Culture and Cinema: Female empowerment in Contemporary Audiovisual Narratives

This study analyzes the female gaze within culture and audiovisual narrative in the films Barbie (2023), Past Lives (2023), and The Substance (2024). The objective is to examine perceptions regarding how these productions construct the female gaze in relation to culture and audiovisual storytelling. Based on an interpretive paradigm and a qualitative methodology, this research employs interview and content analysis techniques to identify narrative, visual, and technical resources that shape the female gaze. The results show that, although diverse in style and context, these films converge in their portrayal of complex female characters who challenge traditional stereotypes and open spaces for new forms of representation. It is concluded that female-directed cinema redefines women's empowerment by linking aesthetic sensitivity with narrative autonomy and the self-reflection of young female film audiences.