Collaboration on a Spanish Film Project: an Interview with Alfredo Martinez Expósito and Santiago Fouz Hernández

Felicia Lee

Professor Alfredo Martínez Expósito, Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Melbourne, joined forces with Professor Santiago Fouz Hernández from the University of Durham on a Spanish cinema and book project.

Felicia interviewed Alfredo and Santiago about their collaboration and their experiences bringing Spanish cinema to the Australian audiences.

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Thank you for agreeing to speak with me regarding your very exciting projects. Could you first tell us more about the Spanish cinema project that you have embarked on?

The project draws on our co-authored book Live Flesh: The Male Body in Contemporary Spanish Cinema, published in 2007. The book was quite pioneering then in drawing attention to depictions of male bodies and evolving masculinities in post-Franco Spanish cinema, with special emphasis on the 1990s and early 2000s, a period when both democracy and integration into the European Union were arguably well established.

We found that, while films released immediately after the end of the dictatorship showed a disproportionate focus on female bodies, leaving male characters free from scrutiny, Spanish film productions in the 1990s and 2000s turned the attention to men and male bodies, questioning their subjectivity as bearers of the gaze and problematising the very concept of hegemonic masculinities. In that book, we explored how the body was used in contemporary Spanish films as a locus of desire but also as a vehicle to express ideals and social anxieties about national identity, health and fitness, sexualities, or immigration. The book revealed some insecurities and vulnerabilities in male characters that sometimes seemed quite lost in a rapidly changing society where patriarchal and heteronormative ideals were being dismantled, and certain strategies to resist the threat to previously established privileges and social structures.

A lot has happened since 2007, starting with the financial downturn in 2008, the 15M ‘revolution’ that brought about the end of bipartisan politics in 2011, the unexpected re-emergence of the far right with Vox entering the political spectrum in 2013, the controversial Catalan referendum in 2017 and the Covid-19 pandemic since 2020. All these important events have had an impact on social discourses of masculinities and their depiction in film.  This has been exacerbated by the increasing popularisation of gender theory, the social breakdown of gender binary structures, supported by new legislation such as the recently passed ‘Trans Law’, and further advancements of women’s rights, also supported by various legal changes.

In contrast, and partly as a reaction against these considerable social changes, there has been an increase in reactionary politics, domestic and gang violence against women, LGBTQI+ phobia and a rapid spread of incendiary discourses and false information through social media. All these factors are significant enough to re-assess our initial study by focusing on new films, new contexts and new theories.  

This new project will explore how these socio-economic and political changes, as well as financial and health crises have impacted depictions of men and masculinities on the Spanish screens since 2008 until now. We will focus on issues such as ageing, fatness, fitness, health, (trans)national narratives or non-binary characters.

It’s a breath of fresh air to focus on the notion of masculinity and see it being explored in other areas as well. So out of curiosity, why did both of you decide to work with each other?

We have been collaborating on various projects since the early 2000s. We found interesting synergies in our published work and, before co-authoring Live Flesh, in early 2002 we organised a teaching exchange between Durham University in the UK (where Santiago is still based) and the University of Queensland (where Alfredo was then based).

The experience was very positive for us both and it also made us realise that we had a lot of shared research interests and intellectual pursuits. That’s when we decided to work together on the project of masculinities and male bodies that then became the book. Since then, we have collaborated very regularly, contributing chapters to various edited collections, presenting work in various international conference panels and with shorter, reciprocal visits to each other’s institutions.

Most recently we co-authored a book chapter on transnational and migrant queer affects that was published in late 2020 in the book Queering the Migrant in Contemporary European Cinema (Routledge). We have also collaborated in some research impact events, such as the Australian edition of the Bigas Luna Tribute in 2018 and conference panels as recently as January 2023 at the Modern Language Association Annual Convention in San Francisco.

What were some challenges that you’ve met when you were working on the projects and how did you overcome them?

It can be difficult to keep track of all the films released in Spain that may be of interest to our research project. Sometimes it is also difficult to obtain copies, especially now that films are not automatically released on DVD as it was the case before. It is not always easy to find them on streaming services either, due to the short-lived rotation of some films or competition between various platforms. Sometimes it can also be challenging to work from a distance and in two very different time zones.

These problems can be solved with the support of research funding. For example, thanks to a Walter Mangold Fellowship (CASS Foundation), Santiago could spend time in Melbourne in September 2022 and again from April to June 2023. This time has allowed us to discuss initial ideas for the project, including division of chapters, theoretical framework, and preliminary selection of case studies. It has also enabled us to prepare talks and to present our preliminary findings and context in various institutions in Australia, including the inter-varsity Wally Thompson research seminar on Iberian and Latin American Studies jointly organised by Melbourne, La Trobe, RMIT, Deakin and Monash universities; the UQ Hispanic seminar series and the Instituto Cervantes in Sydney.

We are now working on putting together a plan for various funding applications, which could help with the first issue by facilitating visits to film archives in Spain where films can be easily accessed. Our own travel plans to Madrid for other separate projects can also help us access materials. 

You also worked together on the Spanish Film Festival for the Australian audience in 2018. Could you share more about that?

In April/May 2008, we collaborated with the Spanish Film Festival for the Australian edition of the Bigas Luna Tribute, with special events in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, as well as screenings in 4 other Australian cities. 

The Bigas Luna Tribute is a touring series of film retrospectives and art exhibitions to celebrate the work of iconic Spanish filmmaker Bigas Luna (1947-2013). It also has a companion monthly podcast. Bigas Luna is well known for launching the careers of now global actors Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem (among others), but also for his defiantly erotic films during the Transition and his sustained interest in the deconstruction of Spanish national identity. 

Santiago has been coordinating these events with Bigas Luna’s daughter Betty Bigas since launching the Tribute in San Francisco in early 2015 and he also produces the podcast. The event has visited 23 cities in 11 different countries, attracting considerable media attention and sold-out audiences in many places, including, for example, Palace Centro in Sydney. Most recently it’s visited New York, Edinburgh and Los Angeles, with events coming up in London later this year, and Italy and Brazil next year. 

The screenings include introductions and Q&As with Bigas Luna specialists and the Spanish film industry. In Barcelona and Australia, Alfredo was our academic guest and key in the organisation of events in Australia. This was a great opportunity to talk to audiences not just about Bigas Luna, but also about Spanish cinema, culture, and history more generally. At the festival we were interviewed about our book for Fred radio (The Festival Insider). The podcast episode can be accessed here.

Finally, what are some future projects that you’ll be collaborating on?

For now, the co-authored monograph is our main objective. This will undoubtedly lead to various public talks, international conference panels, public engagement events, and perhaps a symposium in the medium term. We are still in the initial phase of this project, so our most immediate priority is to attract funding for it, then complete the research and then write the book. Other satellite projects may come later. Watch this space!

Well, thank you for speaking with me! We would be looking forward to your future projects!

Thank you, Felicia.