Los personajes femeninos del cine ecuatoriano

Abstract

Abstract: The present research aims to propose the representation of female characters in Ecuadorian cinema, with special attention to the gender discourses that underlie audiovisual narratives produced between 2000 and 2010. Through a historical-critical approach, the recurrent gender stereotypes that have shaped the symbolic construction of women in front of the screen are identified, often subordinated to traditional, passive or functional roles for the development of male characters. The study also examines how the progressive incorporation of women into film production as directors, screenwriters, and producers has contributed to a redefinition of female figures in national cinema. This female authorial presence has allowed for the emergence of richer, more nuanced characters with their own narratives, challenging the hegemonic molds of audiovisual patriarchy and fostering new, more inclusive forms of representation. In this way, the research is not limited to an aesthetic or argumentative analysis, but proposes a sociocultural reading of cinema as an ideological device that reflects and, in turn, shapes power relations in society. Consequently, it highlights the urgency of continuing to advance toward a cinematic language that represents women in all their diversity, complexity, and realism, promoting a horizon of symbolic justice in the Ecuadorian audiovisual field.