Original subtitles

I was terrified of being a high school graduate,

for the same reason I didn't want to go to university

because the idea of ​​being the only woman among so many men terrified me.

But well, the drive... no. No, no.

The orders came from my mother

and I graduated as a lawyer, just like you.

That is why I am here, Senators of the Republic,

asking you to present the Women's Suffrage Bill.

And I am not making this request as a colleague,

nor as a woman, nor as a friend,

but because it is the morally right thing to do.

My lady,

I would very much like to be able to help you, but at this moment

the country is thinking about something else.

There is no urgency.

A decent woman should not be in the street.

Your Excellency Doctor Gómez, it's time for a whiskey.

Of course, Sir.

We have already completed our hours of work.

María Cano was the woman who promoted the 8-hour labor day in Colombia.

Madam, we'll speak next year.

COLOMBIAN FEMALE UNION FOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE - THE TIME IS NOW!

BILL TO GRANT WOMEN'S CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. COLOMBIA 1954

For years, women’s groups have urged those in power to recognize

their ability to vote, handle property, and have full custody of their children.

They are in the middle of work.

They won't give us much time.

Tomorrow I'll meet with other senators.

Let's talk to the General! We need to go to the university!

He knows about the project, but doesn't want to promote it!

Because he has not heard it from us!

The country is preparing for a constitutional reform

led by President Rojas, who came to power through a coup d'état.

What do you want us to do?

This constituent assembly is the opportunity to secure women's rights,

which are already recognized in all European and American countries.

This is their last chance.

Take to the streets!

Put up posters! Rally other women!

Sign this petition in which we demand the rights we deserve as citizens...

So we get paid the same as men.

Or are you going to tell me

you earn the same as the man who also harvests potatoes?

No!

To ensure we won’t be fired for being pregnant!

So we can get divorced if we want to!

They'll punch me in the face.

Who?

Everyone, even my mom. They've done it before.

I'm sorry.

We don't want to cause you any problems,

ladies...

you only have to sign.

Let's go.

No one leaves until they sign!

You can tell them that you were pressured into doing it.

Sign!

Sign!

DEAR GENTLEMEN

Extra! Extra!

I am asking for signatures

so that the government gives us the same opportunity as men.

My lady, this document will be received by General Rojas Pinilla,

with the signature of all the women, claiming our rights.

Stop spouting nonsense! Go home to your husband!

Oh, leave us alone!

We’ll be at peace when we can choose for ourselves, not out of obligation.

I'm missing you two.

Would you sign?

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

My lady.

Here, wherever you can. Over here.

Thank you so much.

Ladies, good morning.

Visits to the university are canceled today.

We've come to hear President Rojas.

It is a private session for students of the institution only.

What makes you think I'm not a student?

Excuse me?

I am a graduate of this university.

Law student, class of 1945.

Your name?

Esmeralda Arboleda.

General, and the democracy issue...

A divided country needs people, needs peace.

General! General!

Bipartisanship is a bloody weapon.

General, the issue of democracy?

But do we necessarily need only one party?

I can answer up to two questions. I have to go.

Yes. I have to go.

General! General! General, over here!

I think it's my turn to speak.

I'm listening.

The whole university can hear you.

Nice to meet you, General.

My name is Josefina Valencia.

A pleasure to meet you.

We came here looking for you.

Here I am.

General, we’re here because we want to know your stance on women’s rights.

The right to vote, equal pay,

and protection from being fired due to maternity?

A pleasure, Mrs. Valencia.

When you say "we are here," who exactly are you referring to?

Let me introduce you to Esmeralda Arboleda.

The first woman to graduate in law from this very university,

and with honors.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

Thank you so much. Excuse me.

General,

it's not just the two of us here.

4500 women from Bogotá.

These are the names we've gathered in just two weeks.

Plus the millions across the country

urging you to uphold Colombia’s agreement with the UN to prioritize equal rights.

The right to vote, equal to the one granted to men.

Agreements are to be fulfilled.

Thank you very much, ladies.

We are the only country in Europe and the Americas

where women still don’t have the right to vote.

General,

you brought us television,

now grant us our rights.

You have the power to make it constitutional...

This would be the most significant constitutional reform

since the abolition of slavery.

And you, Mr. President, are the one who can turn it into law.

May I sign?

Of course.

It's an honor to meet you.

Thank you so much.

I’d like to introduce you to two very important individuals.

The youth will drive the change, or no one will.

Sir, four spirits for this bar.

This is María Currea,

doctor in philosophy and literature from the Sorbonne.

An activist, just like us.

The woman of the Americas!

María, I'm here for anything you need.

She is Ana Cristina González.

She is a doctor in bioethics.

One of the leaders of the feminist movement in Latin America

and pioneer of "Causa Justa" (Just Cause)

You’re fighting for a right.

Moving a country is no easy task

You need to get together.

Create a strategy and stick to it.

Put the conversation on our terms.

Coordinate with other women

and get more people, a lot of people, out on the streets.

In Colombia, there’s a fear of protesting in the streets.

In Chile and in Argentina too.

We take to the streets, and they deploy the military

because their goal is to intimidate us.

We must draw attention by appearing in the press and holding marches.

That is why it is so important that we stick together.

I'll organize the march, I'll help you put it together.

Let's toast to that.

Cheers! - Cheers!

- Cheers! - Cheers!

ANNAC MEETING BY ENRIQUE SANTOS

Good morning, Miss, May I speak with Mr. Enrique Santos?

A pleasure to speak with you. How are you?

This is Esmeralda Arboleda.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Mr. Santos.

Thank you so much.

So, you’re chasing breaking news, aren’t you?

