¡Hola Mujeres! Good Morning Freedom! أهلا بالحرية!
Discovering the filmography of the pioneering and emerging women filmmakers of Spanish cinema means highlighting the commitment of women to the 7th art from the Franco era to the present day. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Margarita Alexandre and Josefina Molina, leaders of Spanish women's cinema, revalued the status of women in the collective unconscious by showing that their condition was the product of the Franco dictatorship.
These pioneering filmmakers conveyed their ideas on the issue of women's rights in a committed and assertive cinema. Since 2000, an interesting generation of new filmmakers has been emerging who, thanks to a process of identity reconstruction and personal liberation, are gaining training and recognition.
The women directors we present in this Spanish Focus are editors, video directors, photographers and scriptwriters: a new space of affirmation is taking root! The women are the main performers and offer us stories of femininity without clichés, offering a new look without complacency or victimisation.
Celia Rico and Clara Roquet explore questions of identity and changing roles in the family. Meritxell Colell and Alauda Ruiz de Azúa explore freedom and independence with finesse, shedding sociological light on the relationship between mother and daughter. And to cap off the programme, the short films by talented young filmmakers Ana Lambarri, Verónica Echegui, Silvia Carpizo, Susana Casares and Carmen Córdoba will open the festivities with a striking, inventive and singular look.
