Las maestras de la República

This is an excellent documentary that does a very good job of presenting its subject and making a very valid point about it. 'Maestras de la República' pays homage to the many women who, mainly as primary school teachers, brought much-needed fresh air to the Spanish classrooms in the brief years of the Republic (1931-9). Representing a new generation of Spanish women, co-educated and trained with the men to be the teachers a new Spain needed, they did their job as well as they could, only to be ostracized, stripped of their positions and even worse by Franco's regime. Beyond its valuable topic, the documentary happens to be very well built, with insightful interviews with key specialists, the right human interest touch and a very successful overall didactic tone. All this deserved a Goya award but, what is more important, still deserves catching the attention of many more spectators.