Before Bemberg: Women Filmmakers in Argentina

Before Bemberg: Argentine Women Filmmakers challenges the historiography of Argentine women filmmakers by highlighting the contributions of early pioneers and exploring the overlooked work of six sound features directed by women before 1980. The book recognizes the importance of these filmmakers in a time of growing movements against gender-based oppression and violence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 196 pages
Publication date: 30 October 2020
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Before Bemberg: Argentine Women Filmmakers challenges the historiography of Argentine women filmmakers, which has primarily focused on María Luisa Bemberg while disregarding her predecessors. The book begins with an introductory discussion highlighting the significant initial involvement of women in film production during the 1910s. It then proceeds to explore their exclusion from creative roles in the studio cinema, which only changed with the opportunities created by a surge in short filmmaking in the 1960s. The book delves into a comprehensive analysis of six sound features directed by women before 1980. Despite their groundbreaking explorations of female perspectives, bold denunciations of authoritarianism and censorship, and innovative formal inventions, these films have been overlooked in Argentine film history. By examining the work and roles of Eva Landeck, Vlasta Lah, María Herminia Avellaneda, and María Elena Walsh, as well as María Luisa Bemberg, the book recognizes their significant contributions at a pivotal time when movements to eliminate gender-based oppression and violence are surging both in Argentina and internationally.

To enhance your understanding of the films discussed in the book, you can watch some of them with English subtitles by visiting the following YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_6F4am5024rklIWwExUVA?view_as=subscriber.

Weight: 246g
Dimension: 555 x 850 x 50 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978814547