We call it, "The profitable scoop."

General Rojas met with us,

with Josefina Valencia, Valencia's daughter...

The poet, the presidential candidate. Right.

Among all fundamental rights— life, liberty, education...,

the women's right to vote is the only one missing.

The most important reform worldwide.

But there’s no story there.

Of course there is.

In two days people will forget about the bomb in Bikini and the armed soldiers.

But all this year, next year, in five years...

people are going to talk about how the vote was achieved.

Let’s see... if it’s so important, ma’am, why hasn’t any newspaper published it?

You tell me why no one is talking about this?

Because once the right is granted, people will want to know how it was achieved.

In the case it's granted.

People will want to know who carried that burden.

And people will want to know

who was the journalist who wrote about and stood up for the right.

COLOMBIAN WOMAN

COLOMBIAN WOMAN YOU SAVE THE HOMELAND

How long have we been fighting? 10, 20... 30 years

organizing marches and gathering signatures, and still, it's never been enough.

Mom! Mom!

This is the third newspaper I’ve read, and none of them mention suffrage.

Not even the fact that you spoke to the President?

Nothing. Not a single word.

One of us has to die for them to talk about the suffrage.

Rojas enjoys the spotlight.

Making noise is what will grab his attention.

Let's send him a letter.

We have sent fifteen!

As many as necessary.

Bertha, your husband supported the President during his coup d'état,

how can he deny an audience?

You said it yourself...

This association is not affiliated with any political party.

Everything is political.

Even that avoidance is political.

Who will serve as the legislators in the new constituent assembly?

Lets talk to them about the bill.

My brother was appointed to the Constitutional Studies Commission.

He told us last night.

Let's talk to your brother!

No, no, no. It's confidential. It hasn’t been made public.

That’s our ticket to get into the newspaper!

Forero Benavides has also been summoned.

But I didn’t say a thing.

Journalists will do anything for that kind of information

Do we want to be in the newspaper?

Call the journalist.

Tell him you have the confidential list of the Constituent Assembly legislators...

And in exchange for that information,

he must cover the story about the vote.

We have nothing to lose.

Let's do what needs to be done.

It’s disgraceful that we lack this right when every other country has it.

That's how the press works.

Good evening, miss.

May I speak with Mr. Enrique Santos Castillo, please.

Mr. Santos, this is Esmeralda Arboleda speaking.

I have your exclusive.

Hello.

Esmeralda!

Josefina.

The General summoned us to the palace.

COLOMBIA: THE ONLY COUNTRY WITHOUT WOMEN’S VOTE. BY ENRIQUE SANTOS.

It’s impossible that he summoned us to tell us there’s no right.

He supports us; he’s made it clear.

If he rejects it, we take to the streets.

We should take over this country.

We outnumber men by 325,000.

At least by majority.

Ladies.

Did they offer you coffee?

We have been drinking coffee, panela water, tea, and liquor for 20 years.

I'm not joking.

The General...

decided to include women’s suffrage

in the debates preceding the General Assembly.

Now the members of the Constitutional Studies Commission

will be in charge of regulating how women's suffrage

will be part of the constitutional reform project.

What does that mean?

Do we have the right to vote or not?

That means we're doing well, ma'am.

The members of the CEC will be responsible for reviewing the entire project,

and the approved points

will then be passed on to the legislators of the National Assembly.

Congratulations.

The President can spare us this hassle by issuing a decree to grant the right.

Ladies, this is a constitutional reform.

We're dealing with major initiatives here— serious, significant projects.

He is the President. He has the power to make it law.

Look.

This is a project of great significance for the State.

It must go through due process.

You yourselves have counted how many times it’s been denied—

They’ve shelved it—that’s different.

He is the President;

he can enact it as law.

He has the power, but he also has duties.

And what is the Commission going to regulate?

A right is a right!

Ladies, this is the process of a constituent.

You made it into the constitutional debate, and...

...with the President’s support.

We want to speak with the General.

A debate is catastrophic.

The President is not in the building.

Start celebrating.

They are going to debate women's suffrage in the constituent assembly!

A profession is not incompatible with household responsibilities.

The quality of universities has improved since women started attending.

Evidence!

We need evidence!

Here’s a list of women scientists from Europe; they’re all mothers.

That's where they're going to attack:

that we cannot be mothers, work, and be aware of politics.

All the female workers have children.

They are thinking about their families, not the working class.

How much more do we have to prove to make them see that we are same?

As much as we can.

Is foolish.

It is offensive.

The strategy is to have a respectful debate without yelling at them.

I'm going to put up posters all over the city and organize a march.

The memo needs to be written like a fourth-grade book.

Where is the book that proves that we produce neurons?

STUDY OF THE HUMAN BRAIN

I need it.

Let's not fool ourselves...

power tolerates only the information that serves its interests.

The previous constitution decreed that, in order to vote,

men had to have an income greater than $500.

COLOMBIAN WOMAN YOU SAVE THE HOMELAND

This is the memorandum that must be presented to the CEC,

which includes, for the sake of justice, the full recognition of women's rights.

on the first page... exactly, the first page.

A request for the recognition of women's full citizenship,

which is an obligation of the Colombian State

as part of its international commitment in the Convention on Political Rights

of December 1952.

Arguing the case for their capability, their preparation, and for justice, Félix,

considering the duties and burdens they bear.

Such as paying taxes.

If you look at page 36... Please turn to page 36, Félix.

There is a chronological progression of suffrage

from The Foolish Fatherland, 1810 to 1815,

culminating in 1936,

the year universal suffrage was granted to all men.

This process can serve as a study to prevent repeating the same process with women.

