The last two decades have witnessed an unprecedented incorporation of women within the Spanish film industry. This is part of a general increase in newcomers since the beginning of the 1990s, when the industry was undergoing a deep restructuring. The media has celebrated this incorporation of women filmmakers, recurrently referring to their different sensibility, a feminine perspective noticeable in their films. Despite the socio-cultural interest of this incorporation, no thorough study of their work has been completed. This research project surveys the extent and scope of these women's incorporation within the industry, and explores the varied ways that their films engage with the main discursive trends that define femininity in Spanish cinema and mass media. Femininity is broadly understood here as the socio-cultural interpretations of what constitutes 'correct womanhood', but, also, discursively: as the space of struggle wherein individual (fictional) women engage with these constructions, by contesting and / or adopting some of their elements. Further attention is given to the ways that these new filmmakers's films engage with traditional and modern formulations of femininity, as articulated in implicit relation to, respectively, Francoism and postfeminism. In the core chapters, several detailed analyses are given of especially relevant films by these women, using a critical discourse analysis approach. These chapters address topics that are foregrounded in these women’s films and that have been central to feminine experience, namely: the family and motherhood, romanticism and sexuality, and the ‘Other’. From the study it emerges that these women’s films adopt a different perspective if only because they often render visible discriminatory behaviours (e.g. discrimination at work) and representational practices (e.g. the sexual objectification of women). Regarding their treatment of the aforementioned ‘feminine themes’ (i.e. family and romanticism), these filmmakers self-consciously engage with the conventions that have constructed femininity in the media.

The overall dominance of white, cisgender, straight malecentered media remains largely unchanged and it is still considered the ”default” or ”universal” perspective. As a result, filmmaking is often limited to representing only a narrow view of humanity. Female representation both in front and behind the camera has been significantly impacted by this dominant perspective. A feminist approach to cinema practices is therefore crucial to challenge and reconstruct the cinematic system, allowing for more diverse and inclusive perspectives to emerge. Cinema is a powerful mass media industry that shapes its audience’s sensibilities, thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and reactions, while broadening the possibilities of human experiences through the screen. The producer plays a crucial role in overseeing the entire filmmaking process and striving to achieve the best possible outcome for the film. Given the significant impact that cinema has on society and the influential position of the producer in the filmmaking process, this study seeks to encourage film and TV producers, regardless of gender, to represent women with equal rights and opportunities. By embracing the female gaze, filmmakers can create more inclusive, diverse, and equitable films for all. This research asks: Have I, a female producer from Latin America, internalized the dominant white, cisgender, heterosexual, and male perspective? In what ways does this perspective manifest in my own role as a producer? And how can we producers creatively and practically challenge this perspective?

Thesis (MA (Research Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

Feministische Filmtheorien erforschen Kino als kulturelle Institution und untersuchen vor allem seine geschlechtsspezifischen Repräsentationsstrategien, seine Subjektivitätskonzepte und seine geschlechterdifferenten Produktions- und Rezeptionsbedingungen. Ihre Anfänge nahmen sie während der zweiten Frauenbewegung der 1960er Jahre. Gesucht werden u. a. Gegenentwürfe zur männlichen Perspektive populärer Filme, in denen Frauen als passive Objekte fungieren.