By Jillian Pabalan

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Antonia Delgado-Poust

Abstract

I have written the script to a short film titled La farera (English: The Lighthouse Keeper). I have been captivated by lighthouses ever since I climbed my first lighthouse in May 2023, and recently learned at one of the associated museums that women were typically not permitted to be lighthouse keepers. Therefore, when presented with the opportunity to tell a story about female resistance to societal expectations and prohibitions, I elected to write about a woman who had the role of lighthouse keeper thrust upon her and accepted it with honor, while dealing with her own grief and misogynistic pushback. The film is set in the early 20th century, before women had the freedom to choose their own careers. Our protagonist, Raquel, is the only child of a single father; she is outspoken, crass, and courageous, while still retaining warmth and tenderness for the people she cares about. My goal was to create an undeniably strong, non-conformist female protagonist who didn’t have to sacrifice her family-oriented and nurturing nature for her strength, and demonstrate the dynamics of her personality throughout the demands of the maritime environment (which is historically unfriendly to women).