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Student's details:
Full name: Yang Aisyah Abdullah Khairi Full name: Cynthia Chua Sian Sian
Student's ID: 0329582 Student's ID: 0328115
Email: aishkh1302@gmail.com Email: cynthiachua.taylors@gmail.com
Contact no: 0173130722 Contact no: 0198197002

Full name: Farah Ibrahim Full name:

Student's ID: 0332499 Student's ID:
Email: faraa7ibrahim@gmail.com Email:
Contact no: 0132372897 Contact no:

Full name: Full name:

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Course & Assignment details:

Course code: BCA60504 Course title: Film Studies
Program name: Degree in Communication
Lecturer: Indrani Kopal
Assignment number: 3 Due date: 11.11. 2020 (2pm)
Assignment title: Film Analysis / Research Paper

Further Information: (e.g. state if extension was granted and attach evidence of approval, etc.)
 

I/We declare that:

● This assignment is my/our own original work, except where I/we have appropriately cited the original source.
● This assignment or parts of it has not previously been submitted for assessment in this or any other subject.
● I/We allow the assessor of this assignment to test any work submitted by me/us, using text comparison software
for instances of plagiarism, and retaining a copy of the assignment on its database for future plagiarism checking.

Signed: Y.A.A.K (Aisyah) Date: 11.11. 2020 Signed:Farah Ibrahim Date: 11.11.20
Signed: Cynthia Chua Date: 11.11. 2020

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 Film Studies (BCA60504)

Assignment III: Film Analysis

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 Queer Representation
in Television and Movies

Taylors University Lakeside

Yang Aisyah Abdullah Khairi (0329582)

Cynthia Chua Sian Sian (0328115)
Farah Ibrahim (0332499)

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary
a. Conservative Films
b. Non-Concervative Films
c. Moonlight :First LGBTQ film to win Best Picture Oscar Awards
2. Portrayal of LGBTQ in US, Europe and Asia
a. Stereotypes about the LGBTQ people, and giving a bad reputation/idea

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 b. Effect of LGBTQ culture (mise-en-scene) in films
c. Banned in certain countries

3. Impact of LGBTQ on the film industry and the audience

a. Leading to the change in requirements to win Oscar Awards/ nominations
b. Evolution of LGBTQ throughout the years
c. Conclusion: LGBTQ/Queer representation has been mistreated and is till ongoing
to this day.
4. References
5. Appendix - Individual works
6. TU Peer Assessment
a. Yang Aisyah Abdullah Khairi
b. Cynthia Chua
c. Farah Ibrahim

Executive Summary:

Throughout out many years, homosexuality also popularly known as LGBTQ (Lesbian,

Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) has been seldomly shown on the screens of movies and

television. Although there is an increase in the representation of the LGBTQ community over the

decade, they are still looked at as ‘odd’, in several ways which portrays humor, fear as well as

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pity. This creates various perspectives as seen in the modern films that were heavily produced

since the first film, Dickson Experimental Sound Film in 1895, that consisted of two men

dancing showing the depiction of homosexuality in the film (Klein, L., 2014). From here most of

the representation were based on stereotypes such as the use of a comic effect or in other

frequent showcases in mainstream films regarding the rising of the LGBTQ and gay rights

movements. Hence, this paper will mainly explore the misrepresentation of LGBTQ and its

controversial topic in films.

Conservative Films:

Recently, LGBTQ communities have attracted people's attention after the United Nations Human

Rights Council announced its first resolution recognising LGBTQ rights. Many filmmakers and

major production companies have created the LGBTQ movie genre on streaming media such as

Netflix. However, some film production companies use pink-washing and queerbaiting to sustain

cinematic heteronormativity (Brennan, J., 2018), that both terms are perceived as a form of abuse

of LGBTQ community representations and identities.

Similarly, the LGBTQ community is often regarded as a restriction when it comes to the LGBT

rights in Malaysia due to the country's homophobic environment. Fortunately, the LGBT

community can demand their space in the world of cinema although the representation on the

silver screen is still limited. For instance, "Dalam Botol" is the first successful 'gay' film in

Malaysia to demonstrate support toward gay lifestyles in the conservative Muslim country.

Non-Conservative Films

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Blue is The Warmest Color is a 2013 French romance film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. It is

based on the 2010 graphic novel of the same name by Julie Maroh ('Blue is the Warmest Colour'

is the first comic book adaptation to win top prize at Cannes, 2020). The movie follows Adèle, a

French teenager who discovers desire and freedom as she aspires to be a painter. As Emma

enters her life, the film documents their relationship from Adèle's high school years to her early

adult life and career as a school teacher.

