Iris Kaltenbäck

Iris Kaltenbäck grew up in France, with a French moth­er, Aus­tri­an father and Amer­i­can half-broth­er. After study­ing law and phi­los­o­phy, she joined the screen­play depart­ment at La Fémis film school and assist­ed direc­tor Declan Don­nel­lan at Théâtre Les Gémeaux. In 2015, she direct­ed her first short, A Vis­it from the Stork, win­ner of the Next Gen­er­a­tion Inter­na­tion­al Audi­ence Award at the Brus­sels Short Film Fes­ti­val. Her first fea­ture, The Rap­ture, which she co-wrote, star­ring Haf­sia Herzi in the lead role, was select­ed for Critic’s Week in 2023, where it received the SACD Prize. Pre­sent­ed at numer­ous inter­na­tion­al fes­ti­vals, it won sev­er­al awards, includ­ing the Spe­cial Jury Prize in Turin. In 2024, The Rap­ture won the Lumières Award for Best First Film, then the Louis-Del­luc Prize for Best First Fea­ture and was nom­i­nat­ed for the César Award for Best First Film.