Spain: New film explores Franco-era women's repression

The film ‘Ruega por nosotras’, directed by Daniel Monzón, explores the history of the Patronato de Protección a la Mujer, an institution established in 1941 during the Franco dictatorship. The organization was designed to indoctrinate and discipline women deemed ‘wayward’ by the regime’s moral standards, including those who disobeyed social norms or engaged in unauthorized sexual relationships.

Managed by Carmen Polo, the institution operated 538 centers across Spain, some of which remained active for a decade after Franco’s death in 1975. The film, which was presented at the San Sebastián Film Festival, aims to document the experiences of women who were held in these centers. The production involved extensive research, including work by Consuelo García del Cid, a former resident of the institution who has spent years documenting its history.