Stefan Schmitz, a graduate of the European Business School, began his career in advertising and marketing in Germany. In 1996, he founded the production and distribution company Avalon in Madrid. He has been working in the audiovisual industry for nearly 40 years and has produced and co-produced over 40 short and feature films.

Avalon’s productions have participated in the world’s most prestigious festivals and have won awards such as the Golden Bear at the Berlinale and the First Prize at the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Avalon is also one of the leading independent film distributors in Spain, with a catalogue of over 200 films, including the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes 2022, Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund; the Jury Prize at Cannes 2023, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki; and the Best Director Award at Cannes 2024, Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes. As a distributor, Avalon has also worked with filmmakers such as Pedro Almodóvar, Agnès Varda, David Lynch, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Park Chan-wook, and Víctor Erice among many others.