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

Abstract

This paper examines the role of cinema as a reflection of reality and social change. IMDb (Internet Movie Database) was employed as the main data source in order to examine the representation of LGBTQ+ in global cinema in parallel with the analysis of key milestones in recognizing sexual diversity rights. The movies selected for the analysis were coded by country, language, historical periods, genre, and age rating. The results show, among other findings, greater cinema production in those national markets with legislation favorable to the LGBTQ+ community, such as same-sex marriage laws. Globally, there is a greater volume of production in the decades with a significant development of civil rights; a predominance of the “gay” descriptor to the detriment of other terms associated to the LGBTQ+ community, and a higher incidence of genres such as drama and melodrama in contraposition to others such as action/adventure and animation.