Iris Kaltenbäck grew up in France, surrounded by a French mother, an Austrian father, and an American half-brother. After her studies in law and philosophy, she joined the Fémis film school in the script department. In 2013, she assisted Declan Donnellan at the Théâtre des Gémeaux in Paris. In 2015 she directed her first short film, Le vol des cigognes, which won an award at the Brussels International Film Festival. She won the Sopadin Junior prize for her screenplay titled Still Shot. Le Ravissement is her first feature film.