PorYes is an initiative of sex-positive feminists that advocates for feminist criteria in pornography and honors outstanding depictions of sexuality. Since 2009, the PorYes Award has been held every two years as a feminist European porn film prize in Berlin. The PorYes awards were created as a feminist counter-action to the Venus Awards, a Berlin-based mainstream porn festival.
The PorYes movement developed criteria based on principles from women's movements: sex-positive representations of lust of all genders, women are desired at all levels of the production process, consensus of all those involved in production (working conditions, safer sex, fair pay) and diversity in the representations: both the performers and the demonstration of diverse sexual expressions. Instead of calling for censorship of sexist mainstream pornography, PorYes encourages the production of feminist porn.
The name PorYes alludes to the PorNO campaign, which called for a ban on pornography. The film award ceremony is supported by media outlets including taz, Missy Magazine, Filmlöwin and AvivA. The partner projects include Pro Familia and the Berlin Porn Film Festival. Aktion Mensch and Urania as well as the HAU theater also support the project.
Aim
The festival initiators wanted to revolutionize mainstream porn industries; the initiators of the award wanted to establish PorYes as a certificate[1] to differentiate "the typical, largely sexist and cliché porn from the women- and human-oriented sex-positive porn productions."[1] They have tried to set certain standards of artificial and representative integrity by promoting feminist porn movies.[3] For the PorYes jury, it is especially important that female desire and pleasure is an essential part of the movie,[2] whereas "in mainstream porn the women often look weary and worn out, as if they come from an area of conflict (…)." Porn awarded by PorYes should ideally show more varieties of female desire than mainstream porn does. Moreover, the movies should not lead straightly, or care mainly about, the male orgasm.[1] It is the aim of the awards to show sex-positive depictions of all genders and to celebrate the variety of sexual orientations and bodies.[2]
Background
The sex-positive movement emerged from women’s movements of the 1970’s. In the context of pornography, sex-positivity advocates for “[...] women's right to explore their bodies, sexual desire, and considers that sexual violence does not have to prevent the vindication of female desire.”[3] Although there were many campaigns against porn, for example the famous PorNo campaign of the popular German feminist Alice Schwarzer in 1987, the sex-positivity movement has provided alternative solutions to the feminist issues raised in such campaigns. PorYes also states that "a sex-positive stance often grew out of, or even concurrently shaped, an antipornographic stance."[1]
A demographic shift in the porn market has also led to new considerations for the pornography industry. New research also shows a new interest of women in porn movies within the last 30 years.[4] Furthermore, there has been a rise in categories such as “female friendly” and “woman friendly” on porn streaming platforms.[4] One proposed reason for this shift is a recent change in sexual morality, which influences the sexual behavior of women. However, PorYes states that this does not "change the fact that the majority of leading products are produced under unethicalwork conditions, often at the cost of the environment."[1] So, PorYes set certain criteria for feminist porn films to inform the public and support discussion around these topics.
Criteria
PorYes has created certain criteria for feminist porn movies.[2]
A sex-positive attitude, with no misogynistic acts or portrayals of actors.
Portrayal of lust and pleasure, focus on female lust and its diversity
Authentic sound recordings or music; no gender-stereotypical amplified dubbing of moaning
Orgasms must not be the sole goal of the interaction; a rejection of the classic sexual response cycle
FLINTA* are significantly involved in the production of the film as producers, directors, or camera women
PorYes Academy
At the end of the PorYes Award ceremony, participants are invited to attend PorYes Academy, a one day workshop that brings in academics and professionals from porn studies, feminist studies, and other adjacent fields. The education component of the event is intended to spark conversations and inspire others to incorporate a feminist/sex-positive ethic into their own work. Some examples of lectures from PorYes Academy include: Porn Studies pioneer, Linda Williams; feminist philosopher, Mari Mikkola; feminist academic, Mireille Miller-Young; legal scholar, Anja Schmidt.
