April 20 2012 |
I’m in Toronto! GOOD FOR HER has invited me to their FEMINIST PORN AWARDS. Yesterday night we had great time in the BLOOR CINEMA, where we screened a piece of my last movie Cabaret Desire, and some of the work of other directors. Tomorrow is the big night with the awards ceremony in the Berkeley Church (a church?! WOW!). While being here in Toronto I have some time off the office and I’m starting to think and try to redefine or more precisely rename what I do. Is it really porn? The TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL published and article that made me think. Sometimes I feel that the word porn predefines a lot in the mind of the public, and I think that I want to start seeing my work as independent adult cinema. I’m a feminist woman doing movies (with narrative and cinematographic values) that happens to have explicit sex. Is this porn? What do you think? Take a look for example to my short film Handcuffs (that is free online here) and email me your comments an opinions.
I think the artificial distinctions that the Globe and Mail maintains between “art” and “porn” illustrate why you may feel uncomfortable with the term, mainly because they use the “p” word to be dismissive. I think it’s possible to make films that are both. I would certainly say your films fit that criteria. I especially enjoyed Cabaret Desire precisely because it had such a strong focus on story.
But I guess the question is: what’s wrong with something that simply exists to arouse? Horror movies exist to scare people, tearjerkers make you cry… what’s wrong with inciting erections or wet pussies? I think this is why I don’t mind using the term porn to describe my work, because helping people get off shouldn’t be considered to be somehow less than, say, the Saw movies.
The “friend” in the first picture is Ela Darling, one of the best adult performers in the business.