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We don't do Porn(festival)
About films that are not in the festival
The Porn Film Festival is called so, because we like to say things as they are. Although many films in the festival aren't even porn in the traditional sense. However we knew all along that the p-word in the title wouldn't bring a mass audience to the festival. But the bluntness allows a target audience to go for it and be surprised about all the things that we think porn can be today.
Much to our surprise though, was the fact that the p-word is also a big "no no" for filmmakers and producers, even if their films are pornographic or deal with the porn-industry.
The selection committee was thrilled to be able to see some very interesting, witty and creative approaches in these films and was sure our festival would be the perfect stage to present this work. But apparently the maker, sales agents and marketing people disagreed.
For example we would have loved to show Australian feature film "The Band", which combines the means of a feature film with explicit sex scenes and on top, being made from a female perspective by director Anna Brownfield. But the filmmaker had other plans with it.
Even though the documentary "Stalags - Holocaust and Pornography in Israel" by Ari Libsker has got the word "pornography" in its title the filmmaker refused to be connected in any way with a porn film festival. Sad, because we planned to put it as a centerpiece of the festival in order to discuss the very controversy issue of Nazi-terror-porn being popular in Israel, especially amongst former concentration-camp inmates.
Porn in the title and nothing else in the content we found in the German documentary "9 to 5 days of Porn" by Jens Hoffmann. This very revealing look behind the scenes of the porn industry worldwide would have been perfect for the festival, but the producers decided to rather compete with many other documentaries for other more mainstream festivals.
The story of the notorious swinger club Plato in New York and the excessive sex parties of straight couples in the 70ies and 80ies - inspired by the gay men's sex culture of the time - as told in the interesting documentary "American Swing" would have been interesting to our audience, we thought. The filmmakers Matthew Kaufman and Jon Hart however preferred to offer it to other festivals.
And finally one documentary with one of the highest artistic qualities "Jan Saudek" about the Czech photographer also didn't want to be part of our festival. Although it portrays the rebellious and challenging work of the erotic photographer Jan Saudek the filmmakers didn't feel that the message of the films is anyhow obligating and were offering it to other festivals instead.
We can only express our deep regret about all these missed opportunities and wish to express our highest gratitude to all those who are not only making non-mainstream and daring, challenging films but also show these at festivals with the same goal.
The curators of the 3. PornfilmfestivalBerlin
GLANCE BACK 2007
More audience and more guests populated the 2nd Pornfilmfest Berlin which closed with a glamorous prize ceremony on Sunday October 28th, 2007. The international jury Tat Escobar, Madrid; Isabel McEwen, Hamburg; and Hubertus Leischner, Berlin gave the following prizes: the first prize went to Joe Gallant, New York for "Atomic Skullfuck Orgy". The second prize went to Bruce LaBruce, Toronto for the film "Give Piece of Ass a Chance", and an honorable mention went to both "Dinner for a Cocksucker" by Alfio Tombolato, Venice and "Sex Mannequin" by Maria Beatty, Paris.
Lively discussions of the screened films, exciting workshops, interesting lectures and flamboyant parties made the 2nd Pornfilmfestival the event of October 2007. Audacia Ray, who presented her film "The Bi-Apple", has written about her experiences and adventures during the festival in her pointed personal blog. To be read up at http://www.wakingvixen.com/blog/?p=868. Other press reviews can be found on this website under PRESS.
In spite of all the vivid exchanges again pornography was not reinvented, still the guests and festival audience were able to come to a few new realizations. We, the organizers of the festival, wish to thank all participating filmmakers and the other guests for their contributions and we are sure, that we can present many controversial works again this year. We see us from 22th - 26th October 2008 in the cinemas!
The Festivalteam Berlin
