Notes from the director
With gender in mind, we had to go back to this moment in history. It was vital that the memories of these 27 women were brought back to life and showcased because these very women, following the footsteps of Clara Campoamor, defended gender equality with great dignity and actively contributed to reforms, driven by the Parliament, that made political debate on the rights of women possible.
On the anniversary of the Spanish Constitution every year, I would hear "the fathers of the Constitution" talking of that period in history and I always wondered what ever happened to women politicians. They were also involved in the general elections of 1977... As Carmen Calvo said in a sequence that we filmed for the documentary: "the male politicians are remembered, but about the women... not a trace!"
I considered the making of this documentary to be a one-off opportunity to recovery the memories of these women and keep them safe in the name of history, given the generation to which they belong:
I could not believe that no archiving work had been carried out in Spain on these women apart from the book by Professor Julia Sevilla "Mujeres parlamentarias de la legislatura constituyente" (parliamentary women of the constituent term). Getting to know them inspired me to make a short film, which was a good start…but then I wanted to delve even deeper.
When we were filming I felt as if I had Victoria Kent or Clara Campoamor in front of the camera. I believe that figures of such importance and wisdom command no distractions but the use of a visual strategy of just their voice, their gaze back into the past followed by the editing of the audiovisual or sounds files.
My intention with this documentary was to provide proof of and bring to light the long journey that was taken in securing equal rights for women. I also wanted to link the past not only with the present but with today’s generations through the sequence showing the meeting between the politicians and mothers of the constitution that we filmed in the Senate.
To get to know the political and personal side of these important women has been a great challenge –a challenge made easier thanks to their readiness along with their contribution.
The meeting sequence in the Senate was filmed without cuts in a debate between politicians from some of the parties of the political spectrum that lasted for more than two hours. From a technical point of view, it was complicated but the equipment was soon forgotten about and they quickly become embroiled in an incredibly interesting debate, which covered themes as and when they naturally arose. My only request from them was that the topic of the involvement of woman in politics in Spain came up and I asked them to talk freely about this. Thankfully though, I feel that we achieved our main goal, which was the freshness that is often lost in political discourse.
