Oct 232015
 

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Petra Joy, one of the most amazing women making porn today, has single-handedly financed all the pre-production and shooting for her latest film Come Together, and now needs some support to get this film edited and out in the world. Petra’s new feature celebrates authentic erotic pleasure while challenging existing stereotypes. She is currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo to raise money to finish the film. Want to support feminist porn? Want to consume your porn ethically? I know you do! Head over to Indiegogo and give what you can!

Sep 152015
 

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Call for Entries – CineKink 2016

CineKink –“the kinky film festival”–is seeking films, videos and, for the first time, original digital series, of any length and genre, that explore and celebrate a wide diversity of sexuality. Dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, we’re looking to blur some boundaries and will be considering offerings drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, with works ranging from documentary to drama, camp comedy to artsy experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit–and everything in between.

Cutting across orientations, topics covered at CineKink have included–but are by no means limited to–BDSM, leather and fetish, swinging, non-monogamy and polyamory, roleplay and gender bending, sex work and sex geekery. Basically, as long as it involves consenting adults, just about anything celebrating sex as a right of self expression is fair game. (Far be it from us to define “kink” – if you think your work might make sense in this context, please send it along!)

Scheduled for its 13th annual appearance in February/March 2016, the specially-curated CineKink NYC will also feature a short film competition, audience choice awards, a special adult entertainment showcase/contest, a gala kick-off event and a sexy closing-night party. A national tour will follow, showcasing favorites from the NYC festival selections.

Discounted, early-bird entries have a post-marked deadline of October 9th, while the regular deadline is November 13th and the final deadline is December 4th. Entry fees are waived for CineKink-alumni directors submitting by the “regular” deadline.

For more information, please visit http://cinekink.com/programs-and-events/call-for-entries.

Nov 302014
 

pstudies
I See You, Seeing Me, See You, Seeing Me, See You: Surveillance, Pornography, Porn Studies
Journal: Porn Studies
Guest Editor: Evangelos Tziallas, Concordia University

Narrative film’s increasingly frequent emulation of CCTV and surveillance footage has engendered a dialogue about the intersections between cinema and surveillance, and their historical and theoretical antecedents. Most of the dialogue revolves around formal changes and the ontological and political ramifications of film’s and technologically mediated surveillance’s overlaps. Despite this growing exchange, work on how explicit sexual representation and pornography have been impacted by the rise of the surveillance society, and the overlaps between various personal and expressive apparatuses and surveillance technologies, if not the absorption of the former by the latter, are few and far between.

In Hard Core: Power, Pleasure, and the “Frenzy of the Visible,” ([1989]/1999) Linda Williams’ Foucauldian inspired analysis explored narrative heterosexual pornography as one of the latest sources of “knowledge-pleasure.” Accounts of pornography as forms of audio-visual knowledgepower have proliferated since Williams’ work, but recent technological, social, and cultural political changes require we think about the impact technologically mediated surveillance has had on pornographic representation, consumption, and production. Knowledge-power is “surveillance,” but the proliferation and ubiquity of various digital, computer, and recording technologies focus and transform the meaning and deployment of knowledge-power and knowledge-pleasure.

In “Surveillance is Sexy,” (2009) David Bell explores “sites where surveillance technologies and an emerging ‘surveillance aesthetic’ are being repurposed through their overt sexualisation,” pondering “whether the mobilization of voyeurism and exhibitionism can be read as ways of resisting surveillance” (203). But where does the line between surveillance and voyeurism exist in a hyper-visual and visible world? Voyeurism is predicated on the notion of privacy, but what is the meaning of voyeurism in an increasingly transparent world where privacy is not only being taken away but willfully given up? At what point does the same piece of technology go from being a tool for “voyeurism” to a tool for “surveillance”? How do the simulation of surveillance and the foregrounding of recording and simulation technologies alter pornographic texts and experiences, which are often understood as the epitomes of voyeurism?

