Barbara Martinez Jitner
- Producer
- Screenwriter
- Director
Barbara Martinez Jitner is a producer, screenwriter, and director whose work has helped redefine Latina representation in American television and film. She became the first Latina to be nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe in recognition of her work as executive producer, writer, and director on American Family, the groundbreaking Latino family drama series that marked a milestone for U.S. broadcast television. For American Family, she wrote 23 episodes and directed 20, helping shape a series that earned critical acclaim for its storytelling, cultural resonance, and empathetic portrayals of Latinos.
Martinez Jitner is deeply rooted in the history of labor and civil rights. The granddaughter of farmworkers, she was exposed early to the struggles of working families and spent her career turning that experience into compelling, socially engaged storytelling. While in college, she met Dolores Huerta, the civil rights icon who became both mentor and source of inspiration for her activism and filmmaking. A pivotal moment in her career came when Huerta put a camera in her hand and told her to help document Cesar Chavez’s final fast, a 36-day protest against the use of deadly pesticides on farmworkers. Huerta’s influence guided Martinez Jitner toward projects that illuminate the human dimension of labor struggles and helped crystallize Martinez Jitner’s dual focus: produce material that informs public conversation and advance opportunities for Latinos. Over time, she developed a close, decades-long relationship with Huerta and her family, remaining engaged with their work and legacy.
Martinez Jitner and her partner, Gregory Nava, secured the film and television rights to Dolores Huerta’s life story. She is co-writing the project with Nava, who is attached to direct, while she will produce.
Her early career laid a diverse foundation for her later achievements. She served as the second unit director on Selena, the music biopic that propelled Jennifer Lopez into stardom, and she directed the film’s original-motion-picture-soundtrack music video which won an MTV Award. She also contributed as second unit director on Why Do Fools Fall in Love, a Warner Bros. music biopic about Frankie Lymon that starred Halle Berry.
As a documentarian and producer, writer, and director, Martinez Jitner has created impactful projects for Showtime and History Channel. The American Tapestry (Showtime) and Behind the Mask of Zorro (History Channel), featuring Antonio Banderas reflect her ability to blend documentary form with narrative storytelling. Her work on La Frontera/The Border, which profiles Mexican women working in Maquiladora factories along the U.S./Mexico border, helped inspire the political thriller Bordertown, executive produced by Martinez Jitner and starring Jennifer Lopez. Bordertown received festival recognition, including a Golden Bear nomination at the Berlin Film Festival, and earned Amnesty International’s Artist for Amnesty Award.
Martinez Jitner is deeply rooted in the history of labor and civil rights. The granddaughter of farmworkers, she was exposed early to the struggles of working families and spent her career turning that experience into compelling, socially engaged storytelling. While in college, she met Dolores Huerta, the civil rights icon who became both mentor and source of inspiration for her activism and filmmaking. A pivotal moment in her career came when Huerta put a camera in her hand and told her to help document Cesar Chavez’s final fast, a 36-day protest against the use of deadly pesticides on farmworkers. Huerta’s influence guided Martinez Jitner toward projects that illuminate the human dimension of labor struggles and helped crystallize Martinez Jitner’s dual focus: produce material that informs public conversation and advance opportunities for Latinos. Over time, she developed a close, decades-long relationship with Huerta and her family, remaining engaged with their work and legacy.
Martinez Jitner and her partner, Gregory Nava, secured the film and television rights to Dolores Huerta’s life story. She is co-writing the project with Nava, who is attached to direct, while she will produce.
Her early career laid a diverse foundation for her later achievements. She served as the second unit director on Selena, the music biopic that propelled Jennifer Lopez into stardom, and she directed the film’s original-motion-picture-soundtrack music video which won an MTV Award. She also contributed as second unit director on Why Do Fools Fall in Love, a Warner Bros. music biopic about Frankie Lymon that starred Halle Berry.
As a documentarian and producer, writer, and director, Martinez Jitner has created impactful projects for Showtime and History Channel. The American Tapestry (Showtime) and Behind the Mask of Zorro (History Channel), featuring Antonio Banderas reflect her ability to blend documentary form with narrative storytelling. Her work on La Frontera/The Border, which profiles Mexican women working in Maquiladora factories along the U.S./Mexico border, helped inspire the political thriller Bordertown, executive produced by Martinez Jitner and starring Jennifer Lopez. Bordertown received festival recognition, including a Golden Bear nomination at the Berlin Film Festival, and earned Amnesty International’s Artist for Amnesty Award.
