Inés Paris Director and scriptwriter She already has three movies under her name: "A mí quién me manda meterme en esto?", "My Mother likes women" and "Semen, a love story". She is now finishing the last details of her first solo project: "Miguel and William", which will be released in January. Inés París spoke to Oviedo on the feminine identity in movies and the topics that many Spanish directors keep on using. What do movies contribute to a woman’s image? I believe that movies in and of themselves do not contribute anything bad; movies are a wonderful instrument to tell stories and to create images. The problem is that if the movie does not portray really complex, rich, interesting feminine or masculine characters - and, if it does not offer a positive perspective of these characters, it does not tell us that people can change, that they can have a different future, they can be liberated. What I want to be able to see are the roots of a traditional family, of a beating partner, or an inhibited sexuality, or an exhausting, uncomfortable and tremendous job. Without this it does not help us to know that as a people we have these different perspectives and ideals. I believe that in movies behavioral ideals are created. It is fundamental that these ideals collaborate and contribute to make women happier and richer. The movies or publicity can give a very stereotyped image of a woman. If you try to give a different image, you would also have to be able to sell it. How is this idea channeled? I am going to tell you an anecdote that relates to this situation, which is when Daniela Fejerman and I--Daniela with whom I did my first two movies--we worked on the idea of "My mother likes women"; that was our first full-length film. We told a producer that we were going to do a movie about a woman - a mother, who discovers that she is attracted to another woman - and that it was a comedy. And he said to us: "impossible, it is impossible that a situation like that could be treated as a comedy because it is the worst kind of tragedy that can happen to somebody ". We kept trying and in the end, and after many years, we found that someone did believe in such a history. And soon came the reality, here in Spain and in the whole world - because it has had a big success in many countries - was confirmation that the public really wanted to see a few different role models. We live in a society that it is changing very rapidly in many daily and very decisive aspects. For example, the perception or idea of what a family is. Now in the movies there is a place to tell about and to take into account so many ideas; in particular the feminine world, which I believe is an exciting world. It also speaks about the new man, a universe also very little explored. So this is wonderful, because we have so many things to do and tell. ~ Link to Part Two of Interview~ **Article translated by Mariela |
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| Photo from Revista Digital UNO |
| _________________________________________________ For original article and video of interview (in Spanish) visit Revista Uno Universidad de Oviedo - 27 July 2006 _________________________________________________ |
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| "My Mother Likes Women" Click on image to see trailer Click here to see official website |
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