In this country, there are two Sustainable Development Goals that always want to be forgotten and both are related to inequality. A growing number of factors are the reason equality and gender equality are still a goal in the second decade of the 21st century, and achieving equality is just the last step to take before reaching equity. Even though some people are fighting against inequality, it is true that that fighting is not intersectional and that is making changes come slower than they should.

 

STUDIES MAINLY FOCUS ON SEX

 

Most of the Spanish studies made that talk about the audiovisual industry in Spain are sex-based. Mostly, they are presented as gender-based studies leaving non-binary people out. There are barely any study races or ethnicity related. This all lowers the importance of the issues non-white people have daily. Minorities struggle in the Spanish film industry more than white people and it must be shown. “In RTVE they just cover gender topics” tells us Lucía Asué, journalist and writer who was told those exact words when she complained about the lack of inclusion in the talks.

 

The first step is to accept the existence of racism, systemic racism in the country. 

 

FINANCIAL AID

 

It has been proved year by year that women receive less financial aid than men. The effect this fact has on women is big, to the point they think of moving out and leaving a country, family and friends they love behind to be able to have the life they wished for themselves. “But it is sad that we have to reach the point where we have to move out so we can be treated with respect or that they [companies] start taking us seriously”, adds Adriana Agudetse. 

 

“Fees solve, they aren´t the aim but they are the medium” says Lucía. Getting financial aid is a huge help to artists to produce their content, especially those films made independently. It is a relief.

 

MISREPRESENTATION AND LACK OF DIVERSITY ON TV AND FILM

 

In Spanish fiction there really is a lack of non-white references and also so little diversity, that non-white younger generations have serious problems with the vision of themselves in relation to the world that surrounded them. As a consequence, these people think that they are doing something wrong and that they have to change to fit in society. In addition, when non-white people finally find someone who really is similar to them, these people don’t see that they could be a great reference, due to they got used to only having white references. 

 

As a result of this lack of representation people grow up with a limited vision of reality, which generates that when they get older, non-white people stop seeing themselves in places where society doesn´t expect them. Also, it would be much more rewarding for white people if the media showed them another version of the same problems, topics.. from a completely different point of view.

 

It is true that the Spanish film and series industry has started to add non-white roles in their casts, however, this is far away from real equality. In Lucia's words, “the objective” is not to create “a Benetton cast”, this means, it’s not only being there, but it is also letting them use their voices. Basically, that representation on screen has to be followed by the same representation off-screen.

 

STEREOTYPES AND THE HARM THEY DO

 

Fomenting stereotypes create a large amount of damage in society. People use what they see as a pretext to justify their racism and an example that Adriana gives is that, in fiction, Muslim people have been portrayed as a terrorist for a long time and now, so people have come to the idea that they are terrorists until it is proved they are not. Unfortunately, this is not the only example of discrimination and racism in Spanish TV. People believe the stereotypes that are shown on TV and as a consequence, the racism in the streets increases 

 

Stereotyped roles are used mainly in comedy series, such as “Aída” or “La que se avecina”, where some characters are treated in a very discriminatory way. One of the most known cases happened in “Aída”, a Spanish comedy, where a character used to call another one “Machupichu” because it was from Perú. 

 

Another example of stereotyped Spanish fiction is the “black beach” (2020) film. In this case, the main issue is that the director lived in Guinea Ecuatorial for several years but, when directing the film, he decided to tell the audience the same as always, the same plot about a poor African country with big natural resources, the same stereotyped characters with a white protagonist. Lucía explains: “it isn't enough moving from home but it is important to take your eyes with you too”.

 

CASTING AND COLORISM

 

When casting non-white people, casting directors tend to make them do their auditions with stereotypes. They ask black people to act “as a black person” which is changing their accent, moves, etc to a stereotypical way when in reality that doesn’t exist. This also happens with people from the LGTB+ community.

 

“No me pongas a un negro haciendo de negro o inmigrante, son más cosas”, comments Lucía. Non-white people do not come to the country from the same place, they do not come from the same reason. Each one of them has a background story and a story to tell, the same as white people. 

 

There is another problem in auditions, casting directors often cast light-skin people. They do this because it is more acceptable to the norm the society has established, and therefore they think they will gain more money by doing that. Also, non-white people are often casted in Spanish series as side characters, having any or barely dialogue nor character development or a background story.

 

But studying film is very expensive, not many people can afford that so filling up writers rooms with diversity is even harder due to the racism existing in the society and the film industry.

 

To sum up, the Spanish audiovisual industry still has a long way until it finally reaches equality. Even if some progress has been done in the last decades, thanks to platforms such as Netflix too, there is a lot to do. Lucía remarks that for achieving equality “the industry” has to understand that “the agenda-setting in Spanish fiction” has to be “another one” and also that “laws are needed”. After all, society hates hearing that it is racist and the first step to change is to recognize it.