Félix, it hasn’t been proven that women’s brains are smaller

or that gender diminishes intellect, because that will surely come up in the debate.

If we can run a household, we can run a country.

We cannot talk in the debate but you will be our words.

Our head,

Our voice.

We will be in the room the whole time,

for whatever you need.

Félix,

we are the memorandum.

See you tomorrow, we have a big day ahead.

DEATH TO THE SUFFRAGETTES

We deserve equality!

We demand freedom!

We demand our rights!

Neighbors, sisters, we are citizens!

We demand our rights!

Neighbors, sisters, we are citizens!

We want equality!!

We are citizens!

Neighbors, sisters, we are citizens!

Neighbors, sisters, we are citizens!

Neighbors, sisters, we are citizens!

Neighbors, sisters,

we are citizens!

Neighbors, sisters, we are citizens!

VOTE FOR WOMEN

Cecilia!

Cecilia!

We are citizens!

If the assembly doesn’t approve it, we’ll take it to the streets.

Sir, I need to get to the capitol.

Back off, lady! The street is close!

I need to be there for a debate at 9:00 a.m.

I have to be there right now, sir.

Lady, back off! There is no way in!

The debate is about to begin, sir,

it's right there, in the palace. Over there!

Madam, you can’t go through. Keep moving, please!

What do I do?

Step aside, please!

No, Ma’am. Please step out of the way!

Don't touch me, don't touch me!!

Thank you, Mr. President.

Commissioners, I have been appointed to present

the Women’s Suffrage Bill.

so we can discuss it together and, if possible, include it in the constitution.

We can't hear you, Félix.

In this memorandum,

prepared by the ladies present here, we find everything:

their capabilities, their knowledge of the country,

and their need to have a voice in shaping the nation's political future...

What future are we talking about, Dr. Félix?

To restore the peace that we have not yet achieved.

And what good is it if we're living under a dictatorship?

Neither they nor we can vote.

Gentlemen, let's shelve it.

Let's shelve it.

Gentlemen, gentlemen! Please!

Doctor Félix, continue.

Gentlemen,

Let's not waste any more time.

Gentlemen, please, please.

Last year, the country made an agreement

with the UN regarding the recognition of women's rights.

That agreement must be upheld.

Past agreements have all been dismissed.

It's a new government.

The agreements must be upheld to avoid international retaliation.

The request seems quite hasty to me.

This is not the time to discuss a right

that they won't even be able to exercise, given the country's situation.

Gentlemen, I believe we should focus on the issues

that are crucial to strengthening democracy.

What Mr. Ortiz says is correct.

However, the political situation of the country is not what is being questioned.

This is not the right time.

It is not the right time.

It's not the right time.

I, Guillermo León Valencia,

member of the conservative party, councilor of Popayán

representative of Colombia to the UN,

honorary doctor in law and political and social sciences...

Thank you for enlightening our understanding, Senator Valencia,

but are you in a presidential campaign?

In my experience as a citizen

and as an active member of Colombian politics,

I attest that this emotional tantrum will lead us to chaos.

If we do not return the woman to the home and the peasant to the countryside,

it won’t be three generations before Colombia

ceases to exist as an authentic nation.

I ask you, honorable delegates,

to prioritize the family above all else.

Pope Pius XII

was one of Europe's greatest defenders of women's suffrage.

His Holiness, the Pope, found himself ensnared in the middle of a war, Félix

All men were on the battlefield and it was the only way to preserve democracy.

Are we going to change the way we behave,

think, and exist to please a few women? Nonsense!

A few women, Guillermo Leon?

We are 8 million in Colombia and more than 50 million in Latin America.

It's you who's talking nonsense.

We are the only country in the Americas that does not have women's suffrage.

And we also have the longest-standing democracy in Latin America,

And yet, today we are governed by a military man who carried out a coup d'état.

Statistics are not the best example.

Statistics are the consolation of the weak.

Mr. President, is this an open session?

Ladies, you were granted permission to attend, but not to speak.

The foundation of society as we know it will collapse.

That's why they have no business being here.

Their work on this earth is of a divine nature.

The Conservative Party adds such a romanticized religious narrative to everything.

But please, let's keep religion out of this.

Have you forgotten this is a catholic country?

And at some point, both branches of power will have to be separated.

Gentlemen, personally I think that what women ask for is reasonable,

but this is not the right time.

When we return to the electoral consultation, we will revisit the request.

I completely agree. Do we all agree? Right.

Félix! Félix!

We are here at the President's request.

That's right.

President Rojas believes it is important to hold this debate.

Do we, or do we not, have the freedom to decide

what will be included in the Constitution? Do we agree?

We agree.

Yes, we agree.

However, it’s important to remember that the President appointed us.

The General included this issue for debate, just like every other topic.

Ladies!

Let me remind you that since Colombia

is the only country without women's suffrage,

our international relations will be affected accordingly.

Regardless, this is not the time, it is not because...

Because the lack of tradition in political participation makes them vulnerable.

Two hundred years of history cannot be changed overnight.

First, they must work their way up and prepare themselves.

This didn’t just start today.

We have been preparing for more than 30 years.

Their judgment cannot be validated when less than 4% have gone to school.

They don't know how to read.

No offense intended,

but only you would think of asking an illiterate peasant woman to vote.

Women don’t know how to read, they don’t study,

they don’t even know how to do basic math.

Does it really seem appropriate to have them decide the political future of Colombia?

We must be consistent with intellectual progress.

Begin small and gradually build up!

Rights either exist or they don’t.

And if they exist, they must be granted in full,

not progressively.

We completely disagree!