In The Simulation of Surveillance: Hypercontrol in Telematic Societies (1996), William Bogard lucidly argues that “to understand what the technology of surveillance is and the effects it aims for today, increasingly we have to appreciate the fantasy that drives it, and that, in a word, is simulation” (9), going on to point out that “surveillance without limits is exactly what simulation is all about. Simulation, that is, is a way of satisfying a wish to see everything, and to see it in advance…” (15). How are simulation, surveillance, and voyeurism consonant with each other and how are their synchronicity expressed and experienced? Conversely, what discords, be they overt or underlying, does their convergence produce at a representational, legal, political, social, and theoretical level?

There is a tendency in surveillance studies to think of surveillance wholly within the realm of the technological, the social, and the geopolitical, as if these discursive spheres are not directly implicated in the observation, regulation, dissection, and control of the body through sex. There is, likewise, a tendency for researchers to be blind to how surveillance is both implicitly masculine and heterosexual, particularly when mediated through technology. Conversely, works on pornography tend to focus on discipline and ideology, rather than how these ideas are refashioned by technology, due in large part to the legacy and residue of the porn wars. This special issue is inspired by a proposed panel for the upcoming Society for Cinema and Media Studies annual conference (Seattle 2014), and seeks to bring together research from the growing fields of surveillance studies and porn studies into closer proximity. It seeks to fill in intellectual and scholarly gaps, and hopes to create a foundation upon which further research and engagement can be built.

Possible topics and avenues of inquiry include:
-Sexualizing authority, disciplinarity, and the police state (cops, the military, prisons, “torture,” superhero porn parodies)
-Amateur pornography and self-surveillance (XTube, Grindr/Blendr, Cam4)
-Sexualized representations of dystopia and the overly controlled society (Descent [1999])
-Surveillance and/or spying as thematic element or narrative device
-The use/representation of surveillance cameras/technologies, or the configuration of personal recording technologies as tools for surveillance in narrative pornography. (Focus/Refocus [2009])
-Politicized representation (“Gaytanamo,” “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” porn-mashups)
-Policing national borders and racial fetishization (“My Israeli Platoon”)
-The theoretical and formal overlaps between surveillance, voyeurism, and ethnography
-Sexualizing the violation of privacy (revenge porn, webcam spying/recordings)
-Biopower and policed bodies (barebacking, fetishizing and criminalizing HIV transmission, transgendered bodies)
-Censorship, bypassing censorship, copyright issues
-“Social sorting,” sexual taxonomies, and pornographic categorizations
-Risk, data mining, and the thrill of “getting caught” on the internet
-Ethnographic studies of particular websites, and online communities and cultures (4Chan, Reddit)
-Regional analysis of surveillance supra-structures and pornography (China, Iran, Turkey)
-Policing porn mobility (sexting, filming and watching porn in public, Google Glass porn)

Please send abstracts (300 words max), manuscripts (6000-8000 words) with a 200 word bio,
and direct all inquiries to Evangelos Tziallas at evangelostziallas@gmail.com

Abstracts due [rolling]
Manuscripts due [rolling]

Sep 182014
 

Anna Brownfield is embarking on her second erotic feature entitled The Bedroom. The Bedroom is set in one bedroom over six decades and celebrates the diversity and changes in sex and sexuality in Australia.  While, the film is set in Australia, like her previous film The Band, it will appeal to a universal audience.

Last week, she launched a crowd funding campaign for The Bedroom.  You can check it out here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-bedroom–2 .    Any contribution you make would be greatly appreciated and would help her to continue to create high quality, alternative, unique erotica.

She’s got some great rewards for your contribution from limited edition handmade DVDs and VOD access of the film, or perhaps you would like to have a Skype date with an actor of your choice?  You can even come and join them as a VIP at the exclusive cast and crew screening!

Strapped for cash but still want to help out?  Well you can by getting the word out there via social media, email, blog about it or even just old school word of mouth!

Thank you in advance for checking out The Bedroom.

