30/06/2023 - The event also brought together producers and specialists to promote diversity awareness during the preparation of a film or series

The participants and mentors of the second Spanish Film Academy Summer Camp

The Spanish Film Academy Summer Camp, aimed at filmmakers with projects to increase the inclusion of diversity in Spanish cinema, concludes its second edition this weekend after starting on the 18th. The first camp (read more) has already yielded its first results, with the filming of Sandra Romero's Por donde pasa el silencio, whose script she developed in this programme.

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This initiative organised by the Spanish Film Academy, with the collaboration of Netflix and the support of the Valencia City Council, has selected these projects: the feature films Baladre, by Víctor Sánchez Rodríguez (author of the play on which We Won't Kill Each Other with Guns [+see also:
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interview: Celia Rico Clavellino
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interview: Chema García Ibarra
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Promoting diversity in the audiovisual industry right from the earliest stages of the projects was the goal of the session held last Wednesday at the second Summer Camp. Data from the fourth report by the Observatory of Diversity in Audiovisual Media (ODA) on the representation of minority groups in Spanish fiction was analysed. These numbers make it clear that the image of LGBTQIA+, racialised and disabled people is a challenge for film and series.

Because out of 99 films and 61 seasons of 59 fiction series in 2022, LGBTQIA+ characters account for 9.2% of the total. In addition, these characters tend to be younger in age (as age increases, affective and sexual diversity is no longer represented) and are found in titles with genres such as romantic comedy and/or musical. There are hardly any LGBTQIA+ references in action, adventure or suspense.

In terms of racialised characters, there has been an increase to 12.3%, while the presence of disabled people in fiction has decreased to 2.8%. Although there is an interest in talking about mental health, "intellectual disabilities are usually not mentioned", said Emilio Papamija, director of the ODA Report, who moderated the round table, where fifteen Spanish producers took part to discuss diversity from the earliest stages of production.

The challenges posed by diversity include communication, structures of the audiovisual company and increasing the presence of diverse people in stories, and possible solutions to address these were suggested. One of the key solutions being diversity training both for the filmmaking team, especially screenwriters, and for future filmmakers in film schools. Another way is to create the position of a diversity coordinator for filming, who would be involved in the production process from the beginning; and, in stories that include diversity, to include diverse people in the creation process. Casting management was also considered important in achieving inclusive casts and, in terms of visibility, it is essential to highlight those films and series that reflect diversity.

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)