安娜·马里斯卡尔

Ana Mariscal is an unusual case in Spanish

cinema because she is one of a handful of

women who had the chance to direct ten

films. During the Franco dictatorship, there

was little room for enterprising women,

making it difficult for them to access virtually

all occupational sectors. One glass ceiling

that was particularly hard to break for

women was the one in the film industry,

particulary when it came to directing.

A controversial, contradictory, unpredictable

career. That is Ana Mariscal＇s. It is hard to

summarize, but for the same reason it is

immensely rich. Her innate nonconformism,

linked to an indeniable conservatism, make

her an ambiguous character who cannot

claim either of them.

As an actress, Ana Mariscal became one of

the biggest stars of Spanish cinema in the

1940s. Her character in the movie Raza

(Sáenz de Heredia, 1941), a patriotic and

religious landmark, shaped her career.

Despite all this, Ana Mariscal was

one of the very first women to stand behind

the camera during the Spanish dictatorship.