Possibilism, memory and reflexivity: Opposition to dictatorship in cinema produced during the late Francoist era and during the transition to democracy in Spain (1969–1977)

This article addresses some of the forms of opposition to the Franco dictatorship that are to be found in films produced between 1969 and 1977, as well as the obstacles that such films encountered. We will focus in particu­lar on so-called “possibilist” cinema and the crisis that it faced as a result of audiences’ and critics’ demands for greater literalness; on the consequences of the emergence of new boundaries with regard to what could then be spo­ken about and visually portrayed, especially in terms of the filmic treatment of the Spanish Civil War; and finally on the arguments found within the dis­course of independent non-fiction cinema.