As America unwinds from the holidays, the XXX business gears up to celebrate the year’s finest achievements in adult entertainment. Arty, edgy adult film studio Evil Angel has been recognized in multiple, prestigious categories with nominations for 112 AVN Awards and another 86 XBIZ Awards. The 2016 XBIZ Awards, “honoring the best of the best in the business of sex,” will be bestowed in Los Angeles on January 15, 2016. The 2016 AVN Awards Show, “the Oscars of porn,” comes January 23, 2016, in Las Vegas.
Four Evil Angel filmmakers received major directing nominations: AVN named Mike Adriano and Manuel Ferrara Director Of The Year candidates; XBIZ recognized Jonni Darkko, Dana Vespoli and Ferrara in their Director Of The Year — Body Of Work category. Darkko, Rocco Siffredi, Nacho Vidal and first-time director Anikka Albrite also garnered nominations in various AVN directing categories, while Christoph Clark, Kevin Moore, David Perry, Joey Silvera, Jay Sin and the BAM Visions team of Mick Blue and Maestro Claudio joined Adriano, Siffredi and Vidal with nods in XBIZ directing categories.
Ferrara and creative partner Kayden Kross were behind one of the year’s biggest sensations: “Screwing Wall Street: The Arrangement Finders IPO” scored both AVN and XBIZ nominations for the year’s best parody and for parody direction. XBIZ also recognized the movie for Best Actor — Parody Release (Ferrara), Best Actress — Parody Release (Veronica Vain) and Best Scene — Parody Release (Vain and Blue). AVN delivered nominations for Best Screenplay — Parody (Kross), Best Supporting Actress (Stoya), Best Girl-Girl Sex Scene (Vain and Kross) and Best Marketing Campaign — Individual Project. Among a host of additional XBIZ and AVN mentions for other movies in diverse categories, Ferrara was nominated by both organizations as Male Performer Of The Year.
Albrite and Blue were both nominated to repeat in their respective AVN Female and Male Performer Of The Year categories, and each received a 2016 XBIZ Performer Of The Year nod, highlighting a big year for porn’s First Couple. They formed BAM Visions (with co-director Claudio), nominated by AVN as the year’s Best New Imprint and by XBIZ as Best New Studio. Albrite’s directing debut, “Anikka’s Bootycise,” took an AVN nom for Best All-Girl Movie. “Anikka’s Anal Sluts,” directed by Blue and Claudio, won AVN nominations for Best Anal Movie, Best Director — Non Feature and Best Three-Way Sex Scene — G/G/B (Albrite, Blue and Valentina Nappi). The same movie took XBIZ noms for Gonzo Release Of The Year, Director Of The Year — Non-Feature Release and Best Scene — All Sex Release (Albrite, Blue and Vicki Chase).
Iconoclastic filmmaker Vespoli’s “A Thing Of Beauty” received an AVN Best Drama nomination and was recognized by XBIZ in four categories: Best Couples-Themed Release, Best Director — Feature Release, Best Scene — Feature Release (Bree Daniels and Logan Pierce) and Best Actress — Couples Themed Release (Daniels). Vespoli’s “Fluid 3” won XBIZ recognition for Best Scene — All Girl (Stoya and Vespoli), while AVN lauded the movie with noms for Best Anthology Movie, Best Oral Sex Scene (London Keyes) and Best Three-Way Sex Scene — G/G/B (Carter Cruise, Jessa Rhodes and Ferrara). Vespoli’s “My Evil Stepson” was recognized in Best Vignette Series (XBIZ) and Best Taboo Relations Movie (AVN) categories. Vespoli tops things off with an XBIZ MILF Performer Of The Year mention.
Stylish director Darkko has a head start in the awards race. At the recent Inked Awards, which recognize tattoo culture in the adult industry, Darkko was named Director Of The Year, and his “Whore’s INK 2” claimed the trophy for DVD Of The Year. In addition to its own Director Of The Year nomination, XBIZ has accorded Darkko’s “Anal Angels” with recognition for Gonzo Release Of The Year; both XBIZ and AVN mentioned this video in Director Of The Year — Non-Feature categories. Darkko’s “Suck Balls 4” took an AVN nom for Best Soundtrack, while his “Starfall” won an XBIZ Best Music nod. Those two movies, plus Darkko’s “Asian Fucking Nation 6,” “Wet Food 6” and “Sperm Diet,” all gathered multiple nominations.
The legendary Siffredi highlighted a great overall year with “Bonnie vs. Rocco,” a star showcase/feature movie mentioned by XBIZ as All Sex Release Of The Year and by AVN as Best Foreign Feature. The movie took additional AVN nominations for Best Director — Foreign Feature and Best Sex Scene In A Foreign Shot Production (Rotten, Siffredi and Valeria Visconti). “Rocco’s Perfect Slaves” won an AVN nod for Best Continuing Series and XBIZ noms for Gonzo Series Of The Year and Best Scene In A Gonzo Release (Siffredi and Veronica Avluv in “Rocco’s Perfect Slaves 4”). XBIZ named Siffredi in their Foreign Director Of The Year category, and both organizations tabbed him for Male Performer Of The Year recognition.
Transsexual entertainment is an Evil Angel specialty, and as usual, company mainstay Silvera leads this genre. XBIZ nominated him Transgender Director Of The Year and mentioned “Trans-Visions 3” in its Transgender Release Of The Year category. AVN nominated “Trans-Visions 3” as well as Silvera’s “She-Male Idol: The Auditions 6” for Best Transsexual Movie. The series to which those titles belong plus Silvera’s “The Trans X-Perience” all garnered AVN nominations for Best Transsexual Series. Joining Silvera among awards nominees for TS porn are Evil Angel filmmakers Sin, Aiden Starr and LeWood Productions. All four were also accorded awards recognition for heterosexual content.
As usual, Evil Angel reaped numerous nominations in the gonzo, anal and niche porn categories in which the studio specializes, ranging from an AVN Best Solo Movie nod (for “Buttman Toy Master,” by Evil Angel founder John Stagliano) to a quintet of XBIZ noms for Fetish Release Of The Year (Aiden Riley’s “Fetish Fanatic 17” and “Foot Soldiers 4nicating,” LeWood’s “His Ass Is Mine 2,” Starr’s “Foot Fuckers” and Vespoli’s “Lesbian Public Sex Fetish 2”). Leading African-American pornographer Lexington Steele earned 10 AVN nominations for his interracial and black erotica. In his first year at Evil Angel, Toni Ribas joined BAM Visions with an AVN nom for Best New Imprint (Toni Ribas Productions), and XBIZ nominated him for Male Performer Of The Year.
The 2016 XBIZ Awards, hosted by Stoya, will be presented at the JW Mariott Hotel at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The 2016 AVN Awards Show is at the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino in Las Vegas; Joanna Angel and new Evil Angel director Albrite will be the hosts.
