AAMMA and MAFIZ have trained the spotlight on women filmmakers with the round-table “Avenues and Opportunities for Collaboration and Co-creation between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean”

A moment from the conference (© Víctor Lafuente)

A round-table discussion entitled “Avenues and Opportunities for Collaboration and Co-creation between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean”, organised by AAMMA (the Andalusian Association of Women in Audiovisual Media), MAFIZ, the industry sidebar of the Málaga Film Festival and the European Commission External Action Service, took place on 19 March. It saw the participation of Blanca Elena Rey, of AAMMA; Mariana Vargas, the Dominican Republic’s managing director for film; Erika Chávez, of Peru’s Directorate for Audiovisual, Sound Production and New Media (DAFO); Marilha Naccari, head of Florianópolis Audiovisual Mercosur (Brazil); and Leticia Salvago, a producer from MLK Producciones (Spain).

The debate explored the emerging opportunities and challenges for collaboration and co-creation activities by women working in the audiovisual sector in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. It encompassed funding, co-production and training as well as strategies for reaching new audiences. This discussion was part of the EULAC4Cinema campaign, coordinated by the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) in conjunction with the Organisation of Ibero-American States (see the news).

Blanca Elena Rey kicked things off by pointing out, “This campaign is getting under way at MAFIZ, which is hosting its first activity. It’s a campaign to promote and increase the visibility of women in the audiovisual industry as part of a programme with a much more extensive schedule of activities, and which champions cooperation between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. What’s more, a platform to provide information and set up meetings is in the pipeline.”

Next, the speakers tackled subjects such as the obstacles faced by women in the audiovisual sector: they all agreed that more obstacles lie ahead, but they will become less intense thanks to existing associations. This is because women filmmakers are becoming more united, although there is still a rift and a lot of work to be done.

Furthermore, they underlined another pertinent point: navigating between two territories, two continents and two realities allows an appreciation of the differences between them. For example, many Venezuelan film professionals have emigrated, forging their careers outside of their home country. This has to do with the opportunity to form part of associations where they can interact with other female colleagues and where they are listened to, as they certainly have a lot to bring to the table. This is why women’s associations are just as important as public policies focused on equality.

The speakers made it clear that there is a need to speak humbly and patiently. “We have to judge ourselves, as there have been chauvinistic and patriarchal women who have taught those values,” Marilha Naccari reminded those present. To this, Leticia Salvago replied: “We’re going to do things differently, starting with education. And let’s get rid of whatever’s of no use, including people from certain bodies and institutions.”

What’s more, as all of the speakers laid bare, “Whenever we want a different point of view, we have to co-create.” It was also mentioned that spaces must be created where movies by Ibero-American filmmakers can be watched outside of festivals, such as Málaga. Marilha Naccari pointed out, “We need to think about the whole co-creation assembly line. For example, let’s fight to have quotas for women who evaluate projects. We also need to give a voice to subgroups: black women, trans women, elderly women, disabled women… That’s why co-creation has to be something that we build up together – something that involves all of us”.

(Translated from Spanish)