We are not debating the legitimacy of women to choose, gentlemen.

We are debating the legitimacy of equality.

Ladies, if you intervene again,

I will have to ask you to leave the premises.

Then we are in agreement.

We may have the same rights, but we are not equals.

Female illiteracy is four times higher than that of men.

Let's see, let's see, gentlemen.

Women always get carried away by emotion,

by everything that speaks to their feelings.

They possess neither intellectual nor moral understanding.

What does emotion have to do with the law?

Everything.

You are stepping into an unknown world,

and the fear of the unknown clouds reason.

Hysteria!

Hysteria, gentlemen, is not a disease,

but rather the very structure of women.

Reasoning does not control their emotions.

Emotions are inherent to human nature.

Doctor Félix, it's no secret they go to church

seeking ideological advice to calm themselves down.

Now is not the time to discuss these matters.

It must go through the proper process, like everything else.

That’s why concessions are made gradually, as they gain education.

Well, I admit that we are not in a good place as we are now.

but I still cannot find a single reason

to change the political direction of the country.

It’s preposterous to hand over the responsibility to peasant women

who are ignorant of everything important for the country.

But we cannot remain isolated from the international context either.

We must give that some thought.

I suggest they begin by casting their votes in the municipal council elections.

No!

No municipal elections!

No rights.

A WOMAN DOESN’T BELONG AT THE BALLOT BOXES; SHE BELONGS AT HOME.

Not running doesn’t make the fish any less than the dog.

They are designed for different tasks and that's all.

And this is not an offense, quite the opposite.

That is not correct, gentlemen,

none of these women

have the morals or the conscience to make decisions based on merit.

The only woman that has beaten a man

was a mare at a derby.

The lack of reasoning in them

is a result of that emotional disturbance.

If someone gives them a piece of bread they'll crawl into bed with them.

Out of necessity

a woman

is capable of selling her soul to defend a child.

Can you imagine what she might offer for a vote?

For God's sake, gentlemen, let's call a spade a spade.

You are calling us dogs, unstable, and mares.

Do not forget, gentlemen, that you are not only sons of men,

you are the product of two genders.

And the woman you call crazy,

Forero, is the one who gave birth to you!

Josefina!

It is okay.

It arises from their hysteria.

Where are the bathrooms? I've already passed three of men.

We can't fall into their trap, Josefina.

We've just gone back fifteen years!

Attack with evidence. It's the only thing we can do.

We must called President Rojas to intervene.

He didn't do it. He sent us to the slaughterhouse!

We ask him again!

Important changes are not debated, they are enacted!

And he refused to do it.

They don't want evidence, they want to dominate us.

This is not the time to place ego above such a crucial decision.

Forero won't change his mind,

and he has influence over Ortiz and Gaviria.

I have to talk to Ortiz

and Albornoz.

And you still think this isn't a political battle?

It’s a fight for equality with party loyalists.

How many daughters does your brother have?

Diana and Alma.

Ortiz has one... interesting.

Albornoz?

Two boys, one girl, but I don't remember her name.

Clara!

She is a friend of Teresa's daughter.

Let's invite her

to the debate so she can see her dad.

Ready?

Félix, thank you.

In the midst of the commotion,

the most effective tactic is to prevent others from speaking.

Look, in the field of law,

language is often characterized by overly cumbersome sentence construction.

They are not open to a debate.

You are in a difficult situation.

From having nothing,

now they're suggesting you vote for the municipal councils.

We don't want councils, we want full right.

It is more feasible to appeal.

It's more likely that the sun revolves around the earth.

Félix, you need to approach this with more determination.

Don’t let them take the conversation to that level. Interrupt them!

But that is not the procedure.

But it is a strategy.

These discussions are best carried out over the course of the day.

Now they are very agitated.

In the afternoon the mood settles and we make a counterproposal.

The session is set to close at eight, Félix.

There’s no time left; it has to be now.

Thank you.

Teresa.

You are a friends of Albornoz's family, right?

Well,

we need you to bring Clara to the Capitol; invite her over.

We are here.

Esmeralda.

We haven't exchanged greetings.

No.

You are doing a very good job.

You think we lack the judgement to choose?

We went to university together.

You know I was the best in my class.

Then why are you upset?

What happened to that objectivity you argued with so fervently in university?

You are held back by a prejudice from centuries past.

And you are taking things too personal,

when in politics, nothing is personal, not even personal matters.

How are things at home?

Your husband and your son...?

Sergio.

Sergio.

Very well, very well. He is growing up fast.

He is already three years old.

Surely, one day he'll vote,

and he’ll probably vote for the one who supported his mother.

You are 35 years old, you are not Forero.

And you know we have the same capabilities.

Inside.

Ortiz,

I hope that your relationship with Mrs. Arboleda does not cloud your...

- I want to make another call. - Yes, Madam.

To this number.

Your call.

Thank you.

Hello

Piedad, please put Sergio on the phone.

One moment.

Hi Mom!

My child.

Hello, my boy!

Why don't you go to the park with Piedad, my love?

Today is a very nice day.

And then you climb over the railing and cross it on your own.

Yes.

And tonight you tell me all about it, okay?

Yesss!!

Well. My child.

I love you.

I love you so so so much.

Not all women are alike.

Not all of us want the same things.

Josefina,

I don't think we're children of the same father.

And don't you want to take off those trousers?

You look ridiculous in that outfit.

The women demand the right in its entirety, Albornoz.

Yes, but approving women's suffrage right now would be disastrous.

They’re proposing that women who go to university could vote in the council elections.

What!!?

So, is it certain that we'll be able to vote for the councils?

The lowest rung in politics.

