Biography

Summer Joy "SJ" Main Muñoz is a highly visual American-Latina filmmaker whose award-winning films, often in the period or crime drama genres, have screened worldwide and garnered numerous awards including Best Film. She directed "La Cerca" narrated by Edward James Olmos ("Stand and Deliver") and "Luck of the Draw" co-starring Chris Mulkey ("Boardwalk Empire") and James Duval ("Donnie Darko"). She's been supported by competitive talent development programs including NBC's Female Forward, Ryan Murphy's Half Initiative, We For She's DirectHer, FIND's Project: Involve, IFP's Emerging Narrative and National Association of Latino Independent Producer's Writer's Lab and Producer's Academy.

Main Muñoz worked in production for nearly 20 years before transitioning to directing episodic drama and feature films. Her credits include Director of Development, Production Supervisor, and Post Supervisor. She's worked with companies including Merchant Ivory, Walden Media, River Road, and director Stanley Donen ("Singin' in the Rain").

Main Muñoz was the recipient of the James Bridges Award for Excellence in Acting at UCLA's School of Theatre, Film, and Television where she received her Bachelor's degree magna cum laude. She graduated with Honors from Columbia University of New York with a Master's in Film Directing and also holds a doctorate (summa cum laude) from the European Graduate School of Switzerland where she studied with Atom Egoyan, Claire Denis, and Magarethe Von Trotta. Main Muñoz was invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 2020.

Main Muñoz is Costa Rican-American; she was born in Cambria, California and holds residency in Costa Rica and the US.

- IMDb mini biography by: CAA