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.