It’s the first thing we’ve been offered!

Lower the voice or they will make us leave.

I don't think they’re going to remove the former president's wife.

At least there is a proposal.

Why expose our dedicated middle-class women

and those living in rural areas to this scramble for power?

No! To this tragic and painful agitation of passions

that have already darkened the country.

Democracy is not upheld by the privileged;

it is supported by all its people.

Excuse me, Mr. President. I'm sorry.

Lady,

please.

Each intervention is money taken from the State, from the people.

Thank you.

Let’s speed things up.

I propose we conduct a vote count to bring this to a close.

Who agrees that these women,

these ladies, should be granted the right to vote in the councils?

And who thinks they should graduate from school first?

It's not valid!

No, you cannot vote yet, Mr. President! Félix!!

It's an invalid vote!

Gaviria, come on! Calm down.

Mr. President, we are not ready to vote.

We are listening to the commissioners' opinions.

Félix, let's speed up, please.

Doctor Albornoz, continue, please.

Why not seize these years, when there won’t be elections

to prepare yourselves?

And following that, they take a general knowledge test.

Brilliant!

No man has been subjected to such a test.

Be serious!!

First lady.

Welcome.

Let me remind you, no interventions.

Just thinking out loud, Mr. President.

It's not a matter of education.

And I repeat, it's the foundation of society as we know it.

As you know it, Félix,

you, Ortiz,

as you know, ladies.

That is what’s at risk of disappearing.

It’s not a scientific issue, nor a moral one.

It’s an issue of evolution.

Let’s go back to the idea President Laureano proposed-

only married women should be able to vote.

No, Dr. Valencia!

We don't mention Laureano Gómez in this room, sir!

Of all the suggestions made today, that one is the most absurd.

You want children without parents,

mothers abandoning their children in the care of their neighbors.

This is what it looks like in the mountains.

All the rural women work the land,

and none have stopped being mothers.

Don't tell me that peasant women want to be single mothers by choice.

You

You, Chulavitas, made them widows.

Assassins.

Let me remind you, Senator Gaviria, that in Gacheta, it was you,

liberal guerrillas, who shot at dozens of unarmed reservists.

Disgraceful scoundrels!

Just like your sister said:

Son of a bitch!

Marxist Guerrillas!!

Fucking oligarch!

Stop it!! Enough!

Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen!

Lunch time!!

Calm down, please.

And we are the hysterical ones.

Sir!

Mr. President.

Your Honor,

I request permission to intervene.

It'd be more cordial, you are right about that.

It doesn't have much effect to handle an issue of this magnitude

from the balcony while they are shaking fists.

Impossible.

Félix is ​​becoming quite articulate.

Commissioners need to listen to us.

No, no... You know it can't be done.

Do you remember article 34?

Don't come here to smear the articles my husband helped write.

And each one of those has its door.

Félix is ​​doing a terrible job!

We have to be leading the debate.

Mrs. Bertha, you know that cannot be done.

It could be done with your permission.

I can't give it.

But someone from the President's cabinet can do it.

Only if the speaker declares himself impeded.

Well, ladies, excuse me. I'm going to have lunch.

Go do what you have to do.

Are we going to vote individually or as a party?

I think it has to be individual.

The Minister of Education's office, Ma'am?

On the next floor, at the far end.

Excuse me. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

I need to talk to the Minister of Education.

- Your name? - Esmeralda Arboleda.

Mrs. Esmeralda, do you have an appointment with him?

No.

I'm sorry, but he is very busy.

If you'd like, leave your details, and I’ll set up the appointment.

I need to talk to him right now.

I already told you he's very busy, I'm sorry.

At this moment, our right to vote is being debated in the Constitution room.

Your right. Mine.

And it's of the utmost importance for me to talk to him.

If I don't talk to him,

at the CEC, they’ll make it impossible for us to be citizens.

And we are going to be secretaries all our lives,

which is not bad, but poorly paid secretaries.

I should have packed some espadrilles in this purse.

I have marigold.

Put it on for pain.

Josefina, we must make a decision together.

Should we accept exams, Councils, what do we do?

Let's not forget that it was the same with men.

They gave it to the educated ones first

and then to those over 21 with reforms to the law.

That was 50 years ago!

They are not talking about age, they are talking about educational level.

It's not the best, but it's an offer nonetheless.

"It’s not ideal, but it’s a big step forward—it’s huge.

Let's not sell ourselves for bread.

It’s the best they’ve proposed— the only thing, to be exact.

And Valencia said we have to be married to vote?

It's all garbage.

Not even in Italy, home to the Vatican, has such suppression been considered.

Valencia is definitely Torquemada himself.

We have permission to talk!!

What did you say to him? Were you able to talk to him?

Minister, when there is a problem in your house, do you solve it

or does your wife?

We can talk,

but Félix has to yield his seat to me.

The fact is that I was eating at the Giralda last night.

I thought you didn't spend money on food, Gaviria.

From my pocket. I paid out of my pocket.

I was eating when two senators approached me

and asked what this obsessive issue about voting was.

And I told them that I think it is very important to debate it.

It is important.

Yes.

And they asked me, well, if it is so important,

then what were Valencia, Arboleda, and Old Berta doing there?

Who are they? Who do they think they are?

Valencia and Arboleda are the only ones who really know about the subject.

Well, they are talking.

We are on everyone's mouth.

They're scared.

It is dangerous.

Dangerous in what sense?

If we approve the female vote,

there will be moral indignation,

irritation among politicians,

and violence in the streets, hordes of violence.

The country is not prepared. This is not the time, Gaviria.