Jun 152014
 

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Dusk! – the first and only adult TV product where content must meet the approval of a panel of women – set to launch this June in the U.S.

After delivering highly successful content throughout Europe, Holland-based Dusk!  will provide select programming to cable TV systems in the U.S. and U.S. territories beginning this month. Dusk! is set to deliver ‘Porna’ to its customers via Video On Demand, reaching nearly 30 million subscribers by mid- summer.

Dusk!’s unique approach to explicit adult content appeals to a growing market of female adult TV viewers. Dusk! has created an online panel (www.duskpanel.com)  of identity verified women, made up of wives, mothers, career women and professionals, who view an array of films and scenes provided by the panel. Programming is then based on the honest and candid opinions of these women. Dusk! has provided definition to this specific kind of female-friendly adult programming by introducing the term, ‘Porna’, meaning porn for women. Porna instantly separates this programming from conventional male focused adult content.

Says Martijn Broersma, co-founder of Dusk!, “We are thrilled to take our first steps into the U.S.  Since the start of Dusk! in 2009, we’ve received a lot of requests from U.S. women who would like to experience Porna on television. From now on, they can find our top rated films on broadcast cable VOD which surely is wonderful. For women – chosen by women”. Candida Royalle, American adult star and director, recognized worldwide as having pioneered ‘porn for women’, has been a fierce supporter of Dusk! since its beginnings. “I knew it was only a matter of time before Dusk! made its way to the U.S.,” says Royalle. “They work hard to find the movies and scenes women want to watch. And they don’t settle!”

Jun 012014
 
Club 90 Then and Now

Club 90 Then and Now

 

On June 26, four former adult movie stars who have become innovators in diverse fields of human sexuality will each be awarded the degree Doctor of Human Sexuality from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) in San Francisco. Jane Hamilton (aka Veronica Hart), Candida Royalle and Veronica Vera will receive their degrees from Dr. Ted McIlvenna at the Institute. Gloria Leonard, who died in January, 2014 will receive her degree posthumously.

After a long and distinguished career in adult movies, working on both sides of the camera, Jane Hamilton now uses her expertise to educate women in the U.S. and China on issues of pleasure, aging and self-esteem. Candida Royalle created Femme Productions in 1984 and became known for pioneering erotic cinema from a woman’s perspective, encouraging other women to follow her lead. Veronica Vera founded the world’s first crossdressing academy Miss Vera’s Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls, enriching the lives of trans people across the gender spectrum. Gloria Leonard debated some of the toughest anti-porn activists and toured college campuses as a self-described “stand up constitutionalist” enlightening students on the First Amendment. She was the first president of the Free Speech Coalition. In addition, all four women, plus Annie Sprinkle comprise Club 90, the first porn star support group, which began in 1983 and continues to this day. They credit the resulting deep and lasting friendship of their Club 90 sisters with helping to manifest their individual dreams and successes.

Annie Sprinkle was the first porn star to be awarded a Ph.D. which she earned from IASHS in 2002.  Dr. Sprinkle will host the investiture and awards ceremony. The soon-to-be graduates will each present her life’s work at the Institute’s special “Days of The Divas” (June 24-26) as part of the curriculum. Most events are invited guests only, however, the afternoon of Thursday, June 26th will feature a “Days of the Divas Display—An Open House Meet & Greet & Show & Tell,” that will display Club 90 archival materials and ephemera to which the public is cordially invited.

Founded in 1976 by Rev. Dr. Ted McIlvenna, the IASHS was the first to award advanced degrees in the newly emergent field of sexology that grew out of the sexual revolution. Wardell Pomeroy a colleague of Alfred Kinsey was appointed the school’s first dean. (Chris O’Donnell portrayed him in the movie “Kinsey.”) Says, Dr. McIlvenna, “These Divas personify, what has always been, a primary goal of the Institute which is to spread the truth of human sexual experience in all its complexities. To acknowledge the Divas’ visionary work renews our shared commitment to that goal and helps assure our continued success.”

