Sunday, Jun 12, 2005    Text size: 

“We’re thrilled to have him here,” Sin City General Manager Scott Justice said. “The caliber of his work is consistent with the image we’ve branded for this company. I’m looking forward to seeing his first title.”

Justice won’t have to wait long. Braun’s first project, for the company’s Mayhem label, will be the “Analogy,” due in August. He’ll follow that production with a more stylized, higher-end film for the studio’s revamped big-budget feature line, Sin City.

Justice said his company is responding to customer requests for high-end movies that combine artistic visuals with harder-edged sex in keeping with its Mayhem titles, but with less talk than most bigger-budget adult fare.

“Very few people outside of adult have the skill and the ability to create what we’re looking for,” Sin City publicist Devan Cypher said. “Axel has the eye and talent to do this kind of movie just right, and we’re glad to get him.”

According to Cypher, Braun has achieved near mythical status in the adult film sphere, where rumors have swirled that he has attended both the Academy of Art in Milan, Italy, and Columbia University film school, and that his hands are insured for $2 million each by Lloyd’s of London.

While those stories have not been confirmed, what is certain is that Braun has enjoyed incredible success as a director, winning, among other awards, Best International Director at the Delta Di Venere Erotic Fair in 2004, Best Director and Best Film in the 2004 Ninfa Awards and the 2004 XRCO Award for Best Film and Best Director.

Braun lists among his influences French cinema as well as American greats Martin Scorsese and Alfred Hitchcock.