EEAS and OEI support together a web-platform to foster the role of women in Euro-Latin American filmmaking

On July 10, the Women Cinema EU-LAC platform was officially launched. This digital initiative is promoted within the framework of the EU-CELAC Roadmap 2023–2025, which was adopted after the Summit of Heads of State and Government held on July 17 and 18, 2023. The initiative seeks to foster opportunities and collaboration among women in the audiovisual sector across the EU and LAC. It aims to strengthen bi-regional alliances through connections between networks, associations, and institutions in both regions.

The project is an initiative of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) ,developed through its Ibero-American Program on Human Rights, Democracy and Equality , in collaboration with the European External Action Service (EEAS). It forms part of the broader bi-regional EU-LAC Cinema campaign.

The platform’s primary goal is to provide easier access to professional opportunities and resources for women working in audio-visual fields across both regions. It features an interactive bi-regional map that allows users to locate:

• Associations and networks of women in the audio-visual sector

• Funding opportunities tailored to women professionals in the sector

• Employment opportunities for women (including mentorships, training, scholarships, etc.)

• Festivals featuring activities focused on women

In addition, this initiative aims to interact with other related platforms, such as the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA), Ibermedia, CIIMA, and others. These connections help ensure both the visibility and usability of shared resources and opportunities across existing regional networks.

The launch was presented jointly by Irune Aguirrezabal, Director of the OEI’s Ibero-American Program on Human Rights, Democracy and Equality, and Alessandro Rossi, Policy Officer in the Regional Affairs division within the Americas department at the EEAS.  The event, moderated by Mariana Soares (OEI), featured insights from industry experts including Alexia Muiños Ruíz, (European Women’s Audiovisual Network); Elena Villardell, (Ibermedia); Blanca Rey, (producer and member of GENERAAMA); and Josephine Landertinger Forero, (director, screenwriter, and activist at Acción Mujeres).

Full release here:

Background on the platform

The project started in 2024 with a pilot phase.  iI encompassed activities such as organising  debates between women in the audiovisual sector to identify opportunities and challenges in bi-regional cooperation (e.g. Malaga Film Festival, webinars).

Moreover, the Women EU-LAC Cinema Platform is an initiative that seeks to share opportunities, promote exchange between women in the European and Latin American audiovisual sector, as well as develop bi-regional alliances between networks and associations and institutions in the audiovisual sector.

European Union, 2025

In the picture:

Alessandro Rossi, Policy Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean at the European External Action Service; Elena Villardell, Technical and Executive Secretary of Ibermedia; Blanca Rey, producer and member of GENERAAMA; Mariana Soares, specialist from the OEI’s Directorate-General for Culture; Alexia Muiños Ruíz, Director of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network; Irune Aguirrezabal, Director of the OEI’s Ibero-American Program on Human Rights, Democracy and Equality; Blanca Rey, producer and member of GENERAAMA

Background on the EU LAC Cinema initiaitve

The EEAS support to the Women Cinema EU-LAC is linked to the values and objectives of the initiative EU-LAC Cinema: promoting audio-visual cooperation on youth, gender and diversity (#EULAC #Cinema). 

EULAC Cinema is one of the bi-regional initiatives of the EU-CELAC Roadmap 2023-2025, presented at the 2023 Summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels and preparing the forthcoming EU-CELAC 2025 Summit in Colombia.