Initiator
The PorYes Awards is primarily arranged by the Freudenfluss Network, which is an open network of adults of different genders, ages and sexual orientations and with the goal to promote sex-positivity and sexual communication. The network was founded by PorYes co-initiators Polly Fannlaf and Laura Méritt. A major supporting organization is Sexclusivitäten, a women-owned feminist sex shop in Berlin. Sexclusivitäten offers online shopping, private consultations, and weekly workshop which are often centered around pleasure, communication, and political engagement. Sexclusivitäten characterizes itself as "the first women-oriented sex-business and the sexual communication center of Europe".[5] The owner of the shop, Laura Méritt, has a PhD in the science of social communication and wide experience as a sexologist.[5] She calls herself a "sex-worker" or "sex-expert". She also founded a lesbian escort service in Berlin.[5]
One of the first feminist porn producers, she can refer back to a rich life's work – one that includes more than 30 films by now. She has remained active in the field of independent production to this very day, distinguishing herself with humorous and intelligent porns that show much more than mere emotions, but also high-class dialogues. She is one of the few filmmakers who are in support of Safer Sex, and she also depicts it in her films.
Porn queen and performance artist has earned respect for a multi-facettet life's work and she has gained her unforgettable reputation with loving films on sex-education as well as natural self-presentations. She is now doing pioneer work, celebrating Ecosex with her partner Beth Stephans.
She is a renowned U.S-American from Paris whose numourous films have been shown in the Museum of Modern Art. Her highly aesthetic films stand out for their precise details in the re-enactment of lust; as such, they constituted a brand-new category of their very own, namely: “Film Noir Erotique.“
The indie-porn filmmaker has conquered the feminist queer scene and enthused Europe with explicit and suspense-packed sex scenes, competent and stimulating performers, gender trouble and, at present, with a sex film feature.
She is a filmmaker who lives in London. She implements women's fantasies as well as women's lustfulness in artistic terms and thus, she has already conquered the commercial market in Europe.
S.A.F.E.
Germany
The surprise award was given to the group who have brought the topic of Safer Sex and lesbians to the film screen and have also placed their focus on handicapped sexuality. They have been the first to do so within Germany.
Author, filmmaker and actress; international pioneer in the depiction of female sexuality. She has acted in “The Last Tango of Paris”, participated in the film script of “Bilitis” to considerable degree and also gained her vocational reputation as an author and director of socio-critical erotic themes such as “Romance”, “A ma soeur” or “Sex is comedy” , “Pornokratie”. More often than not, she turns her self-authored novels into films, always centering on sexuality as a means of finding one's own identity.
Rusty Cave
UK
London-based filmmaker who had been the first European to present “100 per cent lesbian Eroticism,” and she took this with the usual English sense of humour. Her sex comedies show lustfully invulved women in witty scenarios – as in “Knock Knock” and “Madam & Eve.”
She has called for “Feminist Short Porns”, accompanied by a manifesto, she has collected a bundle of all genders and sexualites that is both colourful and convincing. A special feature is: Dirty Diaries had been supported by the Swedish government!
She has celebrated her debut in the sex-positive film scene with “One Night Stand” whilst “Too much Pussy” is a documentation of a European X-road-show of female sex-activists.
Monika Treut is at the very forefront of the German sex-positive pioneers. With movies such as „Virgin machine“ or „Female Misbehavior“, Treut moved the filmic focus towards female sexuality. She wrote her doctor thesis about the image of women in Sades and Sacher-Masoch novels and made a touching movie out of it, „Seduction: the cruel woman“. „Gendernauts“ makes her part of the avant-garde in another genre, as she was already thinking about trans* people back in 1999 and managed to make the plurality of sexual identities accessible to the German viewership.
Joseph Kramer is the expert when it comes to holistic male sexuality. He has been making and producing movies for over 10 years. He also developed a taoist erotic massage and originated the „Body Electric School“ and the „Orgasmic Yoga Institut“. His main interest is the connection between sexuality and spirituality. The massages „Fire on the mountain“ and „Fire in the Valley“ that he developed with Annie Sprinkle stated both of them as sexperts. He teaches somatic sexuality at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco.
Cleo Uebelmann
Switzerland
Cleo Uebelmann created a myth called “Mano Destra“ when she was only 22 years of age. Screened 1985 at the first SM Conference for Women „Secret Minds“ in Cologne it initiated a debate about SM. The movie displays a bondage session of dominatrix and her playmate, which demands absolute attention and awareness for both of them. The music, played by the female new wave band Vinyl is as cultic as the movie is a historical document of the SM movement.
