Abstract
Several films today include the narratives of Muslim communities. Due to the vast array of movies on the subject, Muslim communities’ representation has opened many representations and interpretations, whether positive or negative. The independent film “Women of the Weeping River” (WOTWR), by Sheron Dayoc, is one of the many indie films in the Philippines that includes the Muslim community. Using the lenses of Stuart Hall (1997) “Theory of Representation,” the researchers focused on how producers utilize elements of the film in crafting their representations towards cultural groups. This study focuses on this film to elaborate the potential of independent cinema in terms of minorities and highlight social issues. In the case of WOTWR, the study also emphasizes how the Muslim community throughout the film also portrays Islamic women and the film’s influence regarding the formation of viewers’ perspectives towards the selected cultural group. Through an analysis of WOTWR, this study also aims to discuss how indie films can break away and are capable of breaking away and alluding to mainstream cinema milestones. Several frameworks like Yihan Wang’s “Ethnic Boundary and Literature/Image Representation,” Mark B. Feldman and Hsuan L. Hsu’s “Introduction: Race, Environment, and Representation,” and Karin Hamm-Ehsani’s “Intersections: Issues of National, Ethnic, and Sexual Identity in Kutlug Ataman’s Berlin Film Lola und Bilidikid,” were utilized in close reading, providing the reader with several perspectives. The study proved that independent film such as WOTWR is a powerful tool when it comes to representation because of having the privilege of autonomy.
Highlights
Statement of the Problem This study aims to (A) lay the groundwork in understanding how independent film can be a powerful tool in the representation of minorities, (B) discuss how films discuss social issues, and (B) describe the representation of the Muslim community in independent cinema
What elements of the mainstream movie does Women of the Weeping River” (WOTWR) break or uphold? 3. (Concerning question #2) What effect does that have on the portrayal of Islamic women? 4
Through the close read and analysis done by the researchers using different lenses of frameworks, they were able to answer the questions the researchers had in the beginning. These are what makes an independent film a useful tool in representing a specific group of people, what elements of the mainstream movie does WOTWR break or uphold, what effect does that have on the portrayal of Islamic women, and how does the WOTWR create and constraint the Islam religion and the Philippine Muslim group
Summary
The public authority burns through a huge number of pesos, which would somehow, or another produce numerous independent movies, for one film project. Another difficulty is the common topic of destitution that exoticizes, even endeavours, Filipino neediness. The inquiry is whether movie producers are creating these movies since they need to uncover Filipino reality or look for worldwide film celebrations' consideration. He says that setting is pivotal in conceptualizing and introducing the film's material and understanding the movie producer's subject position. He says that setting is pivotal in conceptualizing and introducing the film's material and understanding the movie producer's subject position. (Sollano, 2011)
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