How are you experiencing this stage of your career, and what has this diversity of experiences meant to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\nA: This is a long-distance race, and I\u2019m now seeing the results of persistence, continuous training and professional development. But above all, it\u2019s about learning to navigate the ups and downs of this profession: the months of job uncertainty and the rejections at auditions, which account for 99% of cases. It\u2019s like going to job interviews and hearing \u201cno\u201d time and time again. Inevitably, this situation builds a certain resilience, which has allowed me to enjoy this stage of my career today. <\/p>\n\n
Being able to work across such a diverse range of experiences, from local, national and international productions to different genres (drama, comedy, suspense and even vampires), exposes me to many different ways of working. Every production is a challenge that involves teamwork: you need enough humility and flexibility to adapt to other people’s ideas, while also finding a way to bring the best of yourself, both creatively and personally, to the table.If you’re looking for stability and predictability, this isn’t a comfortable profession. But I’m someone who likes to stay curious and avoid routine, so I’m motivated by discovering the working methods behind both commercial and low-budget productions, understanding how each genre works and finding ways to translate that into my performances.<\/p>\n\n
Malnombre: Between Thriller and Fantasy. The miniseries Malnombre<\/strong><\/em>, recently presented at the Sitges Film Festival, blends thriller, social drama and fantasy elements, using vampirism as a metaphor. What attracted you to this project, and what was it like for you to immerse yourself in this kind of fictional universe for the first time?<\/strong><\/p>\n\nA: I have to admit that I find it much more fun to recreate violence and bloodshed, perform stunts to portray a vampire\u2019s supernatural powers, or inhabit a character through its visual aesthetic than to watch this genre as a spectator. Perhaps it\u2019s because it gives me the freedom to explore sides of myself that I would never unleash in real life. <\/p>\n\n
But what interested me most about Malnombre was the depth of its script. Vampirism serves as a vehicle for criticising our society\u2019s enslavement to the idea of having to remain eternally young. It is a carefully constructed trap that makes us feel insecure enough to believe we need to change and improve our physical appearance, leading us to devote our time and resources to the hugely profitable beauty industry.I don’t like feeling enslaved by something I haven’t chosen, but rather something I feel socially pressured into doing in order to remain desirable in a society that places greater value on physical appearance than on the mind.<\/p>\n\n
Pilar and Ageism. In the series, you play Pilar, a woman seeking to belong in an environment that rejects her because of her age. Her story reflects a reality that is particularly prevalent in the audiovisual industry: women losing opportunities as they get older. How did you approach building this character, and how important is it to bring visibility to women who are so often left out of the stories we tell?<\/strong><\/p>\n\nA: Conversations with the creator, Alfonso Cort\u00e9s-Cavanillas, were essential in developing the character, as they helped me understand the vision and direction of his work. From there, I tried to make the role my own, drawing on my personal experience: actresses gradually disappear from the big screen as they get older and are no longer considered physically attractive. <\/p>\n\n
According to CIMA\u2019s latest report on the representation of women in the Spanish feature film industry, \u201cThis year, male representation has increased at the expense of female and non-binary representation, reinforcing the clear dominance of men in mature and older age groups (61.48% of men are over 50). By contrast, women face severe ageism: from the age of 50 onwards, their representation drops to just 38.52%, confirming the gender gap and the barriers faced by older actresses.\u201d<\/em> These figures amount to an unwelcome declaration of a slow professional death for an actress. That is precisely what I wanted to convey through Pilar\u2019s character: coming to terms with the fact that younger generations are taking over.<\/p>\n\nMost scripts continue to be trapped in an outdated clich\u00e9 that leaves no room for stories about women navigating the different stages of life. <\/p>\n\n
For example, casting directors tend to favour young, attractive actresses to play mothers in their twenties and grandmothers in their forties, rather than portraying these roles in a way that reflects the reality of our times. Art, and cinema in particular, has a responsibility to reshape perspectives.Although progress has been made, issues that directly affect women are still being silenced, including motherhood, female sexuality, health, menopause and ageing, as if they were taboo subjects. These are all issues that should be part of our collective social imagination, helping to create role models and making space for these experiences to be acknowledged and normalised. <\/p>\n\n
The Canary Islands as Both a Filming Location and an Industry. You have worked on productions filmed in various locations, including Malnombre<\/em>, which was shot between Fuerteventura and Madrid, and The End of It<\/em>, filmed in Tenerife. Based on your experience, what potential do the Canary Islands have to attract audiovisual productions, and what do we need to ensure that this growth also translates into more opportunities for professionals and creators from the archipelago?<\/strong><\/p>\n\nA: The Canary Islands are well positioned to diversify their economy through the audiovisual sector, reducing their dependence on tourism. Thanks to the sector’s special tax incentives, the islands’ landscapes and climate, the industry has experienced year-on-year growth. However, we need to manage this development carefully to ensure it doesn’t get out of hand: <\/p>\n\n
Given the growing demand for skilled professionals on film sets, it would be advisable to continue investing in training and professional development to avoid having to recruit workers from outside the islands.<\/p>\n\n
