The Purple Meridians - 2023

 

Over the past two years, a total of 19 filmmakers based in the three countries have met, online and in person, to discuss obstacles they face as women and non-binary people in the industry, to exchange ideas and resources, and to create together.

The Purple Meridians 2023

Preparations are underway in Italy, Turkey, Catalonia and the Basque Country for the third edition of The Purple Meridians 2023, with the Gender Equality sponsorship by Eurimages.

This year, the project will have its public and main event at the Durango Book-Music-Cinema Fair on 7 December. Durango is a city in the Basque Country and has been chosen by the organizers of The Purple Meridians to expand even further – as is the purpose of this project – the connections among women filmmakers in Europe and beyond.

The choice of the Basque Country was therefore a ‘natural’ development as Basque filmmakers followed the first two Purple Meridians albeit ‘from a distance’. The program in the Basque Country will be possible thanks to the collaboration with the Durango Book Fair and Suargi Elkartea.

Two main themes would be the focus of this third event: the difficulties, responses, proposals for women in the film industry to conjugate work and care work (maternity, care of children, care of elderly, care of ill partner/family member etc) and for women with disabilities.

These two themes will be discussed in a 2-session conference in Durango to be held on 7 December 2023.

Two filmmakers directly and most affected by this situation will be leading the discussion, Lisa Calan and Ahu Ozturk. The two filmmakers, both Kurdish, will work with Basque filmmakers (who are exploring these issues in their films and who this year will be presenting a manifesto about ‘care’), as well as with the other filmmakers of The Purple Meridians (from Italy and Catalonia), not only in exposing the problems, but also in proposing answers, keeping in mind that one of the pillars of The Purple Meridians project was creating networks among women filmmakers in different countries.

We already have confirmation of some speakers, namely Lisa Calan, Ahu Ozturk (from Turkey, The Purple Meridians), internationally awarded Basque actress Itziar Ituño (La Casa de Papel), Basque director Ainhoa Olaso (winner of the Aukera program that aims to protect and empower women who wish to work in the audiovisual sector. Promoted and organised by (H)emen, with the collaboration of Zineuskadi, Kutxa Kultur and ZINEBI, among others, it is a short film mentoring programme aimed at Basque women aged between 18 and 35).

The conference will be accompanied by a meeting at the cinema department of the University of the Basque Country, a seminar in a secondary school, a seminar at the women’s house and the screening of a programme of the work of the filmmakers of the The Purple Meridians extended network.

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