Abstract

The presence of women as film directors remains very low, two decades after the beginning of the 20th century. In this sense, many publications have been analyzing the issue, taking into account the dynamics of large studios and the absence of women assuming relevant positions in their productions. But in low-budget productions, there are also few women taking the lead of the works. Even in the case of home movies, most of them are made by men. In this scenario, Dona Maria José Silva is an exception to the rule. Housewife, mother of a family, owner of a cheese shop, in Porto, lived a story in which she became a filmmaker with space in the media, recognized by artists of de cinema, in Portugal. In this paper, the main objective is to report aspects of his career, as well as his work. The analysis of the ways in which she produced her films can generate subsidies for adopting strategies aimed at training young women in gaining more spaces to act in key positions in film productions.