A study by GLAAD found that “of the 114 releases GLAAD counted from the major studios in 2014, 20 (17.5 per cent) contained characters identified as either lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.” These are the most up-to-date statistics available, and they provide hope: LGBT people experienced a slight increase in representations on screen from the year prior. Still, representations of LGBT people in film are on the rise. I’d argue that Moonlight – a three-act showpiece about a black man struggling with his sexual identity – was the only high-profile LGBT film that anyone heard of or saw this year (not counting the flagrant bromosexuality we enjoyed in Richard Linklater’s ode to short shorts, Everybody Wants Some!!) We weathered a dry spell this year at the cinema. The LGBT community clung on to TV boons like Transparent and Eyewitness and tirelessly quoted RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 2 until their lipstick wore off. Factor those in, and this represents a “bonanza year” for black film, to use the AAFCA cofounder’s words, after the crustless Wonderbread 2015 brought us. There were also major box office returns for Ride Along 2 and Boo! A Madea Halloween. The African American Film Critics Association has proclaimed 2016 to be the “best year for black cinema”, thanks to late-year releases like Hidden Figures, Loving, Moonlight and Fences.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |