Brazilian Women’s Filmmaking and the State during the 1970s and 1980s

This chapter examines the role of the Brazilian state in women's filmmaking. In 1969, the Empresa Brasileiro de Filmes (Embrafilme) came into being during the most repressive years of the military regime. Originally created to promote and distribute Brazilian films abroad, Embrafilme was charged to oversee commercial and noncommercial film activities such as film festivals, the publication of film journals, and training of technicians. By the early 1980s, Embrafilme had become a vital source for independent, auteur cinema in Brazil and helped secure—but not sustain—women's place in the Brazilian film industry. Once the government took on a more supportive role in the film industry, contemporary women filmmakers began participating in filmmaking; however, women filmmakers in Brazil have conflicting opinions about the state-led agency and its role in supporting their careers as directors.