Apr 102014
 
Arabelle Raphael, Tina Horn, Andre Shakti  PHOTO CREDIT: KD DIAMOND

Arabelle Raphael, Tina Horn, Andre Shakti
PHOTO CREDIT: KD DIAMOND

TORONTO (April 8, 2014)— The 2014 Feminist Porn Conference was presented by The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto April 5 and 6, 2014; it was the culminating event in a week of diverse happenings that included a special film screening of the past year’s best films, a storytelling event, a fisting workshop, a new film festival, and the 9th Annual Feminist Porn Awards. Over 300 people attended the second annual conference which brings together academics and industry workers to explore various facets of the feminist porn movement. According to a pre-conference survey, it was an incredibly diverse group. 20% of attendees identified as porn makers, including directors, producers, and/or performers and 13% of attendees identified themselves as fans. Academics comprised nearly half of all attendees; 15% were professors, and 33% were undergraduate and graduate students. 10% were members of the media, and the remaining 9% of attendees checked the “other” box, identifying themselves as sex workers, sex educators, sexologists, web developers, artists, and activists.

The conference program featured fifty-six speakers from the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, France, and the UK. Speakers included Shine Louise Houston, Tristan Taormino, Jiz Lee, Madison Young, Dylan Ryan, Danny Wylde, April Flores, jessica drake, Tina Horn, Maggie Mayhem, Loree Erickson, Carlyle Jansen, Constance Penley, Kevin Heffernan, Mindy Chateauvert, and Zahra Stardust, who was named Heartthrob of the Year at the 2014 Feminist Porn Awards.

Dylan Ryan and Danny Wylde PHOTO CREDIT: DANNY WYLDE

Dylan Ryan and Danny Wylde
PHOTO CREDIT: DANNY WYLDE

Over two days, there were 28 different presentations on a variety of topics from sexual expression and labor by women of color, the role authenticity in feminist porn, and evaluating ethical production practices to discussions about sex worker histories, self care strategies, and privacy concerns. Professor Nicholas Matte talked about the upcoming exhibit “Archiving Sex” at The Sexual Representation Collection at the University of Toronto, and York University’s Bobby Noble and Lisa Sloniowski discussed their work at the Feminist Porn Archive and Research Project. One of the most well-attended sessions was a panel called “Feminist Pornography: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Matters” with UNLV Professor Lynn Comella, producer/performer Courtney Trouble, Australian filmmaker Ms. Naughty, and Tanesha H.D., a Toronto-based sexuality researcher and self-described “sex-positive porn fan girl.” There was also a business track featuring workshops on production skills, affiliate programs, marketing and branding and a new series called “Theory/Practice,” which featured unique conversations between scholars and feminist pornographers about how sex, work, and scholarship intersect. Films by Shine Louise Houston, Carey Gray, Ovidie, Jennifer Lyon Bell, Ms. Naughty, Zahra Stardust, and more were screened and followed by director Q&As.

Lisa Duggan, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, delivered the opening keynote on April 5; Duggan’s keynote surveyed over 30 years of feminist porn advocacy, pointing out how far we’ve come and how much we’ve accomplished. Duggan, the co-author of the seminal collection Sex Wars: Sexual Dissent and Political Culture, noted that, “The feminist porn movement today is a progressive beacon in a sometimes bleak political landscape.  Feminist porn producers set an example for the wider culture industry by pushing for expansive diversity in representations of bodies and sex, and by demanding an ethical workplace and production process. Radicals everywhere have a lot to learn from the feminist pornography movement.”