Blue Is the Warmest Color serves as a classic European art film, heavily influenced by new

realism (Blue Is the Warmest Color: Feeling Blue, 2020). And revolves around young love and

coming-of-age. Blue succeeds in pulling the audience into the story through the camera work,

performance, and unity of subject and style. Every character is in close-up and nothing is hidden.

It is the perfect mixture of desire, lust, love, and betrayal, which eventually unfolds into an

emotionally devastating chronicle. The film has garnered so much attention due to its explicit sex

scenes. Ninety percent of media attention in the months following Cannes focused on this

explicitness, while the sex scenes constituted only ten percent of the film's running time (Blue Is

the Warmest Color: Feeling Blue, 2020).

Critics at the New York Times and the New Yorker have described the movie as an

extraordinary work of cinema, describing it as “unforgettable” and “explosive,” as “generous”

and “captivating,” as “revelatory” and simply “the best love story of the twenty-first century.”

And it has received two awards at the Cannes Film Festival (La vie d'Adèle - IMDb, 2020)

Moonlight (2016)

In 2017, Moonlight was nominated as the first LGBTQ film to win the Best Picture in the

Oscar Awards as it accomplished the requirements to win best picture--this film nominated for

the best director award written by a black director (Donaldson, K., 2017). The film consisted of

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the story of black Miami ghettos and how they grew up from childhood to adulthood. As the

main character was bullied throughout his adolescences, it was suspected that he is as a

homosexual and continues to find his masculinity in his environment (Donaldson, K., 2017). As

the movie holds incredible works of empathy and a lot of close-up work, harsh truth that would

not normally be shown in the films before. The film has also led to Mahershala Ali to be

nominated for one of the acting categories as he played a gay character a a straight supporting

character in the film (Reynolds, D., 2020). As films in the industry begin to create genres that the

LGBTQ films would be categories in, it mainly relates to movies that are conservative as well as

non-conservative culture where LGBTQ is portrayed in that environment. This film can be

considered as a very conservative film as it focuses on the controversial subject in a white

Hollywood (Smorenburg T, 2017), where the character is in search of an individual's masculinity

in this particular environment.

Portrayal of LGBTQ in US, Europe & Asia

Stereotypes about LGBTQ individuals

In United States, Europe and Asia, lesbian and transvestite characters in movies are often

portrayed negatively in the media. The effect of mass media on the public is limitless, as it can

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change their audience's view of the world around them (Biagi, 2012). Lesbian and transvestite

characters in movies are often portrayed negatively in the media. If negative stereotypes

dominate in consumed media, regular exposure may lead people to accept less, allowing them to

accept these adverse representations (Gross, 1991).

Characters appearing on the big screen often assumed stereotypical roles. The heteronormativity

reflected in Hollywood is always the framework for scripting for LGBTQ characters in which

family constructions (forms of intimacy, marriage, domestic roles, etc.) become the LGBTQ act.

The choice of a particular genre and theme in queer role-playing can play a crucial role in

considering media representations (Tagudina, 2012). For example, gay stereotypes in comedy are

more foolish and ridiculous than gay stereotypes commonly seen in drama. Besides that, the

cross-dressing comedy genre has long been a Hollywood staple without being perceived as

controversial such as the films “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “White Chicks”.

Effect of LGBTQ culture (mise-en-scene) in film

As we have discussed the possible environment LGBTQ individuals would face in

particular cultures in films, the recent decade has began to embrace homosexuality in Hollywood

films. The exposure of the homosexuality increases world wide, it acts as a scense of mise-en-

scenes in films containing cultures such as the film known as Carol (2015) as well as Brokeback

Mountain (2005). In which one movie focuses on the depiction of lesbian representability where

it coincides with the history in the time. On the other hand Brokeback Mountain uses the

homophilic nature through camera as majority of the film focuses on homosexual males who are

exploring their masculinity which turns its course throughout the film which contains a dark

lighting to highlight the homosexual world (Chawla, P., 2020). However on the other hand,

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Carol produced in 2015 has a culture that is more exposed to homosexuality and the desires a

women would have for another women whether they are in different stages in life such as their

motherhood or ‘in-the-closet’ where lesbianism is associated in the film. We can see from two

films, in terms of culture and history, that the representation of LGBTQ community throughout

the years has changed with the culture of the people.

