Thesis (BA Communication Arts) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2018

In exploring different media platforms, animation has been considered as an escapist mode of cinema that is conveniently referred to as an entertainment medium directed to younger audience. Animation is also considered as a problematic media platform as among the other platforms, animation least portrays reality due to its visual properties. In this study, the researcher studied and explored those conventions by utilizing animation as a communication tool that delivers relevant messages exploring a particular societal issue; the internal struggles faced by gay Filipinos. This production thesis produced a 4-minute animated short film titled, ?The Life of Kim?, that narrates the story of a character featuring actual experiences of internal struggles by gay Filipino young adults. The animated short film was grounded on two theories that served as a foundation in the study to link the reality of the struggles of the gay Filipinos and the animation medium. On one hand, Imamura Taihei?s Cartoon Film Theory breaks the barrier between animation and reality by emphasizing the medium's relationship with photography and documentary, while o the other hand, J. Neil Garcia's Queer Theory discussed the concept of kalooban which inspired the content of the animated short film that explored Filipino gay's internal struggles. The two theories guided the production thesis in effectively visualizing the struggles of actual gay young adults that were interviewed for the study. Through the narratives of the gay individuals, the animated short film was able to portray authentic experiences from different people and created a channel that linked the audience to the reality faced by gay Filipino young adults.