FPCon Keynote  PHOTO CREDIT: pinklabel.tv

FPCon Keynote
PHOTO CREDIT: pinklabel.tv

The conference closed with a powerful, emotional keynote by filmmaker/performer/artist Courtney Trouble, who urged the audience to embrace an inclusive, intersectional approach to feminist porn; the audience gave Trouble a thundering, three minute long standing ovation. Trouble, who won two 2014 Feminist Porn Awards for their films Lesbian Curves 2: Hard Femme and Trans Grrrls: Revolution Porn Style Now, said, “The Feminist Porn Conference is a place where the underground politics of social justice and queer theory intersect with women’s and gender studies, academia, business, and media outlets. It’s a jumping point for all of those worlds collaborating and sharing skills and ideas. It’s an important place not just for people interested in porn or erotic media, but for anyone who has ever wondered how media and art can effect our sexuality, or self-esteem, or our relationships.” Both keynotes were recorded, Courtney Trouble can be found here and Lisa Duggan will be made available online shortly.

“Attendance at the Feminist Porn Conference increased 25% this year, which is incredible for an event that is still so new. The amount of interest in the subject matter and the exceptional scholarly and community-based work that’s being created around feminist porn is inspirational. I look forward to planning next year’s conference,” says Tristan Taormino, founder and producer of the conference. One attendee posted on Twitter: “We were so invigorated by the passion, feminism, brilliance, and sexual freedom at The Feminist Porn Conference.” Another called it “an amazing, life-altering conference.” After the closing keynote, conference goers celebrated and networked at an after party sponsored by Sliquid Natural Intimate Lubricants.

The Feminist Porn Conference is made possible by the generous sponsorship of The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, Good Vibrations, GoodVibrationsVOD.com, Sliquid Natural Intimate Lubricants, Aslan Leather, Studio Ten Toronto, Bright Desire, The Feminist Porn Archive and Research Project at York University, The Feminist Press, Good for Her, The 2014 Feminist Porn Awards, and Sex Out Loud. The conference is part of the largest annual gathering of feminist pornographers in the world.

Apr 072014
 

Good For Her is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards!

Courtney Trouble, winner of Best Dyke Film and Most Tantalizing Trans Film

 

Toronto, ON, April 5, 2014:  On Friday April 4th, Toronto’s 9th annual Feminist Porn Awards, sponsored by Slixa once again attracted directors and performers from around the globe, each vying for a prestigious Feminist Porn Award. The Castlefield Event Theatre was filled with steamy porn clips, sexy performances and a powerful room of feminists of all genders celebrating sex on screen. Twenty-three awards in total were handed out in categories ranging from Smutty Schoolteacher Award for Sex Education to Steamiest Straight Movie at this annual event, now in its ninth year.

“Good For Her began organizing the Feminist Porn Awards in 1996 to celebrate the growing diversity of porn where everyone can see their bodies and desires reflected,” said Carlyle Jansen, founder of Good for Her and producer of the Feminist Porn Awards. “Feminist Porn is rapidly eclipsing mainstream options for its fair trade labour practices and inclusivity for everyday people. The festival showcases an increased level of sophistication and cinematography that appeals to both the mainstream porn audience as well as to those who feel left out of porn’s traditional style of eroticism.”

Responding to feedback that they want to “see more porn”, the events also included a screening event called Public Provocative Porn: The Year’s Best in Feminist Film, giving audiences a chance to see more of these incredible films as well as the opportunity to engage with filmmakers with their questions.  Held at the Bloor Hot Docs Theatre in Toronto on April 3rd, over 500 people gathered to watch selections from Feminist Porn Award nominated films. French film maker Ovidie, Amsterdam based Jennifer Lyon Bell, Australia’s Zahra Stardust, Barcelona’s Lucie Blush, Americans Paul Deeb, Courtney Trouble and Shine Louise Houston, as well as local film makers Carey Gray and Sonya Barnett were on the panel to share their experiences, goals and processes in filmmaking. These selections of films shattered assumptions about the porn aesthetic, from folks who used an iPhone to those with big budgets, from soft to edgy, artsy and political.