Maybe it's not ready now,

but 100 years ago, another woman, Manuela Sáenz,

fought in the battle of Pichincha for our independence.

One hundred years ago.

Yes, but war is one thing and choosing a president is another.

They were killing each other for democracy.

I'm going to propose something to you.

Why don't you go out into the street

or go to your back to your office and tell your subordinates

that, from now on, it will be women who choose the president.

Ask them as a joke to see what they answer.

In the end, it will be us the ones sacrificed.

Remember that.

Again.

What decision are we going to make?

The cards are cast.

Everything they are proposing is disastrous.

I've been fighting this fight since you were five years old.

And never, ever had they given us the chance to speak.

They hadn't even discussed it.

And today, they are offering us to vote.

We have to leave this place with something!

To be able to take the floor, Félix must step aside.

For Félix, resigning is an act of indiscipline.

I don't think he will do it.

That discipline of good and evil has brought us here, begging.

We have to speak openly.

What are you afraid of?

That priests might ask us to vote for the Conservative Party,

or just that we'd be able to vote?

Now you’re spreading your wings,

gaining strength.

Now you come and stand in front of me

because you feel supported,

because you feel strong.

You have seen me in the meetings, Forero, and you've been to my father's house.

Tell me what is the difference between me and other women?

Nothing, you are all the same.

If you turn your back on us,

you'll be making the worst mistake the president of a party can make.

So much arrogance in that fragile body.

What are you scared of?

Excuse me?

Valencia.

Valencia, let me tell you, I think it's time to start taming your sister.

She has very loose reins.

Careful, Forero.

Excuse me.

Do you understand the need that we have to be heard,

to contribute, to build in this society?

Yes.

It is very important

that we handle the debate.

Félix...

they are scared.

We have to start a conversation from the heart.

And we are the only ones who can do it.

THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION IRREVOCABLY AUTHORIZES THE LADIES' INTERVENTION

TO ALLOW THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE SESSION FOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE APPROVAL.

The Conservative Party remains firm in its decision

that women with a high degree of education, ideally university-educated,

are the ones with the right to vote.

it's understandable the fear caused by the uncertainty

of seeing Colombian women do something they have never done.

It's not fear, it's terror.

Mr. Forero,

they have been on the margins of politics for decades.

Whispering in our ear.

It's nothing new.

Sir, I am impressed by your naivety.

Whispering in whose ear?

It is the priests who whisper in their ears

to make them vote the way they want.

You think very poorly of women.

That’s not true.

I don’t think poorly about them...

it’s about their competence.

What I have suggested,

and I will suggest for the fifth time

is that, either they vote for municipal councils

or, their ability be assessed through a state exam.

No!

What kind of exam are you referring to, Ortiz?

Similar to the ones done in schools, general knowledge exams.

They’ve only just opened schools for women!

The men were subjected to the same.

Men have never been subjected to such a test!

Ma'am!

Let me remind you, Esmeralda,

that in the constitutional reform of 1905

all men over 21 years of age were required the same procedure

to guarantee the validity of the popular vote.

In 1905, a new reform was written, conservative and centralist in nature.

It declared as citizens Colombian men over 21 with a profession, trade,

or legitimate occupation to support themselves,

with annual earnings of over 500 pesos or properties worth more than 1,500 pesos,

but never required a knowledge test.

Reading and writing are skills that more than half of women lack.

And it would undermine the foundations of democracy, wouldn’t it, Esmeralda?

Half of the male population has not finished school!

Do you really want to release an electoral force with those conditions?

That would be opening the door to anarchy. Think about it!

Anarchy, derived froman and arkhê,

Which means a lack of authority and a lack of government.

A democracy in which its entire population has the same level of knowledge

would be a political utopia.

Democracy, from the Greek,

the government of the people, educated or not, and not just half of them.

This is Clara Albornoz.

Take a seat.

There's your dad.

What’s going on? What happened?

Worse than before?

No, not worse.

They did offer to vote for Councils or to graduate from school.

They approved the suffrage?

No, no. They're saying we should vote for councils.

It’s not about voting for all political offices in general.

That's the best they've proposed in 20 years.

That's what I've been telling them for a while.

Let's accept it!

- I don't know. - No.

We appeal afterwards, girls! We appeal!

Félix,

you know two, let's say, three women with intellectual capacity.

Let me ask you a question.

Would you hand over the future of this country

to the lady who cleans your house?

That is, to the maid in your house?

It is a very dangerous decision. Women are not capable.

Now,

let me ask the same question to all of you.

Someone in this room

would hand over the future of this country

to an uneducated woman?

I would.

Thinking about it,

they are the ones who should be here.

Who knows their capacity better but themselves?

Mrs. Arboleda, come over, please.

No, sir, she can't!

She can not!

No no.

It is not within the norm!

Yes, she can.

It was authorized by the Minister of Education,

And I yield the floor to her so she can lead this debate herself.

Mr. Arboleda, come over, please.

Félix, it would tarnish your legacy.

Lets measure their capacity in this room.

Let's see, where is the authorization?

Here it is.

Gentlemen,

The law is the law!

There is no historical precedent,

but if the Minister authorized it I don't see any problem, sir.

Traitors.

Mrs. Arboleda, you have a call.

I can't take it right now, I'm heading to the debate.

Mr. Uribe says it is urgent.

No woman has ever stood on this podium, and it won’t change now.

And where is Mrs. Arboleda?

She should be at home, like all the others.

You should all be at home!

I didn’t want to call you, but I need to tell you the boy fell,

hit his head hard, he wounded his head He’s injured near his eye.

He’s bleeding a lot, I’m not sure what happened, he was playing on that handrail,

but, honestly, there’s a lot of blood.

