The EUROM – Fundació Solidaritat UB has been involved in the co-production of the docu-fiction hybrid Canción a una dama en la sombra (Song to a Lady in the Shadow) since 2019. Inspired by the stories of numerous women who were forced to rebuild their lives at the beginning of the Second World War, the feature film is the third directorial venture of Carolina Astudillo. Produced by Cornelius Films, the movie premiered in 2021 and was featured in professional markets such as Documenta Madrid 2021, Málaga Work in Progress, the European Film Market at Berlinale, and the Marché du Film in Cannes.
The movie was first presented to the public in March 2022 during the 25th edition of the Festival de Málaga and is available on Filmin.
About the movie
After fighting on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, a man is forced into exile in France. His wife remains behind in a Catalan town with their children, taking work in a factory to support the family. Despite his many letters to her, the years pass, and he never returns. A Greek chorus narrates the stories of countless “Penelopes” who, after the war, refused to fall into the trap of waiting passively at their metaphorical looms, instead forging their own paths.
A doc-fiction hybrid, it turns on a family whose father is exiled in France after fighting for the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War. Echoing Homer’s Penelope, his wife stays behind with their children in a Catalan village suffering hunger, deprivation, economic crisis and unemployment
Emilio Mayorga (Variety)
About the director
Carolina Astudillo is a director, journalist, researcher, and educator with a degree in Film Studies from the Catholic University of Chile and a Master’s in Creative Documentary from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Her work focuses on the intersection of women’s experiences and historical memory, blending experimental cinema with documentary storytelling. Her films have been showcased in museums and educational institutions worldwide.
Her feature film Ainhoa, yo no soy esa (2018) received critical acclaim, winning the Silver Biznaga for Best Documentary at the Málaga Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize at Escales Documentaires, and both the Best Sound Award and a Special Jury Mention at DocumentaMadrid. Her debut feature, El gran vuelo, also garnered widespread recognition, winning Best Documentary at the Málaga Film Festival, the Alcances Festival, and the Premios Feroz.
Since 2016, she has been a member of the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AACCE).
Clipping
Canción a una dama, by euromemories
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“Song to a Lady in the Shadows” is up for three DA Film Festival awards