- Private Galleries (Luisa Catucci Berlin / Theredoom, Madrid / Fiftydots, Barcelona / LCA, Malaga / Furiosa Gallery, Madrid)

About my dp work

In my work as filmmaker/photographer, I love experimenting hand in hand with each client, to discover the deep essence of every project and to craft the perfect light and audiovisual language for it. I strive to tell stories and my sensitivity is key to achieving this.

I’m passionate about exploring with unconventional and artistic solutions in all my works. Ultimately, I have a background in contemporary art with over 10 years of experience and have exhibited my photo/video artwork in many museums, galleries, and centers around the world.

I enjoy working with tamed and poetic natural lights, as I believe that its simplicity is what really enhances the beauty of an image. In my constant search for the perfect lighting for every sequence, I focus on capturing the inherent emotion in each story.

About my teaching work

I am passionate about sharing my knowledge. Since 2014, I have taught workshops and seminars in specialized schools and universities in Mexico, Switzerland, Spain, UK and Germany: at the Complutense University, Juan Carlos I University (Madrid), UAL London, Darmstadt University, Free University of Berlin, EFTI, Art von Frei and TMF, among others. In 2020, during the pandemic, when set life stopped, I thought it was a good idea to take the opportunity to leave in online classes all my experience until that moment and I created a community on Patreon.com/irenecruz . There, I share weekly my creative process, tutorials and BTS. I also review the obstacles I have faced throughout my career as a photographer and cinematographer so that others can learn. On the internet you can also find my courses on Domestika.

Classroom:

The Core School / UNIE / Masters in Cinematography / Madrid
more info
Leica Akademie / Madrid
more info
Online:
Private online lessons
Patreon
Domestika
Freie Universität (Berlin) (2014-18) Lecturer at the Master of Art History, subject Video Art.
Lecturer of Photography at Darmsdat Universität (2015) I did two 3-day seminars + one practical class.
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (2017 - 2019) I started collaborating some years with one of my mentors Eduardo Rodríguez Merchán (Media Arts Professor on Spanish Cinema) giving classes as a masterclass from 2014 to students coming out of the degree. I also taught 2 years of summer courses on Media Arts the Complutense University (Escuela de Verano).
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid (2015 - 2016) collaboration with Professor Araceli Rodríguez Mateos in the subject of Cinema / Media Arts Degree
UAL London (2016 - 2017) I taught on the Master's degree in Marketing for Artists.
University of Nebrija (2017) Video Art as part of the Multidisciplinary Art subject with Professor and art curator Marta Pérez Ibáñez.
Classroom curses

CEART Madrid, Escuela de Teatro y Cine del Escorial, TMF Club (Madrid), MadPhoto (Madrid), EFTI (Madrid), Too Many Flash (Madrid), CasanovaFoto (Barcelona), Fiftydots (Barcelona), Centre Pompidou Museum (Málaga) , La Térmica (Málaga), ACLAM Foto (Barcelona), Ateneo de Las Palmas (Canarias), We Work and Walk, , La Red Berlín, Instituto Cervantes (Berlin), Art von Frei (Berlin), MUSAC (Castilla y León), Espacio Nuca (Salamanca), , We Business Center (Madrid), Pati Llimona (Barcelona), LCA (Málaga), Palacio de Congresos de Castellón, Fotoklub Kollektiv (Berlin), SobreMesa (Madrid), Unicorn Berlin, Abbe (Switzerland) Factory Berlin Görlitzer Park (Berlin), BBK Foundation (Bilbao), Arte i Gioia Cadaqués, Círculo de BBAA (Madrid), etc.

Online:
MMM (Spain), Diplomado Fotografía Emergente (Mexico), Domestika,
Patreon, Artist Stop Being Poor, Cómo ser Fotógrafa, Photoespaña…

- Creative filmmaking
- Cinematic visual design
- How to develop personal projects
- Creating content in networks / formats
- Video Art / Audiovisual artistic expression
- Cinematography: working with natural light
- Cinematography: fundamentals of light (practical)

- Sometimes I do camera tests / hands on / workshops for a specific camera (like for Canon C70, Fx9 or Sony Burano) for brands / rentals / events
- Analogue / Digital photography / Camera basics / starting out in photography
- Self-portrait / Portrait / Nude / Creative processes / Narrative and Conceptual photography
- Creative resources for fashion photography
- Lighting for studio / outdoor photography // advanced and creative techniques
- Photobook course (specially for self-publishing)
- NFT - Cryptoart / Photography with AI & Midjourney
- Art market / galleries / photographic serial work / production
- Social networks for creatives (especially Instagram)
- Creative blocks / techniques
- Time management / Coaching