Page 77 - AVN December 2019

‘We’re in a moment, I think,
where we need to
disrupt the establishment. ’
entertainment industry. And the results
of these collaborations can be found
on the revamped membership site
LustCinema.com.
Lust Cinema’s mission is to serve as
“the porn studio for lovers of cinema
and sex.” Projects will be plot-driven,
with sexual encounters incorporated
as part of a wider narrative. And they
are seeking filmmakers who “show
and capture the whole feeling of sex—
the passion and the pleasure.”
Lust and Dobner spoke with AVN in
the summer, when they were out in Los
Angeles meeting with some of their
American collaborators. Their vision is
to build a network of powerful women
with diverse voices and provide them
with the chance to make the movies
they really want to make.
When the site debuted, the first two
original productions were Erika Lust’s
The Intern and Nica Noelle’s The
Widow. Noelle’s movie, Lust said, “was
the first production we made here.”
Since then Dana Vespoli, Madison
Young, Kay Brandt and Casey Calvert
have directed for Lust Cinema.
For The Intern, Lust cast American
stars Lena Anderson, Casey Calvert
and Michael Vegas (pictured). Set
in Spain, it’s the story of two sisters.
Dobner described the plot, saying, “It’s
a little meta because it’s about a girl
coming from the States to Barcelona
to do an internship in Erika Lust Films.”
Asked to describe the goals of their
American enterprise, Dobner said,
“We want to just do things that feel
right. Erika has had success as a
creative director doing the right thing
and trying to avoid clichés of the
industry.”
Lust expressed pleasure with
the U.S. talent pool. “I have to say,
honestly, I am so impressed with
American performers. I think that they
are just fantastic. … The way they get
into the character, they are studying
the script, they are open to having all
these conversations about how we
are going to develop it. They show up
to the shoot knowing all their lines.”
On the relaunched site, new content
will be posted weekly. Among the
movies featured are Unraveled,
directed by Madison Young, and the
first episode of Lost in L.A., a series
by Dana Vespoli.
Lust and Dobner see Lust Cinema
as a space where female directors
can find their voice. But just as
important, they want to encourage
even more diversity.
“I have so many young filmmakers
especially writing to me, saying, ‘I have
always been curious about adult, but
… there is this huge stigma. I’m afraid
of it. I don’t know how to approach it.
And I see someone like you doing it
and I realize maybe it’s not such a
scary world.’” Lust believes there are
more filmmakers who want to mix sex
and cinema and find “the intersection
of these worlds.” She hopes to draw
in newcomers who have not worked
in adult.
“We’re in a moment, I think, where
we need to disrupt the establishment.
We need to get in there. People from
outside who haven’t done it the same
way as everybody else. Other visions.
Other sex lives. Other experiences.
… It’s the same way why the world
needs a female president in America.
They need it because young women
need to see that you can actually
become president. Today you cannot,
because it hasn’t happened.”
In the meantime, though, Lust will
do her part to build a community, one
director at a time. “As a woman it’s
so hard to make it by yourself. If we
can get together, one and one will be
more than two.”
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