{{short description|Singaporean-American filmmaker and LGBTQ+ activist}} {{BLP sources|date=June 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Madeleine Lim | honorific_suffix = | image = <!-- use the image's pagename; do not include the "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and do not use brackets--> | image_size = | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different than name --> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|05|11|df=y}} | birth_place = Singapore | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline}} --> | nationality = | education = B.A. in Cinema | alma_mater = Catholic Junior College <br> San Francisco State University | known_for = | notable_works = | style = | movement = LGBTQ | spouse = | partner = | awards = <!-- {{awd|award|year|title|role|name}} (optional) --> | elected = | patrons = | memorials = | website = <!-- {{URL|Example.com}} --> | module = }}
'''Madeleine Lim''' (born 11 May 1964) is a filmmaker, producer, director, cinematographer and LGBTQ activist. She is the founding executive director of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP),<ref name=":1" /> and an adjunct professor of film studies at the University of San Francisco.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = Madeleine Lim - University of San Francisco (USF)|url = https://www.usfca.edu/faculty/madeleine-lim|website = www.usfca.edu|accessdate = 30 May 2015}}</ref> Lim is also a co-founder of SAMBAL (Singaporean & Malaysian Bisexual Women and Lesbians) and the US Asian Lesbian Network in the San Francisco Bay Area.
== Early life and education == Madeleine Lim was born in Singapore on 11 May<ref>{{Cite web |title=7th annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival! |url=https://qwocmap.org/reelbites/QWOCMAP%207th%20annual%20Queer%20Women%20of%20Color%20Film%20Festival.htm |access-date=2026-03-05 |website=qwocmap.org}}</ref> 1964.{{Cn|date=March 2026}} Her mother was born in China and adopted by Singaporean parents when she was 6, and her father was born in Malacca, and is of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Portuguese descent. At the age of nine, Lim's parents separated. Her mother later remarried to Lim's half-German and half-Spanish stepfather. She lived with her parents until she was 23 years old.{{Cn|date=March 2026}}
Lim studied at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus for her primary and secondary school education. She then went to Catholic Junior College and finished her diploma in the College of Physical Education.{{Cn|date=March 2026}}
At the age of 23, she moved to San Francisco to escape persecution by the Singaporean government for her work as a young lesbian artist-activist. She holds a B.A. in Cinema from San Francisco State University, where she was awarded Outstanding Cinema Student of the Year.<ref name=":1" /> Since 2004, she has been an adjunct professor of film studies at the University of San Francisco.<ref name=":2" />
== Activism == In 1984, Lim, who was 20 years old at the time, ran an underground lesbian feminist newsletter in Singapore for two years. In 1985, a women's discussion group called the "NUS weekly tea group for womyn" was started at the National University of Singapore and Lim became actively involved in its activities, facilitating the weekly discussions and writing articles for its newsletter. Around the same time, Lim became actively involved in Singapore's feminist organization, Association of Women for Action and Research.
In 1987, AWARE organized a dinner in celebration of International Women's Day. For the event, Lim co-wrote and directed a skit called the "Myth Pageant Beauty Contest," a spoof on the "Miss Pageant Beauty Contest." Shortly after the dinner, the Singapore government arrested Lim's co-author during Operation Spectrum, where sixteen people of a mix of Catholic lay workers, social workers, overseas-educated graduates, theatre practitioners and professionals<ref>{{cite news |date=27 May 1987 |title=Majority are grads and professionals |page=15 |newspaper=The Straits Times |url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19870527-1.2.20.21.5.aspx}}</ref> were arrested and detained without trial under Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA) for their alleged involvement in a Marxist conspiracy.<ref>From {{cite web |title=Grounds for Detention (Vincent Cheng) |url=http://remembering1987.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/vincent-cheng-kim-chuangrds-of-detention.jpg}} and Teo(2010) Appendix 2 p.371.</ref> Fearing persecution for her work, Lim left Singapore for New York City, USA in 1987 and eventually made her way to San Francisco, California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Censored Madeleine Lim film to screen in Singapore after two decades : agnès films |url=https://agnesfilms.com/female-filmmakers/censored-madeleine-lim-film-to-screen-in-singapore-after-two-decades/ |access-date=3 March 2023 |website=agnesfilms.com|date=23 October 2020 }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title = drama queen: madeleine lim {{!}} Gay News Asia|url = http://www.fridae.asia/gay-news/2001/02/23/925.drama-queen|website = www.fridae.asia|accessdate = 30 May 2015}}</ref>
In 1996, Lim made ''Sambal Belacan in San Francisco''.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Singapore shows SF lesbian's banned film |url=https://www.ebar.com/story.php?298615 |access-date=3 March 2023 |website=Bay Area Reporter |language=en-us}}</ref> In 1998, Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) invited Lim to screen ''Sambal Belacan in San Francisco'' during the festival.<ref name=":4" /> However, the film was not given a rating by Singapore Board of Film Censors until after the screening date whereby SGIFF was informed that it was banned in Singapore.<ref name=":4" />
In 2000, Lim founded the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) in San Francisco, "with the belief that a community of artist-activist leaders could change the face of filmmaking and the social justice movement." As the founding Executive/Artistic Director, Lim continues to direct the organization's vision and provides artistic direction for all QWOCMAP programs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title = QWOCMAP :: Press Kit - BIO - Madeline Lim, Executive/Artistic Director|url = https://www.qwocmap.org/MadeleineLim.html|website = www.qwocmap.org|accessdate = 30 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=KleisTV|title=Lavender Life: Madeleine Lim, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project|date=6 June 2013|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWLBYKbaqzw|access-date=6 March 2019}}</ref>
Lim is also a co-founder of SAMBAL (Singaporean & Malaysian Bisexual Women and Lesbians) and the US Asian Lesbian Network in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA.
