VENICE, CA – International Business Times has tackled a topic that will shock the Hollywood elite who tend to consider themselves progressives: they may be falling behind the adult industry.
“Fewer than 8 percent of the top-grossing Hollywood movies in 2014 were directed by women,” Barbara Herman writes for IBT. “And while media discussion of the ‘director gap’ in Hollywood is growing, particularly after the Ava DuVernay Best Director Oscars snub for Selma, one film industry seems to have no problem employing female directors or handing them awards: the adult film industry.”
Dana Vespoli is one of the first people to have her phone ring when the topic of “women in porn” comes up, as it often does, but you won’t see her trying to get attention just because she’s a female director – the work speaks for itself.
“Although she balks at the idea that women have a different style of directing, there’s no question women bring different experiences and viewpoints to their work — a contrast to the largely male vision that dominates Hollywood,” Herman writes.
“’My work tends to be dark,’ she says. She’s not kidding: She described a recent series of films she shot titled Fluid that explored water bondage, and one scene even featured ‘light waterboarding.’
Recently, Vespoli directed a film called Girl/Boy starring Jiz Lee, a ‘gender queer’ performer who eschews gender pronouns, and Vespoli’s own ex-husband, porn star Manuel Ferrara, with whom Vespoli has children.”
Of course, Dana’s unique greatness has been known within the adult industry for quite some time. Here are some snippets from an enthusiastic “5 Hard Ons Out Of 5” review of Dana Vespoli’s Real Sex Diary from Inked Angels.
“Whether writing and directing features and storyline vignettes that (in my opinion) are almost too good for porn or starring in and directing amazing gonzo guerrilla hardcore smut; Dana Vespoli is the force to be reckoned with in adult film making.
This is an amazing look into the personal sex live of Ms. Vespoli and I, for one, am thankful for her letting us be flies on the wall. The sex here is real, it’s passionate, it’s raw.
“I just can’t say enough good things about it and to be quite honest, words really cannot describe how completely engrossing and amazing this film is anyway. Everyone should see this.”
Catch Dana in Glenn King’s Maneaters 4: All Bush Edition (Glenn King/Evil Angel), which releases this week.
Little bit off topic, but here’s an excellent article from New York Magazine on the state of the political correctness movement’s history and contemporary I thought some TRPWL reader’s might enjoy: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/01/not-a-very-pc-thing-to-say.html