Julio Quintana was born in Los Angeles, the oldest of five brothers. His parents both left Cuba after nearly a decade under Castro's revolution, settling in California, where his father became the first in his family to earn a college degree.

Shortly after his birth, Quintana's family moved to Kenai, AK, and over the next decade, they moved five more times, experiencing life in various towns throughout California, Louisiana, and Texas, which may have contributed to Quintana's fascination with cultural differences and commonalities.

In 2000, Quintana enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of Texas at Austin, but later switched to Religious Studies, where he explored the diverse palette of stories and mythologies that shaped human history. Intrigued by the role that stories play in forming human identities, he expanded his studies to include a second degree in Radio-Television-Film.

After graduating, Quintana worked on The Tree of Life (2011) and To The Wonder (2012), where he developed his unique style under the mentorship of legendary director Terrence Malick. He went on to write and direct his first feature film, The Vessel, starring Martin Sheen, which Malick executive produced and that was released in theaters in 2016 to critical praise.

Quintana later wrote and directed his second feature film, Blue Miracle, starring Dennis Quaid, based on the true story of an orphanage in Cabo San Lucas that entered the world's biggest fishing tournament to save their home. The film was financed and produced by Endeavor Content and Sony Provident and will be released as a Netflix Original in 2021.

Quintana continues to live in Austin, TX with his wife and producing partner, Marla Quintana, as well as their three children.