Building a Timeline for LGBTQ+ Global Cinemas (1910-2019): Movie Production Trends from a Collaborative Internet Cinema Database

©2023 by the board of trustees of the university of illinois tHe lgBtQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual identities and orientations) community has struggled to achieve social acceptance, political representation, and recognition of their civil rights. Their demands respond to exclusions and oppressions suffered historically. Even today, this struggle continues in many countries. Equal rights to marriage and adoption have not yet been recognized in all societies, and in some countries, sexual diversity is even punishable by death. Audiovisual media, particularly cinema, has the ability not only to function as a device for the production and creation of reality, but also to act as a reflection of reality and social changes (Gross; Williams), such as when recognizing sexual diversity. Media has a key role as a socializer, comparable to the role held by institutions such as school or family (Rosengren 6). Cinema, as the most influential medium of the twentieth century, has reflected the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, mirroring a significant period in the history of humanity regarding the advancement of civil and political rights. This has taken place through different channels. The first channel consists of commercial and mainstream movies that typically have come out of Hollywood and the United States. As one of the main cinema “super producers,” Hollywood industry has shaped the market, ruling over the box office and influencing the content of movies. However, in the last few decades, content also has reflected transnationalization as a way of appealing to different cultural markets and reflecting the diversity of global audiences (Crane 378). A second venue for reflection of these changes has been the independent cinema circuits, though they have been aimed, traditionally, at a rather minority audience. While both of these production models—the so-called mainstream and indie films—participate in the representation of characters and themes of the LGBTQ+ community, these have been decoded in different and often opposite ways. Independent cinema, including documentary and avant-garde cinema, has been conceptualized in part as a response to the “dominant mode of American (heterosexist) filmmaking” and, therefore, identified with the “queer” (Benshoff and Griffin, Queer Images: A History 11). On the other hand, for other authors, the parameters defining queer cinema are diverse and fluid, beyond binary classifications. Queerness is here understood as a component that can be presented through different types of cinemas, manifesting different forms of queer representation and participation/identification among filmmakers (Schoonover and Galt 15). Dr. mAnuel HernÁnDeZ-pÉreZ is a lecturer in digital media and director of digital media and extended reality at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK. His research focuses on media studies and digital narratives. Dr. JuAn JosÉ sÁnCHeZ-soriAno is a lecturer in communication at the University Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain. His research interests are linked to the field of LGBTIQ+ studies. Building a Timeline for LGBTQ+ Global Cinemas (1910–2019): Movie Production Trends from a Collaborative Internet Cinema Database