Films by Women will feature 18 relevant professional activities throughout its 7th edition.

With the participation of important figures from the sector such as Iris Zappe-Heller, Director of the Austrian Film Institute; Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director of Women Make Movies (USA); Ignasi Camós - Director of ICAA; Cristina Hernández, Director of the Institute of Women, as well as notable national and international directors and experts.

Iris Zappe-Heller, Director of the Austrian Film Institute; Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director of Women Make Movies and Stefania Pitscheider, Director of the Women's Museum of Hittisau.

To improve our reality in terms of parity and equity, it is essential to make visible the work of women and highlight inspiring role models for the younger generations. Therefore, one of the objectives of Films by Women is to showcase the talent of women throughout the cultural value chain: creation and training > production and reproduction > distribution and commercialization > promotion and marketing > consumption and accesibility. Films by Women Madrid will bring together more than 62 professionals from the film industry and gender-equal cultural policies in Europe during its seventh edition, who will participate in one of the 18 professional and training activities. These will be in addition to the presentations of the screenings by their directors and the subsequent debates, which enrich the events by fostering reflection, dialogue, and shared experience.With the main goal of promoting equity and visibility, this year's training activities will be held at: Casa de América; Cinemateca Pedro Zerolo; DAMA Derechos de Autor de Medios Audiovisuales; Espacio Fundación Telefónica; Fundación Casa de México en España; Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza y Sala Equis.

Professional and training activities

I. Espacio Fundación Telefónica

📍 Calle de Fuencarral nº3 

Free entry with prior registration through the website

www.espacio.fundaciontelefonica.com

Activities with simultaneous translation, sign language interpretation, and streaming.

#01 Round table: Thursday, October 31st, 5:30p.m

“European Best Practices: How to Rewrite the Past, Present, and Future from a Gender Perspective?”

Presentation of the program Calliope. Join the DotsParticipants: 1. Cristina Hernández - Director of Instituto de las Mujeres del Gobierno de España.2. Sabine Fellner - Art historian and exhibition curator, Austria. 

3. Stefania Pitscheider - Director of the Women's Museum of Hittisau, Austria.

4. Thomas Kloiber - Culture Section of the Austrian Ministry of European and International Affairs.

Facilitator: Carlota Álvarez Basso - Festival co-director.Activity organized in collaboration with the Foro Cultural de Austria in Madrid. 

#02 Round table: Thursday, October 31st, 7:30p.m

“Funding and support for film financing in the U.S. market: Master Class and meeting with Debra Zimmerman” Participant: 

1. Debra Zimmerman -  Executive director of Women Make Movies.

Facilitator: Diego Mas Trelles - Festival co-director.

Presentation by Carlota Álvarez Basso, Festival co-director and Fernando Prieto, Secretario General de la Fundación Consejo de España-EEUU.

Activity organized in collaboration with the Fundación Consejo España-EEUU and Acción Cultural Española (PICE).

#03 Round Table: Thursday, November 7th, 5:30p.m 

“Towards Equity in European Audiovisual Production”Participants:

1.Ignasi Camós - General Director of  Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales, ICAA, Spain. 

2.Iris Zappe-Heller - Deputy Director of the Austrian Film Institute and chair of the Gender and Inclusion Working Group of EFAD (European Film Agency Directors Association), Austria.

3.Lise Perottet - General coordinator of  Laboratorio Femmes de Cinéma, France.

Facilitator: Alexia Muiños - Program director of EWA (European Women's Audiovisual Network).

#04 Round Table: Thursday, November 7th, 7.30p.m

“How did you get here? Case study of the international female directors participating in the Festival” 

Participants:

1.Anna van der Heide - Director of Rocco & Sjuul, The Netherlands.

2.Elisabeth Scharang - Director of  Wald, Austria.

3.Fernanda Valadez - Co-director of Sujo, Mexico.

4.Nina Marin - Director of Tierra Quebrá, Colombia.

Facilitator: Elena Manrique - Director, film producer and member of the festival programming committee.

Activity organized in collaboration with DAMA. Derechos de Autor de Medios Audiovisuales, Embajada de los Países Bajos en España, Foro Cultural de Austria en Madrid and Fundación Casa de México en España.

II. T+ Foro de ideas

📍 Casa de América
Anfiteatro Gabriela Mistral
Calle Marqués del Duero, 2Free entry until capacity is reachedwww.casamerica.es

#1 Monday, November 4th, 7.00p.m

Participants: 

1. Cris Arana (Paraguay) -  Director, screenwriter and film producer.

2. Esther García (Spain) - Executive producer of El Deseo.

3. Nina Marín (Colombia) - Director y screenwriter. 

Facilitator: Nuria Vidal - Journalist and film critic.

Presentation by Representative of Casa de América.Casa de América presents T+ Ideas Forum, as part of its own programming and within the framework of the 7th edition of the Films by Women Madrid 7th edition, where three filmmakers will each present their ideas about cinematic creation and storytelling in their work for 20 minutes. At the end of the presentations, there will be a discussion moderated by journalist and film critic Nuria Vidal.