Shu Lea Cheang realized with „I.K.U.“ (2000) the first radically funny sci-fi porn or cyber punk porn. It was also the first pornographic movie that was shown at the Sundance Festival. Her multifaceted work revolves around fluid transitions in sex and sexuality, media and reality. She questions oppositions and shows the political within the private and digs into power structures and dependencies. And the best part: the public is always invited to participate in that process!
Lola Clavo
Spain
Lola Clavo is a London-based Spanish representative of the sex-positive feminism, who is nominated for her creative implementation of lesbian sexuality. In her work she is exploring sexuality, post-pornography and queer theory. Clavo is the cofounder of an art collective Exotica Loom.
The man with the pussy is an absolute pioneer not only for the trans-community: as the first ever transporn actor who gained significant recognition, he knows the conservative sex industry and understands how difficult it is to land alternative roles outside the fetish- and freak categories. As a result, he campaigns for the trans-community and their sexuality, and fights for pussy power. His movies „Sexing the transmen“ are completely supportive documentary porn movies in which he pleads for sexuell diversity and self-determination.
Her specialty is slow-sex as well as a realistic and pleasurable representation of sexuality with a focus on female pleasure. She captures the changes of the skin during sexual stimulation with her camera and so shares unusual and extraordinary perspectives that are demonstrated by teachers and (female) sexologists alike. Her highly intelligent porn movies support sexual communication while also toying with the roles of the actors and the audiences.
Goodyn Green
Denmark, Germany
In her movies, the Danish photographer who lives in Berlin offers queer erotic in a highly aesthetic and artistic way. By showing sexually strong people and thematizing androgyny and masculinity, she contributes to the sex-positive education.
Queer porn star whose personality simply defies all gender boundaries. They distinguished themself as a porn star in „The Crash Pad“ by Shine Louise Houston as well as in several other sex-positive and alternative erotic movies. In the meantime, they also revolutionized more straight porn movies through their presence. They work as the marketing director for Pink & White Productions, and is a professional porn performer.
Gala Vanting
Australia
Gala Vanting is an erotic imaginist, movie producer, sex worker, BDSM enthusiast, and sex teacher, as well as a full-time pleasure activist. Her feminist concern is the democratization of sexiness, the sex positive access to education as well as the right to pleasure for everyone, regardless of her/his background. Using slow porn and sensate films, she offers sophisticated choices with an intellectual stimulation.
As a queer artist and activist, Maria deals with practices around pro-sex feminism or transfeminism. For her intimacy is a powerful force of creation and a necessary political weapon for questioning the society. Together with Águeda Bañón she invented Girlswholikeporn in 2002 to explore alternatives. Her actual focus deals with sexual motherhood, orgasmic childbirth and the performativity of gender.
Sky Deep
USA, Germany
Music producer, DJ and activist will be honoured for her first film “Enactone”, which connects to her music career and activism with its sound design and political story. As a community and arts activist she created the “Reclaim the Beats” Festival for the visibility of queer and people of color. She is also active at the female:pressure collective for female artists.
Dorrie Lane
USA
Pioneer and sex educator Dorrie Lane invented the worldwide famous wonderful vulvas to explain female anatomy to her daughter. In the early 1990s she produced with her label “House O´Chicks” films about the female ejaculation and showed women of different age and famous sex stars discussing and performing self-love.
Ms. Naughty
Australia
She created women's erotica online since 2000, one of the oldest erotic sites for women is “ForTheGirls”. Ms Naughty has directed over 60 erotic short films and a feature film and also written extensively about porn and feminism. She is very aware of the sex-positive depiction of masculinities and open for the influence of genderqueer.
Chanelle Gallant
Canada
The activist-writer is focussed on sex and justice and is a long-time sex work organizer and a queer femme powerhouse. In 2006, she came up with the idea for the Feminist Porn Awards. She is working on a book on exploration of sexual labour.
