Josefina Molina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Excelentísima Señora Doña Josefina Molina MMT
Molina in 2018
Born	Josefina Molina Reig (1936-11-14) 14 November 1936 (age 88) Córdoba, Spain
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter
Years active	1966-1998

Josefina Molina Reig (born November 14, 1936, in Córdoba, Spain) is a famous Spanish film director, screenwriter, and TV producer. She was one of the very first women to direct films in Spain. Josefina is well-known for movies like Función de noche (1981) and Esquilache (1988). She also directed the popular TV series Teresa de Jesús (1984), which won several awards. Her film Esquilache was even shown at a big international film festival in Berlin.

About Josefina Molina

Her Early Life and Education

Josefina Molina was born in 1936 in Córdoba, Spain. Her family was middle-class. Her father owned a shop that sold shoes and other products, and her mother managed their home. Their family business did very well, so Josefina had a comfortable childhood, even after the difficult times of the war.

Thanks to her parents' good financial situation, Josefina went to excellent schools in Córdoba. She learned to read and write at Hermanos de la Salle. Later, she finished high school at Escolapias de Santa Victoria. Her mother especially encouraged her to get a good education.

How She Discovered Her Passion for Film

Josefina's love for movies began when her parents took her to the cinema on Sunday afternoons. She also loved to read. When she was just thirteen, she discovered a famous book series called Episodios Nacionales by Galdós. These stories made her want to tell her own tales, especially in a realistic way.

But it was a movie called El río (The River) by Jean Renoir, which she saw at age fifteen, that truly sparked her interest in telling stories through film.

Starting in Theater

As a young woman, Josefina joined groups of artists and thinkers in Córdoba. She often went to film clubs where people watched movies and talked about them. She also joined a group called Círculo Juan XXIII, which was a meeting place for young people with new ideas during a time when Spain was ruled by a strict government.

In this group, she started a theater company called Teatro Ensayo Medea. Josefina was a strong supporter of women's rights, and she became a theater director for the first time. Her first play was Casa de Muñecas (Dollhouse) by Henrik Ibsen. It was a very modern play for its time, and the first performance was not successful.

But Josefina didn't give up! She kept directing plays and even started working in radio in 1962. She had a popular radio show section called La mujer y el cine (Women and Cinema).

Josefina's Professional Journey

Becoming a Director

Josefina Molina studied political science. In 1969, she made history by becoming the first woman to earn a degree in directing from the Official Cinema School in Spain. After that, she directed many TV dramas for Spanish Television.

One time, she directed a TV show based on The Metamorphosis by Kafka. She said it was a difficult project that no one else wanted to do. But she put all her effort into it, showing her dedication even when things were tough.

She also directed many plays, including Motín de Brujas and Cartas de Amor.

Her Famous TV Series and Films

Josefina directed several well-known TV series:

• El Camino (The Road) (1978): This series tells the story of an 11-year-old boy named Daniel who has to leave his village for school in the city. The night before he leaves, he remembers his childhood and the people from his village.
• Teresa de Jesús (Teresa of Jesus) (1984): This series is about the life of Saint Teresa of Jesus, played by actress Concha Velasco.
• Entre Naranjos (Among Orange Trees) (1998): This was based on a famous novel.

She also had great success directing a play called Cinco Horas con Mario (Five Hours with Mario). This play has been performed for many years by different actresses.

Her first full-length movie was Vera, un cuento cruel (Vera, a cruel tale) in 1973. In 1981, she directed Función de noche (Evening performance), a film about a separated couple who play themselves.

In 1989, she directed the historical movie Esquilache. It had a fantastic cast of actors. Her last films were Lo más natural (The most natural) (1990) and La Lola se va a los puertos (Lola goes to the ports) (1993).

Later Achievements and Writing

In 2006, Josefina helped start CIMA, an association for women filmmakers and media professionals. She is now the Honorary President of this group. In 2011, she received the Honorary Goya Award, which is a very important award in Spanish cinema, for her lifetime achievements. In 2012, she was named an Honorary Citizen of Andalusia.

Besides directing, Josefina is also a talented writer. She started writing novels when she decided to stop making movies. Her first novel, Cuestión de azar (A Matter of Chance), tells the story of how girls were raised in Andalusia during her generation. She also wrote En el umbral de la hoguera (On the threshold of the stake) about Teresa of Jesus, and an autobiography called Sentada en un rincón (Sitting in a Corner). She loves writing because it gives her freedom to create without needing anyone else's permission.