The 2014 Good For Her Feminist Porn Award winners are:

Sexiest Short
No Artificial Sweeteners
The Madame

Sexiest Short
Trains
Paul Deeb

Steamiest Straight Movie
The Temptation of Eve
Jacky St. James

Golden Beaver for Canadian Content
Power at Play
Carey Gray

Best Direction
Liberte Sexuelle/Sexual Freedom: Sex Stories 3
Ovidie

Smutty Schoolteacher Award for Sex Education
Tristan Taormino’s Guide to Bondage For Couples
Tristan Taormino

Hottest Dyke Film
Lesbian Curves 2: Hard Femme
Courtney Trouble

2014 Indie Porn Icon
Carlos Batts

Most Tantalizing Trans Film
Trans Grrrls
Courtney Trouble

Hottest Kink Movie
Rubber Bordello
Soma Snakeoil

Hottest Straight Vignette
Xconfessions
Erika Lust

Hottest Lesbian Vignette
Women Reclaiming Sex on Film
Madison Young

Steamiest Romantic Movie
The Submission of Emma Marx
Jacky St. James

Best Boygasm
Bed Party
Shine Louise Houston

Heartthrob Of The Year
Zahra Stardust

Slixa Movie Of The Year
Silver Shoes
Jennifer Lyon Bell

2014 Honoured Websites
www.wendywilliamsxxx.com
www.naughtynatural.com

www.juicypinkbox.com

www.welovegoodsex.com

2014 Honourable Mentions
Something Better: Performers Talk About Feminism and Porn
Ms. Naughty

Doing It Again: Playful Awakenings
Tobi Hill-Meyer

Best Slumber Party Ever
Samuel Shanahoy

Kitty Stryker, Courtney Trouble, Wolf Hudson, and Drew DeVeaux

 

Good For Her is proud to have now celebrated nine years as producers of the Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards, the largest and longest running celebration of feminist porn in the world.  Since 1997, Good For Her has been creating a nurturing environment where everyone can feel comfortable learning about sex and pleasure. Good For Her takes pride in providing quality sex toys, erotic and educational books as well as DVDs and workshops that empower and celebrate the diversity of everyone’s sexuality.

The Feminist Porn Awards Events took place at:

Public Provocative Porn Thursday April 3rd at the Bloor Cinema at 506 Bloor Street West

Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards Friday April 4th at the Castlefield Theatre at 2492 Yonge Street

All photos credit to Kristy Boyce.

Apr 042014
 

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Feminist porn is a genre of adult film and a growing movement which traces its roots back to the 1980s and the work of pioneering performers and producers like Annie Sprinkle , Susie BrightNan Kinney , Deborah SundahlCarol QueenCandida RoyalleNina HartleyOn Our Backs, and Fatale Media.

Today, feminist pornographers are organized around creating work that is ethical, diverse, political, and empowering. Feminist porn is ethically-produced, which means the working conditions are safe and performers are paid a fair wage and treated with respect. Feminist porn places emphasis on consent, performer agency, and authentic depictions of desire and sexuality; they often take the lead or collaborate in the creation of their scenes, and everyone is encouraged to experience real pleasure and orgasms. The films of feminist pornographers respond to and challenge stereotypes seen in other kinds of porn, and attempt to move beyond one-dimensional depictions of gender and sexuality. Feminist porn offers alternative representations and aesthetics and often features historically underrepresented or misrepresented people and practices. Feminist porn challenges repetitive, reductive images to create more diverse, complex, and nuanced depictions of sex, lust, fantasy, power, and pleasure.

What’s the difference between feminist porn, couples porn, and porn for women? Is this a fancy name for romance and softer sex? How do I know if the porn I’m watching is feminist? For the answers to these questions and more, read the rest of this article at my GoodVibes Blog!

 

Apr 022014
 

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Welcome to the Courtney Trouble Fan Club, where you’ll get FULL VIP ACCESS to the exclusive content on both of her award-winning porn sites IndiePornRevolution.Com and QueerPorn.TV – as well as a bunch of special treats that only my favorite groupies will get. Most of all, you’ll rock out to the 3-5 updates a week, making this the best and biggest way to be a part of her little world. Welcome to the largest library of indie, queer, feminist, and fun porn on the internet, please, jump on over that velvet rope and play with Courtney!

Become a groupie today!