“Unpacking the Female Gaze: Race, Gender and Cinematic Representation in La Sirena by Christen Celaya and Piel Canela by Michel Salcedo”. Talk by Associate Professor of Latin American Studies at University of Idaho.

Racial, gender inequality and lack of representation in Hollywood remain at an all-time high in spite of a trending discourse of diversity and inclusion. "The Female Gaze" is a concept that emerged in response to the traditional "male gaze" theory, introduced by film theorist Laura Mulvey in her essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Mulvey argued that classical cinema often positioned the audience to adopt a heterosexual male perspective, objectifying women as passive objects of desire. The concept of the female gaze seeks to explore how women, both as creators and consumers of media, can bring their own perspectives, desires, and experiences to the forefront. La Sirena (2018) tells the story of an exotic dancer who defies the superficial stereotypes surrounding this occupation to present a woman who is battling with the aftermath of a sexual assault. Piel Canela is the story of Veronica a young upper-class girl who falls in love with her best friend, a black man who works in her family’s farm in Cuba. During her “Quinceañera” she leaves her party to meet Enrique on the farm and they consummate their love. She returns twenty years later seeking the daughter that resulted from this relationship. The plot in these two films focuses on intersectional themes of identity, trauma and loss. The familial patterns revealed in these Mis-en-scène center on a Latina agency that is seeking socio-cultural reflection amidst a multicultural consciousness.

La Sirena y Piel Canela will be shown as part of the presentation. Each short runs just under 15 minutes and both have won national and international awards in the Film Festival Circuit.