New erotic film questions “the way men & women are.”

Harvard senior Val Elefante, whose thesis paper “Beyond Pleasure and Danger: Autonomy and the Ethics of Pornography” looked at some of the ways that ethics of pornography has been debated from the feminist ‘sex wars’ of the 1970’s to now, is on a mission to bring her message of gender roles and ethical productions to the screen.

The Way We Are is a short erotic film that tells the story of a young woman named Cassie who overcomes the shame and fear around sex that growing up in a patriarchal society perpetuates. From her mother, she is taught that women need to reserve themselves for the someone who is willing to commit emotionally to a relationship, and that is “the way women are.” From her father, she has learned to be cautious of men who usually only seek mindless sex and misbehave with their actions excused because that is just “the way men are.” Aiming to highlight the hypocrisy and danger in this way of thinking, the sexual encounter Cassie has at the end of this film will demonstrate the power that a positive, honest, and communicative sexual experience can have on young people’s ideas about sex—and reveal how beautiful and healthy sexual exploration can be.

A participant of the Erotic Film School and co-creator of the project Luminous Lust (starring Dylan Ryan and T. Pfister, currently touring with Dan Savage’s Hump! Festival), Val found a passionate connection between academia and production. She joins Harvard graduate Jennifer Lyon Bell and other female filmmakers whose works are a growing collection of adult films that challenges social sexual shame. “Many individuals and companies in the industry are already doing this, but we need more!” Val writes.

This film is written and will be directed/produced by Val at the Hacienda Maison in New Orleans, along with the help of the feminist porn producer Madison Young.

UPDATE: Watch “The Way We Are” on PinkLabel.TV!