Women Scientists in Cinema. The Case of Hypatia of Alexandria in Agora (Alejandro Amenábar, 2009)

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis of the representation of women scientists in film through the case study of the pioneer philosopher and astronomer Hypatia of Alexandria in the film Ágora (Alejandro Amenábar, 2009). The objectives of the research aim to explore and describe the different mechanisms of representation of this figure in film. To this end, a textual and narrative analysis of the character has been performed, complemented with data on the development of the film obtained through the consultation of different sources. Considering previous studies on film representations of women scientists and assuming the premise that the film was widely distributed, the main results point to a broad visibility of the figure of Hypatia of Alexandria as an admired woman in the scientific field, but limited by the social context dominated by men. Despite the creative licenses taken by the authors of the film, a positive portrayal of the relationship between women and scientific development is found.