Banned in certain countries

In many countries, movies that celebrate the LGBTQ community are highly anticipated and

praised. In other countries, however, those movies are usually silenced or banned (Webb, 2020).

In 2004, the Taiwanese Film Formula 17, which follows two teenage boys who fall in love, was

banned in Singapore (BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Singapore censor passes Brokeback, 2020).

The reason behind its banning in the country is because it portrayed homosexual relationships as

"normal, and a natural progression of society". According to Singapore‘s Films Appeals

Committee, the film “creates an illusion of a homosexual utopia, where everyone, including

passersby, is homosexual and no ills or problems are reflected” (Banned in the City Of

Possibilities - The Online Citizen, 2020).

Impact of LGBTQ on the Film industry

and the Audience

New rules of 2024 Oscar’ Best Pictures

“The Academy’s new standards are aimed at long-term changes” mentioned by Alissa Wilkinson

regarding the new standard rules for the 2024 Oscar Best Pictures. Over the past decade, the

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Oscars will soon be reaching its 100th birthday famous for its ceremonies for Oscar awards

professionally organized by the Aademy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Wilkinson, A.,

2020.). In 2020, the group has acknowledged the unclear guidelines in order for films to be

awarded with the Best Picture awards as they were faced with many diversity problems

throughout the decade as films began to include a more diverse casting where they have

officially standardised officially changed the guidelines starting in 2024 Oscars.

The main issues that arised throughout film reviews and demand would be the diversity of

people of any categorised as underrepresented this can include an ethnic group such as racial

groups. On the other hand would be handling a particular identity of a group within the standards

this would apply to the underrepresented racial groups in this category where it includes topics of

the LGBTQ people, women or people of disabilities. In results of collective underreprestended

groups of all shapes and sizes can explain the recent award of the film, Moonlight (2016), in

2017 that has increased in evaluating how the Best Pictures awards were assessed. As the movie

has alot of Oscar standards that was crossed earning the film multiple awards such as a nominee

award for 2017 Best Director to Berry Jenkins who has a nominee in the 2017 as well as the

2017 Best Supporting Actor to Mahershala Ali and Adapted screenplay to Barry Jenkins and

Tarell Alvin McCraney (Envelope.latimes.com. 2017). The film does not only include the

standards of the new guidelines of the Oscar, it has created a platform of meaning to films as an

Art. The film Moonlight (2016), very much deserved the Best Picture Oscar Awards however

there were multiple negative criticims--on the other hand setting a very high standards for future

films that touch on contraversial topics. The film consisted of both issues of ethnic groups and

identity as Moonlight, similar to mise-en-scene technique in film which in this case was a

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complete dismantle of views of masculinity in a Black community, “film concious of how

failing institutions destroy the black community,” (Josephs. B., 2016). This influence and change

has created a big door opener in the meain of films with the influence of history and world issues

as well a sense of art in films through cultures.

Evolution

The adoption and dissemination of LGBTQ films have progressed over many years, reflecting

the political and social views of the United States on LGBTQ issues. Following is the impact of

LGBTQ on the film industry and the audience through the evolution of queer cinema in United

States throughout the years (Lina, 2018):

The Experimental Queer Cinema (The 1950s - Early 1960s)

It was important to celebrate the rise of queer cinema in Hollywood, especially from the 1950s to

the 1960s, as it was seen as a response and rejection of the Hayes Code. The Hayes Code

upholds moral standards and forbids any kind of" obscenity "that is contrary to this code.

However, during the Hayes Code period, filmmakers had to find a strategy to create queer

narratives because of the homosexuals' ban on Hollywood. As a result, they turned to

underground cinema.

Post - Stonewall and New Hollywood (Late 1960s - 1980s)

From the late 1960s to the 1980s, Hollywood saw a change of directors as new, young and

courageous visual storytellers entered the field. The era has been dubbed "New Hollywood" as it

has suddenly shifted from moderately conservative films to bold and liberal films. The political

and social environment of the United States reflects what was expressed in films during this

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period and the creative outlook of these young filmmakers. Due to America political and social

movement, the Stonewall Riots brings to the LGBT civil rights movement.

New Queer Cinema and the Fight for Equality (1990s - early 2000s)

When it comes to media representation before the '90s, queer films and analysis were practised,

but it was the 90's that sealed the study and the title of the genre. The 90's, in particular, made the

general public aware of queer films. As gay and lesbian characters have become more common

in the media, they have often been written as one-dimensional and often played on stereotypes

such as flamboyant Gays or butch Lesbians.

