Born in Salta, north of Argentina, in 1966. Martel moved to Buenos Aires to study communication. She made short films like "Rey Muerto" (1995) and "Muta" (2011), and directed the feature films "La Ciénaga" (2001), awarded with the Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, "The Holy Girl" (2004), which received an Honorable Mention by the Critics at the 28th Mostra, "The Headless Woman" (2008), presented in the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and "Zama" (2017, 41st Mostra), selected at Venice, Rotterdam and San Sebastián film festivals.