I’ve already called the doctor, and your sister is on her way.

Esmeralda!!

...we are taking him to the hospital.

He's bleeding but don't worry...

If individuals are allowed to freely carry out their natural inclinations, Gaviria,

a disproportionate debacle would spontaneously organize itself.

And that's what's happening here!

Sergio broke his head.

She should be at home, like all the others.

Sergio broke his head.

Sergio broke his head.

And where is the lady?

You are looking for a right...

Esmeralda.

You should be at home!

Let's go to the park!

What happened? What happened?

What is that?

What was that?

What happened?

What is that?

What is going on?

Is anyone hurt?

Scared.

Are those explosions?

Like firecrackers.

That noise came from the other side.

Do you know who it was? The men who left the note in her car?

Who is brave enough to go out and find out what’s happening out there?

I may not be the bravest, but I am the one in need.

I think I’ll step out because I need to go to the bathroom.

Be careful, Gaviria, If you're going out.

Careful of what?

The dangerous ones are in here.

Commissioners!

You are asked to refrain from leaving the Capitol until further notice.

What notice?

What's going on?

There was a strong explosion in front of the Plaza de Bolívar

and we can't risk you going out until the area is cleared.

Was it an attack against the National Constituent Assembly?

They want to destroy the country!

That's what they want, to ruin the country!

You can go to the next room, but cannot leave the Capitol.

- Esmeralda, are you alright? - Yes.

Hello, my dear.

Dad.

Why didn't you stay at home?

I want to be with them.

Alright.

In any case, none of us can leave.

Cigarette?

Oh yes, for the nerves.

What do you think that was?

A bomb?

a gas cylinder?

Against us? Are we in danger?

I have no idea.

Is there a way to send a message to the President?

We have orders not to leave the place unprotected.

What is it? It's not working?

Nothing. The phones are down.

I’m trying to reach the Minister so he can stop the session from being canceled,

but it doesn't work!

You can't go out, ma'am.

I need a phone!

You can't go out, ma'am.

I need a phone!

Excuse me, please.

I need to close the door, ma'am.

Are there any other flashlights out there?

Yes.

Thank you very much, that's perfect.

What do we do if they cancel the session?

Let's talk to the president of the CEC

to ensure the vote of the municipal councils is approved.

If they cancel the session, it will take at least three months to resume.

They’ll come up with excuses, and we’ll be left with nothing again.

I know the stakes are higher,

but we have to hold on to what we can grasp.

Are you listening to me?

Finally!

Gentlemen...

Food!!

Good evening.

I'm going to use the phone.

Nancy, come over here.

Hello.

Mom!

Daughter, sweetheart.

How is Sergio?

Tell me he is okay, please.

Sergio is very well.

He is a very brave boy.

And he's already asleep.

I want to go home, mom.

I don't know what I'm doing here. These people...

I should be at home with Sergio.

The doctor said he is very well.

They were just a few stitches.

I'm here with your sister taking care of him.

Give us that privilege.

I don't know if I can, mom.

You stay focused on what you went there to do.

Don't let them defeat you, Esmeralda.

Search for the reason,

search for the reason in your heart.

Does your knee hurt?

Oh, no, no.

You should wash it with water and soap.

There's the bathroom.

Thank you.

Are you okay?

Yes.

Yes.

- What's your name? - Nancy.

Nancy.

What a beautiful name.

Do you go to school, Nancy?

Yes, I'm in second year.

Out there,

there are some men who think

that only women who study should be able to vote.

You could you vote.

What is to vote?

It's

taking the tip of your finger,

dipping it in ink

to choose to be free.

My mom won’t be able to vote. She didn't go to school.

Did your mom go to school?

No.

My mom won't be able to vote either!

It's been a pleasure meeting you.

Thank you very much, Nancy.

Vote for the right once and for all!

Once we are citizens we will have a purpose to educate ourselves.

Ortiz, it's not just about a vote!

Does it seem fair to you that I don't have power over Sergio, over my son?

A child I brought into the world and whom I’m raising?

You,

who are starting your political career,

have eight million potential voters.

Are you going to let them slip away

by following Forero?

Forero is already on his way out.

Everything I've learned about law,

everything I’ve applied over the years, keeps my legs from shaking.

But I've learned that intimidation cannot be defeated with laws.

This building is 112 years old

and 20 commissioners met

to make the first major reform of the Political Constitution.

The fathers of the Nation.

You have my support,

but with the municipal councils.

It's a good exercise.

Do not underestimate it, Mrs. Arboleda, it's getting late

and I'm tired.

Unless we leave this debate for later.

I don't think it's a good idea for them to go home and think about it.

What if Albornoz is right

and we aren’t ready to take on this political responsibility?

Who guarantees us otherwise?

Nobody.

Which of the proposals are we going to consider?

None.

We are eight million!

Let's get what we came here for.

No one can leave this room.

The birth rate increased in Italy.

They have celebrated more marriages than in the last 50 years.

Suffrage didn’t affect anything,

quite the opposite.

Albornoz,

women have always shown their loyalty to the country.

Imagine the support they will give

to whoever helps them achieve something so significant.

Don’t tell me you’re going to hand over the votes of the female population to me.

I can't make a decision for them.

But I assume they are going to lean towards whoever defends them.

I like that.

Mr. President, time to resume the session!

We may cancel it.

Are you going to adjourn a constitutional session?

Because a session has never been canceled before,

you don't want to be the first one to do so.

Let's go.

Gentlemen, please, inside.

Commissioners, inside, please.

Doctor, inside, please.

Commissioners. Doctor Forero, inside, please.