Love wins in 2010s

During President Obama's govern, the Obama administration set a progressive event in the social

and political movements for LGBTQ equality. Many celebrities volunteered and became

prominent activists in the fight for equality. With tremendous positive exposure and activity of

popular models in the entertainment industry such as Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris,

Queer Cinema has reflected this memorable revolution and global acceptance in the modern-day

United States.

Conclusion:

Throughout history, production codes have hindered the representation of homosexuality

in films and resulted in both its misrepresentation and lack of representation. Nevertheless, many

movies were successful in depicting homosexuality in covert ways in order to be broadcasted and

avoid being censored. Though it is unfortunate that people throughout history considered

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homosexuality as something that can’t be depicted and that needs to be hidden, times have

changed and we can see movie industries such as Hollywood being more and more open to

including LGBT characters in films and TV shows. More and more films are now able to

represent homosexuality in an accurate and positive light. With this progress, the LGBTQ

community are moving forward from being depicted as side characters or villains into the diverse

group of individuals they are, whose differences must be celebrated, not hidden or

misunderstood (Queer representation in film and television, 2020).

References

Chawla, P., 2020. Mise-En-Scene In Brokeback Mountain (2005). [online] High on

Films. Available at: <http://campuscentral.taylors.edu.myhttp://campuscentral.taylors.edu.my>
[Accessed 10 November 2020].

Biagi, S., 2012. Media impact: An introduction to mass media. Cengage Learning.

Brennan, J. (2018) ‘Queerbaiting: The ‘playful’ possibilities of homoeroticism’,

International Journal of Cultural Studies, 21(2), pp. 189–206. doi: 10.1177/1367877916631050.

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 Gross, L., 1991. Out of the mainstream: Sexual minorities and the mass media. Journal
of Homosexuality, 21(1-2), pp.19-46.

IMDb. 2020. La Vie D'adèle - Imdb. [online] Available at:

<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/awards> [Accessed 11 November 2020].

Josephs, B., 2020. Moonlight Is A Stunning Deconstruction Of Black Masculinity.

[online] Spin. Available at: <https://www.spin.com/featured/barry-jenkins-moonlight-review/>
[Accessed 11 November 2020].

Reynolds, D., 2017. Moonlight May Win At Oscars, But Out Actors Still Lose. [online]
Advocate.com. Available at: <https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/2/24/moonlight-
may-win-oscars-out-actors-still-lose> [Accessed 10 November 2020].

Donaldson, K., 2020. Why Moonlight Won The Oscar For Best Picture. [online]
ScreenRant. Available at: <https://screenrant.com/moonlight-oscar-best-picture-win-deserved/>
[Accessed 10 November 2020].
Envelope.latimes.com. 2017. Los Angeles Times - We Are Currently Unavailable In Your Region.
[online] Available at: <https://envelope.latimes.com/awards/titles/moonlight/> [Accessed 11 November
2020].
Klein, L., 2014. LGBT Cinema – A Short History - The Spread. [online] The Spread. Available at:
<http://cinemajam.com/mag/features/lgbt-cinema> [Accessed 8 November 2020]..

Lina. (2018) The Evolution Of Queer Romance In Cinema | Control FOREVER. [online]
Available at: <https://controlforever.com/read/the-evolution-of-queer-romance-and-representation-rough-
draft/> [Accessed 10 November 2020].

Medium. 2020. Queer Representation In Film And Television. [online] Available at:
<https://medium.com/@myhanhtran_45511/queer-representation-in-film-and-television-how-
were-gay-characters-heavily-censored-during-the-bed88640457> [Accessed 11 November
2020].

News.bbc.co.uk. 2020. BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Singapore Censor Passes

Brokeback. [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4716610.stm>
[Accessed 11 November 2020].

Tagudina, I., 2012. Media representations of the LGBT community and stereotypes’ homophobic
reinforcement. Unpublished Research, Manila, Philippines.

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 The Criterion Collection. 2020. Blue Is The Warmest Color: Feeling Blue. [online]
Available at: <https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3072-blue-is-the-warmest-color-feeling-
blue#:~:text=On%2Dscreen%2C%20Blue%20Is%20the,and%20coming%2Dof%2Dage.>
[Accessed 11 November 2020].

The Online Citizen. 2020. Banned In The City Of Possibilities - The Online Citizen.
[online] Available at: <https://www.onlinecitizenasia.com/2007/10/18/test/> [Accessed 11
November 2020].

