Gender Struggles in the Portuguese Film Industry

Abstract

The struggle for gender equality in the film industry in Portugal sits at the intersection of several conflicting processes. In Portugal, filmmakers are highly dependent on state funding, which is not decided by movie-industry experts, and film production was hit badly by the economic crisis and the political disinvestment in the cultural sector. As in other countries where the movie industry is small and underfunded, the institutionalization of male dominance in Portugal has been a reality and has led to an environment that shifts from a hostile to benevolent sexism/ageism, combined with historical and cultural fragile activism tradition regarding gender equality. Adding to that, there is also some degree of network closure and gender segregation that tends to exclude women from several areas of the industry. However, there have been signs of a shift that even predates the #MeToo Movement impact in the movie industry. The Portuguese Film Academy was founded in 2011 and has had, since its beginning, a strong female presence in both leadership (two female vice-presidents and a direction with gender parity) and the naming of the academy awards as the Sophia’s, recognizing the contributions of Sophia Mello Breyner Andresen, a prolific female author and poet. Additionally, Portugal also has a center-left government coalition that has elected a Secretary of State of Citizenship and Equality (the state branch for women’s issues). This branch has implemented strategies of intervention that have focused on the promotion of cinema made by women or focused on gender identity issues. In this chapter, we assess the current film industry landscape focusing on gender equality politics, woman movements inside the industry, and the impacts of the economic crisis (from 2008 to the present) on gender issues related to the film industry.