Representation of LGBT in Arab Cinema - Essay Sample

Introduction

The research study aims to investigate the representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Arab cinema. The investigation will use Egyptian cinema as the case study since Egypt was the first Arab country to speak about the fragile topic in film history. Because of the strict laws and regulations in Egypt, film-makers use symbols, such as codes as a way of representing homosexuality. Predominantly, homosexuality in the Arab screens has been represented as drag queens. Most people blame the vice on the Western culture during colonization (Hassan 2011). Further, the investigation will look at the way the Egyptian cinema represents the rights and position of LGBTQ since the 1950s to modern-day. Specific elements to include are the development of characters, the background elements, and how they managed to create the scenarios. Also, the research will look at how religion and culture influences representation in the Egyptian cinema.

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Scope of the Research

The scope of the research project will focus on the LGBTQ in the Egyptian cinema since it is among the first Arab countries to produce LGBTQ movies. The investigation will use essential films to support the research process. Specifically, the study will focus on films produced between the 1970's to the present day.

Statement about the Choice

I chose to research this topic because it is a critical and fragile topic in the Middle East. The way Arab countries represent films about homosexuality is not realistic. I know a few people that are homosexual, and I saw how society treats them and how they suffered. This topic is very important because it raises awareness that the LGBTQ community deserve to get all the rights like any other human being. Despite the cultural and religious affiliations, people should understand that the community exists and it is time to uphold their rights like any other human beings. However, to achieve this, Arab countries should lessen their strict punishment on them. This topic may affect my career negatively because this topic is considered unacceptable and is a very sensitive topic to talk about in the Middle East because of the religious beliefs and cultural background. But as a future film-maker I will learn how to represent each character on the screens in a realistic way.

A Feasibility Assessment

It is not possible to determine the exact period the project will take to complete. However, I will dedicate two hours every day to research and work on the investigation. The title is not an easy topic to find sources, so it will not be easy to have secondary sources; hence, the investigation will use a range of sources. The investigator will take time to find secondary sources of information. The research methods lessons in class helped to understand how to find reliable and accurate sources of investigation. Ethical considers in the inquiry include seeking consent from respondents by explaining the purpose of the study. Secondly, the investigation will uphold privacy and confidentiality since the participants may be victimized.

References

Hassan, O 2011, Real Queer Arabs: The tension between colonialism and homosexuality in Egyptian cinema. Film International vol. 43, no. 8, pp, 18-23.

The article talks about homosexuality in the Egyptian cinema, and when they began to add censorship on films with such topics mentioning a few films.

Shafik, V 2007, Popular Egyptian cinema: Gender, class, and nation. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.

This book talks about national cinema in Egypt and it is helpful because it will be supporting my points.

Habib, S 2007, Female homosexuality in the Middle East: Histories and representations. London: Routledge.

The book talks about homosexuality in the Middle East and how the culture views them with a brief representation of homosexuality in the Egyptian film.

Menicucci, G 1998, Unlocking the Arab Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in Egyptian Film. Middle East Report, vol. 206, pp, 32-36.

The article focuses on the representation of homosexuality in the Egyptian films and how some of the key films represented them.

Youssef, A 2017, Constructing and echoing social perceptions: Gay characters in Egyptian film. Mada Morning Digest, 5 October 2017[Online]. Available at: https://madamasr.com/en/2017/10/05/feature/culture/constructing-and-echoing-social-perceptions-gay-characters-in-egyptian-film/[Accessed 14 October 2019]