Women are the protagonists of a large part of the cultural activity that takes place in the city and, although there is still much to be done, they are more present every day and their contribution is recognised in a fairer way. You can see it in an 8-M in which exhibition halls, concert halls and cinema halls, among others, are joining in the celebrations of International Women’s Day.

Some cinemas, such as the Zumzeig cinemas, make their contribution to the visibility of women and the abuse they often suffer by recovering a film (you can see it on 5, 6 and 7 March; 7 €) that is a pioneer in the reporting of sexual abuse of women. And it’s a film from 1975, when you couldn’t see anything like it on the screen. It is called Not a Pretty Picture and is the story of a real experience of the director, Martha Coolidge. She was raped in 1962, at the age of 16, by a classmate. Twelve years later, the filmmaker had the courage to explain the experience and show it on camera in a straightforward manner. It is one of the first films about abuse and its consequences. It was filmed almost half a century ago, but it seems to have been made just now.

Also with cinema as the language, the new Mecal Factory is also talking about women on Wednesday, 8th and Saturday, 9th. On the first day, they are planning a programme of films by women filmmakers and, on the second day, a programme of films about the female universe. The activities are free, but you have to become a member (it’s free). However, you will be charged admission to CaixaForum (6 €), where on Saturday, 9 March, at 7 p.m., they have invited a female filmmaker, Carla Simón, to programme a short and a full-length film and then talk about the theme that they both touch on: desire. It will be a dialogue between three women and the audience, as Carla Simón will talk about the films you have seen, A Girl’s Own Story (1984) and À ma soeur! (2001), both directed by women: Jane Campion and Catherine Breillat.

Music, theatre and art

If you prefer music, you’ll have to go to the Sala Paral-lel 62, where on Saturday, 9 March, they are holding one of the Yallah! festivals, dedicated to world music, which this time is devoted to women’s music and they have invited Narjess and her collective Let it Go Associació, an association of women for creative and personal development, to dance with them. On the same day 9, but at the Sala Gran de Paral-lel 62, there is also a feminist party (attention, it’s not mixed; 3 €, with reservation) only for women, lesbians and trans women.

Remember Tori Sparks? She’s a great North American artist who lives and works in Barcelona and who, after some vocal problems, finally returns to the stage, specifically to the Luz de Gas venue, on a special date: 8 March. You will hear her singing new songs as well as the ones you already know: blues, rock, country and American roots. Part of the proceeds from the concert (from €12.23 to €35.65 in advance) will go to the Ana Bella Foundation, which offers support and opportunities to single mothers who are victims of gender violence.

If you like theatre, this is a great time to see at TNC Entrevistes breus amb dones excepcionals, a play by Joan Yago directed by Mònica Bofill and performed by Muntsa Alcañiz, Mònica Almirall, Anna Barrachina, Elisabet Casanovas, Miranda Gas and Yolanda Sikara. On the 8th, to be precise, there will be a post-performance colloquium moderated by the journalist Sílvia Coppulo. And on the same International Women’s Day, on 8 March in the evening, the members of the company Las Jónicas will be debuting at the Teatre del Raval, performing Liryca (€16, in advance), the story of five women who take part in a reality show in the middle of a pandemic. Until 17 March, finally, among other proposals, you can see at the Sala Beckett a play by the Quebecois author Evelyne de la Chenelière, which retells Virginia Woolf’s novel Cap al far in Llums, llums, llums, a show performed by Tània Banús and Anna Güell.

Artistic proposals such as the exhibition and meeting with the Chinese artist Yang Shun, who lives in Barcelona, bring an Asian perspective to the celebrations of International Women’s Day. The exhibition and presentation will be held at the Arús Public Library (21 March, opening and talk. Exhibition, until 26 April) in an activity organised by the Confucius Foundation. It is a free activity, but places are limited, so reservations are required. In “Experimentació artística i renovació vital“, the title of the exhibition and the talk, we will hear the artist reflect on the merging of cultures and we will hear her talk about a work in which she combines classical Xinese tradition with contemporary Western concepts.

But if you’re more interested in marketing than in art, you should know that on Thursday, 7 March, at Casa Seat (free, but reservations are required) Club Marketing Barcelona is holding She leads the revolution, a talk on how the female perspective has been key in the redefinition of this technique. 

If you’re looking for something different, however, you’ll have to go to Cases Singulars, where on 5 March they’re not only holding a conference (you can follow it in person or online) that talks about women artists, transgressors and avant-gardists, but also offers visits to buildings in the city during which they highlight the biography or contributions of a woman related to the space you’re visiting.

If you want to experience International Women’s Day intensely, check the links of each space for information on the activities.