The PornFilmFestival returns to Berlin

The annual PornFilmFestival Berlin is an alternative, independent film festival that focuses on sexuality, politics, feminism and gender issues, and is the only festival of its kind in Germany. Premiering in 2006, the festival has screened hundreds of films from around the world, featuring feminist and queer perspectives on questions around sexual morality, identity, and body norms, emphasizing artistic, and alternative approaches to the genre of pornography. The festival attracts an international audience of directors, performers, and fans of alternative adult film, and is framed by panel discussions, lectures, workshops, performances, exhibitions and after parties that create a space for conversations on the subject of sexuality today.

PinkLabel.tv was inspired by the PornFilmFestival Berlin, when Pink and White Productions founding director Shine Louise Houston attended the festival and was thrilled to discover so many independent filmmakers whose work, much like her own, existed outside the traditional marketing of pornography. She found a deep appreciation for the unique works shown, but lamented the fact that so many of them would only be seen at the festival and did not have an online home where people around the world could appreciate new works and be inspired by ever evolving representations of sexuality. With that goal in mind, she launched PinkLabel.tv to curate studio works that reflect artistic and marginalized adult film.

In 2018, PornFilmFestival returns with another action-packed year of screenings, workshops, performances and parties. There’s always something going on, so the biggest problem is deciding what to see. (It’s a good problem to have, and fortunately for us, the programmers often offer repeat program screenings. To see it all, you’ll have to spend some time browsing the program.)

Here’s our highlights:

Panels

Performers safety and ethics – setting industry standards – Tuesday October 23, 16:00 – Performers Lina Bembe and Rooster lead a skill-sharing and experience-sharing discussion with the goal to empower performers in the production process. They welcome performers particularly to share concerns, advice and best practices surrounding ethics and safety in porn.

Porn vs. the mainstream: dealing with journalists – Thursday October 25, 16:00 – Pornography in general and feminist pornography especially are often a point of interest for journalists. The relationship between us, the porn community, and the mainstream media is a troubled one. Although we are passionate about our work and our activism, getting the message out to the general public seems to be an art in itself. A lot of time is spent educating people outside the porn community, often unpaid. Colleagues are engaged to take part in interviews and personal and collective stories are shared ‑ all this is done while being aware that the journalist might just run off with our stories. This panel addresses how we choose to interact with journalists, if we think we need the mainstream at all and how to deal with misrepresentations. The panel is an invitation to start a broader discussion on how we can make our media advocacy more inclusive, ethical and healthy.

Programers’ Meeting -Friday October 26, 16:00 – At this informal networking get-together mainly organizers and curators from various international film festivals have a chance to introduce their festival and future projects. Also film makers and other artist can advertise their projects and look for collaborators. Last year around 80 different festival organizers and film makers got to know each other. The meeting will be moderated by the Pornfilmfestival and will be held in English.

Fucking pay for your porn?! A self-reflection on ethical porn practices – Saturday October 27, 16:00 – Do you want to feel like an important member of society? Do you want to make the world a better place? You can ‑ you just have to buy the right film to cum to! The ethical porn movement seems to offer an easy way out of the dilemmas around the production and consumption of pornography. But seriously: Who decides which porn is ethical and which is not?

Workshops

Screenplays & storyboards: how to map your adult movie – Wednesday October 24, 12:00 – Directing a film requires clear and effective communication with cast and crew. Director and writer Shine Louise Houston presents a special “Crash Course” designed especially for adult movie makers, though all are welcome to attend. Houston walks us through the process of brainstorming, organizing ideas and stringing them all together, providing the tools that allow a director to effectively communicate ideas to cast and crew for a cohesive and compelling story. The course will cover screenplay structure and how it applies to sex scenes, introduce basic storyboard language, learn ways to pitch your idea, and troubleshoot your project. By the end of the two-hour workshop, you’ll have structure for organizing your thoughts and conveying ideas to others. No previous film experience is required. This workshop applies to narrative, experimental, and documentary film genres and is open to filmmakers of all levels. We recommend you bring a script summary or project idea for practical application during the class.

Screenings Galore

Several feature and short adult films will fill the festival screens, including Birthday by Shine Louise Houston, Pachisi by The Madame, D.T.F. (down to fall) by Evie Snax, Labia of Love by Morgana Muses, Orgy #001 by AORTA Films, Heaven by Spark Erotic, Liquid Beast by AORTA Films and Tribute by Max Disgrace.

Will you be watching? 

If you’re not in Berlin, browse Best of PornFilmFestival Berlin for selection of films that have screened from 2006 to the present! See pornfilmfestivalberlin.de for more festival info. Are you attending? What are you looking forward to seeing?