Josefina and Feminism

Josefina Molina is well known for her support of women's rights. She even wrote a book called Cine de mujeres en la Transición (Female Cinema during the Transition), which is part of a "feminist trilogy" of books.

Cinema and Television Works

Filmography as Director

• Entre naranjos (Among orange trees) (TV mini-series) (1998)
• Función de noche (Evening Performance) (TV series) (1995)
• Las trampas del azar. Dos tiempos de una crónica (Random traps. Two times of one chronic) (1995)
• La lola se va a los puertos (Lola goes to the ports) (1993)
• Lo más natural (The Most Natural Thing) (1991)
• Esquilache (1989)
• La voz humana (The Human Voice) (TV series) (1986)
• La mujer sola (Lonely woman) (1986)
• Paisaje con figuras (Landscape with Figures) (TV series) (1984)
• Lope de Vega(1984)
• Teresa de Jesús (Teresa of Jesus) (TV series) (8 episodes) (1984)
• Hija de la iglesia (Daughter of the Church) (1984)
• Vida (Life) (1984)
• Visita de descalzas (Visit of Barefoots) (1984)
• Fundaciones (Foundations)
• El castillo interior (The Interior Castle) (1984)
• Función de noche (Evening Performance) (1981)
• Escrito en América (Written in America) (TV series) (1979)
• Novela (Novel) (TV series) (1974-1978)
• Los libros (The Books) (TV series) (1976)
• Doña Luz (Mrs Luz) (1976)
• Estudio 1 (Study 1) (TV series) (1975-1976)
• Anna Christie (1976)
• Hedda Gabler (1975)
• Escritores de hoy (Contemporary writers) (TV series) (1975)
• La asegurada (The insured woman) (1975)
• Cuentos y leyendas (Tales and Legends) (TV series) (1974)
• La promesa (The Promise) (1974)
• Un globo, dos globos, tres globos (A balloon, two balloons, three balloons) (TV series) (1974)
• Vera, un cuento cruel (Vera, a cruel tale) (1974)
• Los pintores del Prado (The Prado painters) (TV series) (1974)
• Durero: la búsqueda de la identidad (Dürer: The Pursuit of Identity) (1974)
• La rama seca (The dry branch) (short film) (1972)
• Hora once (Eleventh hour) (TV series) (1971-1972)
• El cochero (The coachman) (1971)
• La prudente venganza (The Careful Revenge) (1971)
• Eleonora (1971)
• La Marquesa de O (The Marquise of O) (1972)
• Teatro de siempre(The same theater as always) (TV series) (1971)
• Casa de muñecas II (Dollhouse II) (1971)
• Melodrama infernal (Dreadfull melodrama) (short film) (1969)
• Pequeño estudio (Small study) (TV series) (1968)
• Aquel humo gris (That gray smoke) (short film) (1967)
• La otra soledad (The other loneliness) (short film) (1966)

Filmography as Screenwriter

• Entre naranjos (Among orange trees) (TV mini-series) (1998)
• La Lola se va a los puertos (Lola goes to the ports) (1993)
• Esquilache (1989)
• La voz humana (The human voice) (TV series) (adaptation) (1986)
• La mujer sola (Lonely Woman) (adaptation) (1986)
• Teresa de Jesús (Teresa of Jesus) (TV series) (1984)
• Hija de la iglesia (Daughter of the Church) (1984)
• Vida (Life) (1984)
• Visita de descalzas (Visit of Barefoots) (1984)
• Fundaciones (Foundations) (1984)
• El castillo interior (The Interior Castle) (1984)
• Función de noche (Evening Performance) (1981)
• Novela (Novel) (TV series) (adaptation) (1978)
• Los libros (The Books) (TV series) (adaptation) (1976)
• Doña Luz (Mrs Luz) (adaptation) (1976)
• Estudio 1 (Study 1) (TV series) (adaptation) (1975-1976)
• Anna Christie (1976)
• Hedda Gabler (1975)
• Vera, un cuento cruel (Vera, a cruel tale) (1974)
• Los pintores del Prado (The Prado Painters) (TV series) (1974)
• Durero: la búsqueda de la identidad (Dürer: The Pursuit of Identity) (1974)
• Melodrama infernal (Dreadfull Melodrama) (short film) (1969)
• Aquel humo gris (That gray smoke) (short film) (1967)
• La otra soledad (The other loneliness) (short film) (1966)

Awards and Nominations

Honours

• Gold Medal of Merit in Labour (November 14, 2011).

See also

In Spanish: Josefina Molina para niños