London’s first ever Sex Worker Film Festival
Louise Carolin
26th May 2011
DIVA
On Sun 12 June, the Rio Cinema hosts an afternoon of films by and about sex workers
London’s first ever Sex Worker Film Festival features short films and documentaries by and about sex workers and their fight for their human and labour rights.
Organised by the Sex Worker Open University – a collective of sex workers and allies – the first festival of its kind to be held in London will bring together ethically-produced, original and provocative documentaries and films from the UK and beyond, exploring the diversity and contradictions of the sex industry. There will also be a panel discussion with some of the filmmakers and an after-party.
Luca Darkholme, a finalist for Pioneer of the Year at the Erotic Awards 2011 for co-founding of the Sex Worker Open University project, comments: “We want to show living, fighting, whole sex workers; representations that abandon flat, one-dimensional characters and stereotypes. The choice of films focus on the diverse realities of sex workers – often very different from the classic ‘victim’ image. Themes include self-determination, migration, identity, intimacy and the international struggle for sex workers’ rights.”
The programme includes:
* HANDS OFF (UK 2011) – a documentary feature about the fight between the strip-club industry in Hackney, London, and the council’s attempts to close and make these clubs illegal
* EVERY HO I KNOW SAYS SO (Australia /Canada 2010) – a response to the total lack of accessible online resources for people looking for advice on how to be a good date, lover, or partner to a sex worker
* SEX WORKER OPEN UNIVERSITY (UK 2009) – a documentary about the five-day event in April 2009 which saw over 200 sex workers and allies took part in workshops, discussions and actions
* NORMAL (UK 2010 – in which four characters explain how they came to see their involvement in the sex industry as normal and how their notion of normality evolved with their life experiences
* WORKING GIRL BLUES (USA 2009) – a sassy look at work: considering the pluses and minuses of many types of jobs
All funds raised by the festival will go towards creating the next edition of the Sex Worker Open University (12-16 October 2011) in London. Building on the first Open University project in April 2009 which brought together more than 200 sex workers, sex workers’ rights activists, allies and visitors from the UK and abroad for workshops, discussions, actions and art exhibits over five days, the collective will once again create a space for debate, workshops, films, to socialise, learn new skills and empower themselves whilst exploring the richness, diversity and contradictions of the sex industry.
Sunday 12 June,1.15pm – 5.30pm
(Running time first half: 86min; followed by 30 minute discussion with sex workers and film makers then 15 minute interval; running time second half: 91min)
Venue: Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2PB
Tickets: £9 /£7 concessions
More info: http://www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com
Tickets: http://www.riocinema.ndirect.co.uk/
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