‘Las Mujeres de Fuego’ Explores Female Power through Mythology

Las Mujeres de Fuego, ‘Women of Fire’, tells the story of five hero characters, each symbolising a powerful female figure from mythology. The power of an ancient fire Goddess pulses through the earth, uniting them in an uprising, ready to restore balance.

Mill+ Director Jocelyn Anquetil created this mystical and empowering short film in collaboration with Fuego Nails and Dazed Beauty. Fuego Nails was founded by Natasha Blake who created the brand with an ethos of sisterhood and female empowerment at its centre.

The film was produced by Lucy Hawes who, together with Jocelyn, makes up production duo ‘Juicy’. ‘Women Of Fire’ was brought to life by The Mill’s VFX team and colourist Megan Lee.

The piece was carefully crafted to be fundamentally symbolic, nodding to long-standing taboos historically associated with women through mythological, and religious references present in every scene.

Mill+ Director Jocelyn explains: “The nails are a sense of identity, a tiny map exploring the innermost depths of each character, and what they symbolise. Metaphorically the nails represent how we can use our hands to physically claw back from our downtrodden place in history, and reclaim the taboos that have been used to shame us as a means of empowerment.”

The film explores taboos that orbit womenkind, the stories of powerful women in mythology, and the ancient worship of the Goddess. It was greatly inspired by Merlin Stone’s ‘When God Was a Woman’, a critical investigation into the ancient worship of the Goddess and the cause and effect of male deities in modern religions. In a world where God tends to be characterised as male, especially in early societies, men became the reflection of divine power. This meant that the very core of societal development was characterised by this notion.

MIll+ director Jocelyn continues: “So if we fast-forward to today, this somewhat explains why we experience the gender-based societal imbalances we are rising against today. I think this is a really crucial topic to be discussing, especially now, at a time when gender is becoming such an indefinable thing. Something potentially obsolete. By looking to the very dawn of society, we can evaluate where we are now, and where we’re going. We really hope this film speaks to all womxn, and evokes a sense of hope that we can change history, moving into a future that is fair, and fluid.”