Identities and Film

1) Read Media Factsheet 142: Identity and Film.

2) Complete the Twenty Statements Test yourself. This means answering the question ‘Who am I?’ 20 times with 20 different answers. What do they say about your identity? Write the 20 answers in full on your blog.

Who am I? I am a student
Who am I? I am a female
Who am I? I am in love with make up 
Who am I? I am a feminist
Who am I? I am in Year 13
Who am I? I am not going to Uni
Who am I? I am going to travel the world 
Who am I? I am going to open up my own business
Who am I? I am a chilled person
Who am I? I am a part time hairdresser/stylist
Who am I? I am the oldest sibling
Who am I? I am going to turn 18 in March
Who am I? I am not eating chocolate 
Who am I? I am getting married in 6 years 
Who am I? I am going to learn how to drive
Who am I? I am going to live in Dubai
Who am I? I am a fan of hip hop music 
Who am I? I am a calm person
Who am I? I am studying business
Who am I? I am also studying Media studies 

3) Classify your answers into the categories listed  on the Factsheet: Social groups, ideological beliefs, interests etc.
Social - I am a student, I am a female, I am a feminist, I am in Year 13, I am the oldest sibling, I am going to turn 18 in March, I am studying business, I am also studying Media studies. 

Interests -I am in love with doing make up, I am a hairdresser,I am good at netball, I am interested in make-up
Ambitions - I am going to travel the world, I am going to live in dubai, I am going to open up my own business and i am going to get married in 6 years. 
Self-evaluation - I am a chilled person, I am a a friendly person, I am going to learn how to drive, I am a caring person, I am a calm person. 

4) Go back to your favourite film (as identified in the lesson). What does this choice of film say about your identity? Are there any identities within the film (e.g. certain characters) that particularly resonated with your values and beliefs?

5) Watch the trailers for the five films highlighted as examples of gay/lesbian representation in mainstream film. How are LGBT identities constructed in the trailers and how are audiences encouraged to respond to these representations?

Wilde - the story of Oscar Wilde, genius, poet, playwright and the First Modern Man. The self-realization of his homosexuality caused Wilde enormous torment as he juggled marriage, fatherhood and responsibility with his obsessive love for Lord Alfred Douglas. The concept of fatherhood makes it harder to be accepted to be a gay as there are many responsibilities along with it.  

Philadelphia - Fearing it would compromise his career, lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) hides his homosexuality and HIV status at a powerful Philadelphia law firm. But his secret is exposed when a colleague spots the illness's telltale lesions. Fired shortly afterwards, Beckett resolves to sue for discrimination. It's very rare that lawyer's come out as homosexual due to their superior position and important job role.

The Wedding Banquet -  The Wedding Banquet is a 1993 film about a gay Taiwanese immigrant man who marries a mainland Chinese woman to placate his parents and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet.

The Kids Are Alright - Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) are a married lesbian couple living in the Los Angeles area. Nic is an obstetrician, and Jules is a housewife who is starting up a landscape design business. Each has given birth to a child using the same sperm donor.

Pride 2014 - Realizing that they share common foes in Margaret Thatcher, the police and the conservative press, London-based gays and lesbians lend their support to striking coal miners in 1984 Wales.