Her films, which have a large focus on the adversity faced by the LGBTQ and Asian Pacific Islander community, have screened at sold-out theaters at international film festivals around the world, including the Vancouver International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, and Amnesty International Film Festival. Her work has also been featured at museums and universities, and broadcast on PBS to over 2.5 million viewers.<ref name=":1" />
In 2020, Lim's film, ''Sambal Belacan in San Francisco'', was finally allowed a limited viewing during the SGIFF.<ref name=":4" />
==Awards and honors== * 1997 Award of Excellence from the San Jose Film & Video Commission's Joey Awards<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.usfca.edu/faculty/madeleine-lim|title=Madeleine Lim|last=Chin|first=Steven|date=29 June 2015|website=University of San Francisco|language=en|access-date=27 May 2019}}</ref> * 1998 National Educational Media Network Bronze Apple Award<ref name=":0" /> * 2000-2003 California Arts Council Artist-in-Residence<ref name=":0" /> * 2005 LGBT Local Hero Award from KQED-TV<ref name=":0" /> * 2006 APAture Asian American Arts Festival Featured Filmmaker<ref name=":0" /> * 2007 DreamSpeaker Award from Purple Moon Dance Project<ref name=":0" /> * 2010 Phoenix Award from APIQWTC<ref name=":1" /> * 2011 Bayard Rustin Civil Rights Award<ref name=":0" /> * 2013 State Farm Good Neighbor Award<ref name=":0" /> * 2013 Audience Award at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival (for the film The Worlds of Bernice Bing)<ref name=":2" /> * Three time recipient of the San Francisco Arts Commission's Individual Artist Commission<ref name=":1" />
== Published Work/Films ==
* ''Sambal Belacan in San Francisco'' (1996)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Formats and Editions of Sambal Belacan in San Francisco : a film [WorldCat.org]|oclc=40357664 |language=en}}</ref> * ''Shades of Grey'' (1996) * ''Youth Organizing: Power Through Art'' (1996)<ref name=":3" /> * ''A Vision of Smart Growth'' (2002)<ref>{{Cite web|title = LGBTQ News About Singapore: April 2005|url = http://charmthebear.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_archive.html|accessdate = 30 May 2015}}</ref> * ''Dragon Desire'' (2004)<ref>{{Cite web|title = LIVING THE DREAM / Madeleine Lim / Film teacher screens controversial and increasingly personal work| date=13 July 2006 |url = http://www.sfgate.com/thingstodo/article/LIVING-THE-DREAM-Madeleine-Lim-Film-teacher-2516369.php|accessdate = 30 May 2015}}</ref> * ''The Worlds of Bernice Bing'' (2013)<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Worlds of Bernice Bing {{!}} Frameline39 {{!}} Madeleine Lim {{!}} USA|url = http://ticketing.frameline.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=3062|website = ticketing.frameline.org|accessdate = 30 May 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150531012100/http://ticketing.frameline.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=3062|archive-date = 31 May 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref>
== References == <!--- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags, these references will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Madeleine}} <!--- Categories ---> Category:American people of Singaporean descent Category:Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Singaporean lesbians Category:Filmmakers from California Category:San Francisco State University alumni Category:University of San Francisco faculty Category:Living people Category:LGBTQ people from California Category:American people of Indian descent Category:American people of Chinese descent Category:American people of Malay descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American people of Malaysian descent Category:Singaporean people of Chinese descent Category:Singaporean people of Portuguese descent Category:Singaporean people of Malaysian descent Category:Singaporean people of Indian descent Category:American LGBTQ people of Asian descent Category:1964 births Category:LGBTQ rights activists from California