Bishop Black
UK, Germany
Artist and performer. Being a person a colour with in the porn industry has been one of the driving points to working within the ethical porn movement, as well as exploring the ideas of gender and sexuality as fluid constructs.
2019 Awardees
Name
Country
Description
Loree Erickson
Canada
Queer femmegimp Porn Academic and activist whose research brings creativity and theory together. With her personal experience as a disabled person she explores issues of sexual self-representation, embodiment and identity. Want (2007) is her sex-positive reflection on sites of shame as resistance for people with dis_abilities.
Sadie Lune
Germany, USA
American born Berlin based multimedia artist, sex worker and pleasure activist. She took part in a variety of films and performances, exhibited explicit whore-positive work in museums, and shown her cervix internationally. She pushes boundaries in a sex-positive informing way and shows us how far and well different sex practices can go.
Adina Pintile
Romania
Exploring our bodies and sexualities beyond common norms and beauty standards makes us broaden our horizons and overcome restricting limitations. Stereotypes are questioned and intimacy is reclaimed with the power of open minds and bold honesty. Even – or especially people with disabilities are leading the way.
Dwayne Yung
Germany
Writer, performer and video artist exploring issues of race and identity from a queer Chinese-Canadian perspective. He reveals how our views on sexuality are impregnated by prejudices in a fun and loving way.
Nan Kinney
USA
Producer and director of Fatale Media, which made the first porn films by and for women in the late 80s. She also co-founded the first and legendary lesbian sex magazine On our backs (1985) with Deborah Sundahl and Susie Bright. Nan brought self-defined "lesbian sex" into mainstream porn and taught women* how to don a strap-on. Bend over Boyfriend became an international bestseller.
Anna Brownfield
Australia
In her movie The Band the directress Anna Brownfield citically discuses the male-dominated music industry and conventionalizes the attributed potency of the musicians with cutting irony. At the same time female characters including groupies are represented as equally powerful, as they know exactly how to satisfy their desires.
2021 Awardees
Name
Country
Description
Marit Östberg
Sweden
Filmmaker, producer, visual artist and journalist from Sweden. She uses porn to creatively address sexual politics
Gender-turbulent chronicler* of the queer sex scene since the 1980s. As an artist, activist and interventionist*, they emphasize gender variance, sexual connectedness and physical mutations.
Morgana Muses
Australia
The sex-positive creative filmmaker thematizes sex without age limits and breaks down normative attributions.
Nenna Joiner
USA
The Feelmore filmmaker and performer released porn exclusively with black lesbians.
Lina Bembe
Mexico,
Germany
The sought-after performer advocates for sexual education and the demystification of porn sex workers.
Currently a professor in Orlando (USA), the national film prize recipient and feminist film maker Ula Stöckl, feminist expert and leader, is among the jury members. She brings with her a copious knowledge of film and her vast experience. She could compose a history of pornography in German film from her own cinematographic biography.
With the Konkursbuch-Verlag, publisher Claudia Gehrke is a pioneer of female lust. In addition to Gudula Lorez, she was the first German publisher to publicize sexuality and credit women with a particular status. With the numerous lawsuits her works have drawn and her many speeches of defense in courts, she, too, could write a history of pornography of the last 30 years.
Dr. Laura Méritt is a communication scientist and sexologist Her thesis was about the laughter of women and so she runs for nearly 30 years the first feminist sexshop in Europe “Sexclusivitäten”, does sexual knowledge campaigns and her fridays ecstasy salons about sex, politics and gender in Berlin. She is an author and editor, e.g. the standard book about female*´ sexual anatomy: „A new view on women´s body“.
Scholar in Cultural Studies and author Dr. Corinna Rückert did her doctorate on women's pornography and knows best about positions, productions, and distributions. Her dedication to the new lust of women has survived Beate Uhse, and is not just ground-breaking because of that.
Margaret von Schiller
Spain
Margaret von Schiller lives in Almeria/Spain since 2007. After 20 years of commitment to Independent Films in production and as a program coordinator at the Berlinale Panorama she continues her engagement for film festivals and for the perspective of women in film, among other things as a program manager in Cuenca (Mujeres en Dirección) and with her Writers Retreat.