I also believe that greater employment of local professionals, particularly in creative departments, should be encouraged as a requirement for accessing tax incentives. In practice, production companies tend to hire island-based professionals mainly for supporting positions in departments such as costume, make-up and hair.As for actors, opportunities are often limited to supporting roles, with little real chance of taking on more substantial parts that would allow us to develop and establish an artistic career. This approach restricts our opportunities for professional growth and condemns us to a situation of precariousness and job insecurity.<\/p>\n\n
On the other hand, it is important to raise public awareness of the need to keep the cost of services (accommodation, catering, etc.) under control. If prices become excessive, production companies will look elsewhere for more economically viable filming locations.<\/p>\n\n
I also believe there is a need for political action to ensure that the smaller islands can become part of this industry too. At present, the additional costs associated with inter-island travel and the logistical challenges of double insularity make filming there more expensive, something production companies are often unable to afford.<\/p>\n\n
But perhaps, beyond attracting outside productions, what really matters is investing in building and consolidating a homegrown film industry in the Canary Islands. At present, we lack a strong audiovisual infrastructure, and this is certainly not due to a shortage of talent, creativity or professional expertise. Fortunately, we have funding schemes in place to support the audiovisual sector, but many of us\u2014both professionals and project creators\u2014are competing for grants whose available resources are clearly insufficient to meet the full extent of the industry’s potential.<\/p>\n\n
For this reason, I believe that budget allocations for the development of Canarian cinema need to be increased. Investing in the audiovisual sector should not be seen merely as an expense, but as a strategic investment whose economic, cultural and social returns are well established.To build a sustainable industry, we need more than just attracting film productions: we need to support our own projects, provide continuity for our professionals and create opportunities for local talent to grow and develop without having to rely exclusively on productions coming from elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n
CIMA: An Industry Moving Forward, but Not Fast Enough. As the Canary Islands representative of the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media Professionals (CIMA), you have first-hand knowledge of the situation facing women in the industry. The association\u2019s latest report puts women’s representation in key positions of responsibility at 39%, although significant inequalities remain. How do you interpret these figures, and what are still the most difficult barriers to overcome?<\/strong><\/p>\n\nA: To understand these figures, we need to look back at how things have evolved and put them into perspective. There has been positive progress, but it is still not enough. Many professions continue to be associated with one gender or another: there are still very few women working in directing, cinematography, sound, music composition and executive production, among other fields. Meanwhile, women remain most heavily represented in departments such as costume, make-up, hair and production design.The biggest barrier we need to overcome is this deeply ingrained, traditional gender segregation based on stereotypes.<\/p>\n\n
Inequality Is Also Reflected in Budgets. One of the most striking findings in CIMA\u2019s 2025 report is that films directed by women have an average budget 51% lower than those directed by men. What does this disparity reveal about access to funding and the real opportunities available to women to develop larger-scale projects? What measures should be introduced to address this funding gap?<\/strong><\/p>\n\nA: There is still prejudice when it comes to women’s professional abilities. We continue to have to prove our worth far more than men, whose competence is more readily taken for granted. We shouldn’t have to spend our energy on this; we should be able to focus on creating. We should have access to the same budgets as men so that the quality and impact of our work are not compromised by this disparity. <\/p>\n\n
The grant scoring system, which awards additional points for women’s participation in key roles such as screenwriting, directing and producing, has proved useful in bringing us closer to workplace equality. We need to continue along this path until we achieve genuine equality. Hopefully, in the future, such a system will no longer be necessary, and the perspectives and creativity of women and gender-diverse minorities will be recognised as equally valid and essential as those of men.As I said earlier, art has a responsibility to reflect our society and the reality we live in, so that we can create role models that genuinely represent us.<\/p>\n\n
As for streaming platforms, they have become increasingly influential and should be committed to gender equality, something most of them fail to implement, largely because they are privately owned.<\/p>\n\n
The Future of Women in Film. From your dual perspective as an actress and CIMA\u2019s representative in the Canary Islands, what changes would you like to see in the audiovisual industry over the coming years? And, on a personal level, what new acting challenges or projects would you like to take on at this stage of your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\nA: Constantly having to fight is exhausting, and it shouldn’t be necessary. Although my hopes may seem utopian at this point, I would like to see the rights we have already achieved protected, so that we no longer have to fight to claim every little bit of ground.<\/p>\n\n
I believe this is only possible if we move towards a more tolerant society, moving away from extremes and learning to practise empathy and understanding. All voices should have the right to coexist, but not through violence, hatred or insults. Instead, we need to make room for listening and open conversation. At the moment, genuine dialogue has become extremely difficult.<\/p>\n\n
On a personal level, I would love to portray empowered, self-aware, strong yet vulnerable women who don’t hide their contradictions. Above all, though, I want to be part of projects that have a positive impact on society, works that are thought-provoking, meaningful and encourage deeper reflection.<\/p>\n\n
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