III. DAMA Derechos de Autor de Medios Audiovisuales

📍 Sala Secuencia
Gran Vía de San Francisco, 8 

Free entry until capacity is reachedwww.damautor.es 

IV. Fundación Casa de México en España

📍 Calle Alberto Aguilera nº 20

Free entry until capacity is reached

www.casademexico.es 
 

#01 Tuesday, November 5th, 7:00p.m

‘’Masterclass with Fernanda Valadez’’ 

Participant: 

Fernanda Valadez - Director of Sujo, Mexico's representative film at the 2025 Oscars and Goya Awards. 

Facilitator: Representative of Fundación Casa de México en España. 

Activity organized in collaboration with UNAM (España).

V. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza 

📍 P.º del Prado, 8

www.museothyssen.org

VI. “Ciclo Interseccionalidades’’  (Two venles)Free entry until capacity is reached

Organized in collaboration with Acción Triángulo

1. Sala Equis

📍 Calle Duque de Alba nº 4www.salaequis.es

2. Cinemateca Pedro Zerolo

📍 Calle Tribulete nº 20cinematecapedrozerolo.com/

#1 Frida, November 1st, 7:00p.m 

“Mamacruz: New Perspectives on Desire in Adulthood’’

Screening: Mamacruz, Patricia Ortega, 2023.

Participants:

 1. Patricia Ortega - Director Mamacruz.
 2. Jeka Méndez - Sexologist.Presented by Linda d’Ambrosio - Researcher and professor.

#2 Saturday, November 2nd, 7:00p.m

‘‘Dismantling 'Pelo Malo': Identities, Stereotypes, and Empowerment’’.

Screening: Pelo Malo, Mariana Rondón, 2013.  

Presented by Linda D’Ambrosio - Researcher and professor.

#3 Wednesday, November 6th, 7:00p.m 

“Female Voices in Science: The Associative Movement in Response to the Stigma Associated with HIV’’Proyección: 40 años alzando la voz, Débora Álvarez, 2024.

Participa: Débora Álvarez - Doctor in Public Health, Sociologist, and Science Communicator specialized in health.

Activity organized in collaboration with Pride Positivo and CESIDA

#04 Wednesday, November 6th, 8:00p.m  

‘‘Female Voices in Science: Cinematic Reflections on HIV and COVID-19’’

Screening: Paseos con ciencia: VIH y COVID-19, Dos Pandemias cara a cara, Débora Álvarez y Carlos Martínez, 2022.

Participant: Débora Álvarez - Doctor in Public Health, Sociologist, and Science Communicator specialized in health.

Activity organized in collaboration with Pride Positivo and CESIDA

#5 Thursday, November 7th, 7:00p.m 

“Trans Identities and Cinematic Memory’’

Screenings: Isleteñas, Patri Rivero, 2021 y Monólogo, Pilar García Elegido, 2021.

Participants:

1. Patri Rivero - Director of Isleteñas.

2. Pilar García Elegido - Director, producer and shortfilm screenwriter, documentaries and video making.

2. Alexandra Andino - Honduran activist and Head of Acción Triángulo.

3. Violeta Ibarra - Communicator y cofundader of Plumaje, nonprofit organization in Arizona, USA.
 

#6 Friday, November 8th, 7:00p.m 

“Women in struggle for historical truth’’Screening: Saudade, Magda Calabrese/Richard Zubelzu, 2023.

Participants:

1. Magda Calabrese - Codirector of Saudade.

2. Benita Navacerrada - Activist.

Facilitator: Luisa Estévez - Fundación Pedro Zerolo's director.

#7 Friday, November 8th, 8:30p.m
“Mujeres VIHvas, building a world without stigma through cinema’’

Screening: Soy Visible, Fernanda Carvalho, 2023.

Participants:

1. Fernanda Carvalho - Director and activist.

2. Comunidad Mujeres VIHvas 

Facilitator: Gerjo Pérez Meliá - Cinemateca Pedro Zerolo's director.Activity organized in collaboration with Pride Positivo and CESIDA.

#8 Saturday, November 9th, 7:00p.m

“Fina Torres: creating new narratives in Venezuelan cinema’’

Screening: Liz en septiembre, Fina Torres, 2014.

Participant: Arlette Torres - Venezuelan actress and model.

Modera: Axa Milá de la Roca - Journalist and communication manager at at Salud Entre Culturas, cofounder of Gente Que Comunica.

#9 Saturday, Novemeber 9th, 9:30p.m  

“Oriana: the evolution of women in Venezuelan cinema’’ 

Screening: Oriana, Fina Torres, 1985.

Participants:

1. Fina Torres - Director (Online).

2. Juan Carlos Losada - Venezuela's Centro Nacional Autónomo de Cinematografía expresident (CNAC).

Facilitator: Andreina Monasterio Andrade - Journalist, has worked in organizations such as Transparency International and co-founded Gente Que Comunica, where she serves as vice president.