Gentlemen, it's the President's order.

I invite you to resume the debate.

You cannot leave the room, sir.

Presidency's orders, sir.

Everyone, back to the debate room.

Gentlemen, everyone back to the debate room.

The debate is not over, gentlemen, please let's go back to the room.

It's been a long day.

Gentlemen,

what did you decide about women's political rights?

We are tired.

Exhausted!

But this was the job you were appointed to, gentlemen.

To defend democracy.

And without half the population, democracy is arbitrary.

Neither voting nor participating in political life breaks up a home.

We are going to contribute to the management of the State,

with this source that is uncontaminated.

And alongside you

we will elect our rulers.

Madam, oh, come now!

We have the same capabilities, gentlemen.

Science says it, history repeats it, and you know it!

And today, gentlemen,

it is up to the men in power to make it law.

Not because it is fair,

not because we are still standing here,

not because we have been working side by side all day,

but because it is the right thing to do.

We, along with the eight million women out there,

urge you to approve women's suffrage in its entirety!

Well, who among you supports approving the women's rights proposal

to present it to the constituent assembly?

I approve full rights.

Good.

I am in favor...

of granting women political rights in their entirety.

Ortiz!

We have been in political life for more than 200 years.

No!

I do not approve!

Please, gentlemen.

The entire conservative party

approves that women's rights become constitutional.

Yes!!!

However...

we are too few to make such an important decision.

We are deferring this decision

to the National Constituent Assembly,

to determine how and when women will exercise this right.

I agree.

Let them be the ones to decide.

Let it be them.

It is approved that the right to women's suffrage

be debated in the National Constituent Assembly,

let the legislators be the ones to regulate it next August. I have spoken.

Cowards!

I haven't been able to make the jukebox work

and we need music to celebrate.

I need you to play the song you like the most.

Say it.

Say that a band of scoundrels rules our State.

Straw-tailed scoundrels.

You said it.

Miserable rogues!

And you.

You made it constitutional!

We have to celebrate!

What if they decide that only married women can vote?

Then we all get married!

They let us fly,

but they cut our wings.

No, Ma'am.

If there was something to prove, you’ve already proven it!

Now,

go see your son, who is perfectly fine,

and come back to celebrate with your sister.

You did it!

Over the next six months, marches intensified

demanding unrestricted voting rights. The pressure was unstoppable.

Cornered, political parties had no choice but to support them.

The President appointed Josefina Valencia to the National Constituent Assembly.

But the movement didn’t stop—hundreds of women flooded the presidency with letters,

demanding that Esmeralda Arboleda be appointed as well.

...As the women's representative for the Conservative Party,

there is pressure from the Liberal Party...

When are they going to announce the appointment?

"It’s most likely that I won’t be appointed.

El Tiempo

Esmeralda Arboleda must be a representative to the Constituent Assembly.

Letters and lace: Hundreds of women have sent letters

to General Rojas Pinilla in support of Esmeralda Arboleda.

The postman arrived!!

Sister!

Open it.

Mrs. Josefina Valencia.

Mrs. Esmeralda Arboleda.

Here we are.

We are already mothers,

And now we are also fathers of the Nation.

Gentlemen,

you have been elected to adapt

the Book of the Constitution for the benefit of Colombian citizens.

Please stand for the oath.

I swear to God and promise the people

to faithfully abide by the Constitution and the laws of Colombia.

The session begins.

The first matter to be considered is women's right to vote.

Mrs. Esmeralda Arboleda,

please.

Dear gentlemen:

We were summoned

to make reforms to the Constitution,

to ensure it remains relevant to the events in our country and the world.

I see women in the stands,

and thousands more in the streets, waiting to be recognized.

In times of war, women have suffered the destruction of their homes,

the loss of their loved ones,

yet they have shown their loyalty and integrity to the country.

Do you think about them?

About your daughters?

Because when they grow up, they will be the foundation of this society.

And only you, sitting there, can decide their future.

With or without our support,

whether this law is passed or not,

the mentality of women has changed.

And it will continue to change.

The responsibility of a country does not rest in the hands of a few;

it lies in the hands of all its people. This is where we live,

and if we do the work today, this is where our children will live tomorrow.

Sometimes we doubt the institution,

we doubt the political parties,

we doubt ourselves.

But today, you are not standing here with a political party,

nor as a banner for a leader,

nor as an apostle of a religion.

You are here because of your vision

and your need for justice, and that justice is guided by reason.

As my mother once told me;

we all have reason in our hearts.

Regarding the repeated concern

raised by several assembly members

about who will rock the cradles?

we women are mothers,

and we will never give that up.

It is precisely the greatness of that mission

that drives us to care, support, and protect change

as our daughters forge their path.

We must have the right to vote in its entirety!

All women!

The mothers, the daughters,

those who are yet to come. All of them!

The right

without limitations.

And to have something we’ve never had,

we must do something we’ve never done.

Dear gentlemen,

women;

you save the nation!

Members of the Assembly, I invite you to vote on the motion for women's suffrage.

I approve.

I approve.

I approve.

I approve.

I approve.

I approve.

I approve.

I approve.

I approve. - I approve.

I approve. - I approve.

I approve.

We did it!

We did it!

Our rights!

Our vote!

We have it! It's ours!

It's ours! Thank you, women!

On August 25, 1954, Colombian women were recognized as citizens.

Three years later, 1,835,255 women went to the polls

to exercise their right to vote, surpassing male participation in several regions.

This film is a tribute to them and a commitment to history.

To Anastasia, Paulina and Julieta,

And to all the daughters who have made history and will continue forging it.

DEAR GENTLEMEN