The Verge. 2020. 'Blue Is The Warmest Colour' Is The First Comic Book Adaptation To
Win Top Prize At Cannes. [online] Available at:
<https://www.theverge.com/2013/5/27/4369424/french-movie-lesbian-drama-wins-palme-dor-
cannes-film-festival> [Accessed 11 November 2020].

Webb, D., 2020. The Countries Where LGBTQI Censorship Lives On - Film Daily.
[online] Film Daily. Available at: <https://filmdaily.co/obsessions/countries-where-lgbtqi-
censorship-lives-on/> [Accessed 11 November 2020].

Wilkinson, A., 2020. The Oscars' New Rules For Best Picture Nominees, Explained. [online]
Vox. Available at: <https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/9/9/21429083/oscars-best-picture-rules-diversity-
inclusion> [Accessed 11 November 2020].

Appendix

PEER ASSESSMENT FORM (PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL)

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STUDENT NAME: Cynthia Chua Sian Sian__ STUDENT ID: ____0328115__________________

MODULE CODE: ____BCA60504___________________ ASSESSMENT TASK: Film Analysis & Presentation

Write the proficiency level from the rubric that fits each group members’ participation in the box under the
collaboration skill. Include your own name in the list. For ranking, use “1” for the group member that you feel
contributed the most to the work, followed by other group members in order of contributions. The ranking should
reflect the participant level of each member.

Name of Group Participatio Leadershi Communicatio Cooperatio Time TOTAL RANK

Member n p n n Manageme (OUT OF
nt 25)
1. Aisyah 5 5 5 5 5 25 1

2. Farah 5 5 5 5 5 25 3

3. Cynthia 5 5 5 5 5 25 2

5 4 3 2 1
Participation Group member Group member Group member Group member Group member
participated fully often participated, but seldom did not
and was always participated, occasionally participated, participate,
on task in class. was on task wasted time or wasted time wasted time, or
promptly most was on task when regularly or worked on
of the time. prompted. was rarely on unrelated
task. material.
Leadership Group member Group member Group member Group member Group member
assumed occasionally usually allowed seldom did not assume
leadership in an assumed others to assume assumed leadership or
appropriate way leadership in leadership or leadership and assumed it in a
when necessary an appropriate often dominated occasionally non-productive
by helping the way, the group. undermined the manner and
group stay on inconsistently, leadership of generally
and generally
track, others. behaved in a
helped to
encouraging manner
maintain good
group group detrimental to
participation, participation, the overall
posing solutions and having a attitude of the
to problems, and positive group.
having a positive attitude.
attitude.
Communication Group member Group member Group member Group member Group member
listened carefully often listened sometimes often did not did not listen
to others’ ideas. to others’ ideas listened to others listen to others. to others and
Group member and offered and interrupted Feedback was often
offered detailed, feedback that them. Group seldom given interrupted
constructive was usually member and usually them. Group
feedback when relevant and occasionally inappropriate o member did
appropriate.
appropriate. offered unhelpful. not offer
constructive constructive or
feedback, but useful
sometimes the feedback.
comments were
inappropriate or
not useful.

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 Cooperation Group Group member Group member Group member Group member
member usually treated sometimes often treated treated others
treated others treated others others disrespectfully or
others respectfully disrespectfully disrespectfully did not share the
respectfully and often tried or did not share and often tried workload fairly.
and shared to share the workload to distribute
the workload workload fairly. workload
fairly.
fairly. unfairly.

Time Group member Group member Group member Group member Group member
Management completed completed sometimes did did not did not complete
assigned tasks most of the not complete the complete most most of the
on time. task assigned assigned tasks on of the tasks assigned tasks on
on time. time and assigned on time and often
occasionally time. forced the group
forced the group to make last-
to make last- minute
minute adjustments and
adjustments and changes to
changes to accommodate
accommodate missing work.
missing work.

List down some of the main tasks that had been assigned to you for this assignment and briefly describe your
performance:

1. Conservative lgbtq movie

2. Stereotypes
3. Evolution

You may also list any other contributions that you feel you have made for your team:

Briefly comment on the contributions of other group member, particularly those you feel contributed more or less
than expected:

Aisyah has been the most helpful in the team during the assignment. Everytime when I ask for help regarding the
assignment that I don’t understand, she always has the time to explain what I need to do for my assignment. Besides
that, Aisyah and Farah have also given many ideas and examples contributing to our assignment too.

Student’s Signature : cynthia Date: 11 November 2020

__________________________________________________________________________________

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