by Syd Blakovich

We’re updating our studio guides to help you find what gets you going…

This week’s feature:

QUEER VANGUARDS

CHERYL DUNYE

“Cheryl Dunye wrote, directed and starred in her first film — which was also the first African American lesbian feature film — THE WATERMELON WOMAN. It was awarded the Teddy Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and best feature in L.A.’s OutFest, Italy’s Torino, and France’s Creteil Film Festivals.”

Perhaps one of the most ground breaking directors in queer and lesbian cinema, Cheryl Dunye was the first black lesbian to direct a feature length film. Dunye has received numerous national and international honors for her work in the media arts. Her fourth feature film THE OWLS was celebrated at national and international film festivals in 2010. Her third feature film, Miramax’s MY BABY’S DADDY, was a box office success and played at theaters nationwide. Dunye’s second feature, the acclaimed HBO Films, STRANGER INSIDE, garnered Dunye an Independent Spirit award nomination for best director in 2002. In 2010, Dunye crossed over into adult film with her international hit Mommy is Coming a sassy, raunchy, romantic sex comedy set in the edgy underground of Berlin where love and taboo affairs collide.

“Pink & White is dedicated to producing sexy and exciting images that reflect today’s blurred gender lines and fluid sexualities.”

You may or may not have heard of Pink & White Productions, however, if you are a queer porn aficionado, it’s more than likely you have heard of their first film The Crash Pad. This feature length film has screened at various international film festivals to sold out audiences and was the recipient of the first Feminist Porn Awards’ Best Dyke Sex Scene. Director Shine Louise Houston took the world by storm with this blockbuster in 2006 and hasn’t stopped since. The Crash Pad quickly became a household name associated with authentic queer sex that is sometimes sweet, sometimes aggressive, but always dripping hot. In 2007, Pink & White launched the web series, CrashPadSeries.com, a membership site and follow up to The Crash Pad with immense success. CrashPad releases weekly video updates of queers getting down in the most notorious apartment in San Francisco. You can view some of the fabulous scenes from the website in the CrashPad Series Studio. Houston’s background in fine art film (as in celluloid, old school style) shows in the craftsmanship of her work and the creative artistry she uses to capture the passion between individuals.

POINT OF CONTACT

“These are the true stories… sexual diaries… told in sweat, cum and pixels… by people you may or may not recognize… to watch their sex lives unfold… and who fucks whom… click now to connect to…”

Pink and White Productions continued to expand their mission to improve the world of adult cinema by providing opportunities for alternative voices. Conceived in 2009, Point of Contact fostered up-and-coming filmmakers through a micro-production model equipping individuals with a small budget, camera, and guidelines to enable them to produce their own four-part series. Once their work was shot, the final content was edited by Pink and White Productions and distributed on PinkLabel.TV, where a direct percentage of the sale goes to the filmmakers. You may recognize a few familiar faces here such as Tina Horn, James Darling and Cyd , who went on to start their own projects.

TROUBLE FILMS

“Courtney Trouble is a filmmaker, adult performer, photographer, queer rights activist, DIY genius, and an award-winning feminist pornographer.”

Truly one of the vanguards of queer porn, Courtney Trouble has been producing indie smut for over a decade! TROUBLEfilms captures queer sex at the root level showcasing the fluidity of genders, voracity of sexualities, and a whole lot of insanely hot people fucking. Trouble continues to produce the paramount films whose popularity has transcended the cult market, acquiring mainstream appeal and several Adult Video News nominations. Consider this an official invitation to the wildest, underground party where great music is playing, the fashion is outrageously stunning, sex can — and is — happening at every given moment, and Courtney Trouble is your host. Welcome to TROUBLEfilms!

Stay tune for next week: Trans Built