The Swedish Film Institute provided director Mia Engberg with 500,000 Swedish kronor, or about $69,000, to helm the anthology "Dirty Diaries," which collects 12 short films. The Swedish Film Institute distributes grants and promotes Swedish film internationally. The organization also holds an annual awards show, the Guldbagge Awards.
Although Engberg was the overall leader for this project, she didn’t actually direct all of the segments, instead tapping several other women to direct.
"Porn has always been made by men for men," Engberg said. "Above all, it's about showing sexuality through a female's perspective. It's not made to please a male audience and it's not made to make money."
In addition, the directors were only allowed to shoot on mobile devices.
"I think this is the future,” she said. “The most popular genre now is homemade porn made by ordinary people."
Anne-Marie Söhrman Ferm, an adviser for the Swedish Film Institute, praised the project.
“For me, it’s an examination of erotic film from a totally different perspective: a feminist perspective,” she said. “I think it’s a very exciting project with clearly artistic ambitions.”
But not everyone is so excited about the project. Speaking for the conservative Moderate Party, Beatrice Fredriksson slammed the Swedish Film Institute.
"I do not think that the government should be funding this kind of thing,” she said, adding that just because is labeled “feminist” doesn’t make it worthy of taxpayer dollars.
Engberg’s documentary "Bitch & Butch" examined whether it was possible for a feminist to make pornography.
