LOS ANGELES — The critically-acclaimed erotic independent film “Marriage 2.0” made its collegiate premiere at the University of California, Santa Barbara on Tuesday as part of Dr. Constance Penley’s class, “Topics in Film and Popular Culture: Pornography.”
The indie adult film, produced by LionReach Productions and distributed by Adam & Eve, comes with a high pedigree after being named Movie of the Year at the Feminist Porn Awards and Best Narrative at the CineKink Film Festival. “Marriage 2.0” combines sexual performances from adult stars with a compelling story delving into the depths of human relationships and emotions.
“We feel honored to have ‘Marriage 2.0’ presented as part of an academic discussion on the impact of film and media," said “Marriage 2.0” screenwriter and producer Magnus Sullivan. “Having a dialogue on a film like ours in a collegiate setting is an important step in showing the value of bringing together the worlds of erotic films and independent filmmaking.”
The screening was followed by a question-and-answer session with cast member Carol Queen, a sex and relationship expert and author.
“My class looks at the history of pornography, both as a film and its place in popular culture, as well as a genre and an industry. Because of this, I am delighted that my students will have the chance to see ‘Marriage 2.0’ and appreciate its radicalness in that history,” Penley said. “As a strikingly experimental cross of mainstream and adult, ‘Marriage 2.0’ redefines the cinematic possibilities of both.”
Penley’s major areas of research interest are film history and theory, feminist theory, cultural studies, contemporary art, and science and technology studies. She has penned several volumes on film, sex, pornography and feminism, and is the co-editor of "The Feminist Porn Book: The Politics of Producing Pleasure," with Tristan Taormino, Mireille Miller-Young, and Celine Parreñas Shimizu. Penley also serves on the editorial board of the newly launched peer-reviewed journal "Porn Studies" and is Co-Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center, which supports teaching, research, and public programming about media.
According to the UCSB Film and Media Studies course description, “[‘Topics in Film and Popular Culture’] approaches pornography as a major instance of film and popular culture, from the pre-history and history of cinema and video to the Internet and virtual worlds. Course content [is] augmented by guest lectures from the adult industry and academia.”
To read the XBIZ Editor's Choice review of the film by Dan Miller, click here.
