The festival, held at Brady Cinema, was organized by Maxime Cervulle and Marie-Helene Bourcier, both academics at the University of Paris, according to a report in the U.K. Guardian newspaper. The event was also coordinated by Sophie Bramly, founder of the French-language website SecondSexe.com.
The festival featured dozens of productions, including titles such as “Deep,” “Strap-on Motel,” and “Post-Apocalyptic Cowgirls.” Almost half of the films were made by and for women.
Bourcier told the Guardian she views the festival goes a long way towards correcting the “gender imbalance” associated with adult films.
“I don’t see any contradiction between certain kinds of pornography and feminism,” Bourcier said. “For women it can be a sort of empowerment.”
Cervulle added:“there’s a new culture of pornography emerging. It’s not only about breaking away from the clichés of porn — of macho sexuality, bad plots and zero aesthetic appeal — but also changing the way people are portrayed in pornography: straight women, black women, lesbians, transsexuals and gay men.”
