Erika Lust: How To Properly Make Feminist Porn

Do you remember the first pornography film you ever watched?
Not really. I just remember it was a pajama party and I was with friends. I also remember being utterly disappointed.

All Eyes ON Me by Erika Lusrt – @ erikalust

What are the ethics which guide your film making process?
I follow an ethical production process both in terms of what we produce and how we produce it. I am responsible for the messages I send out with my films, so I will never do any kind of coercion, pedofilia stimulation… Even if we know porn is a fantasy, I do not want to put those messages out there. Sex and fantasies are so big and diverse to be doing those stories systematically as the industry does.
In terms of production, an ethical production process ensures the creation of a safe environment for performers where there is no sexual coercion. Once they are comfortable, it is down to the performers to have fun and create the sexy atmosphere. When you cast performers who’ve a palpable chemistry, you can feel their mutual desire and it makes everything much hotter! In my films, consent is paramount. It has been given for every part of the film from all parties involved. This means consent regarding the sexual acts being performed, but also the rate of pay they are receiving. Personal limits and boundaries are respected and the performer can stop shooting at any moment if they feel uncomfortable. Our shootings are a safe sex environment, with every performer providing up to date STD checks – and performers choose whether they wish to use a condom. Every part of the shoot is discussed and agreed beforehand with all performers. Every shoot includes multiple breaks, food and a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere which seems logic, but it is really not the case in most sets.
To that end, I have a mostly female crew. My office is mostly female and the heads of each department on the production team are women, including the directors of photography and art. The film crew demographics vary slightly but it is usually 80% women, with women working as camera people, editors, producers and runners.
Having creative women in the porn industry means the introduction of a healthier and safer environment.

“WE ARE SEEN AS MOTHERS OR WHORES. JUST TWO CATEGORIES. NOT AS COMPLEX HUMANS WITH OUR OWN SEXUALITY” – ERIKA LUST

Why are your films different to mainstream pornography?
Our society is trying to be more inclusive and diverse every day. However, the mainstream porn industry isn’t keeping up. It is still churning out the same extreme beauty standards, and sexist and racist values. Of course, this is a criticism that goes for Hollywood and the music industry too. Mainstream porn is still missing cinematic values, narrative, a good plot line, character development, beautiful settings, real passion, real intimacy, fun, laughter, creativity, realism, equality, diversity… But, most importantly, it’s missing female pleasure!
Mainstream porn fantastically mirrors our society, blatantly showing the neglect and misrepresentation of female pleasure and consent. Open one porn tube site, coercion is everywhere! Step brothers black-mailing their sisters for sex, teeny tiny teens getting smashed, secretaries being fucked by their boss…
The fantasies themselves are not bad and they existed long before porn. However, the mainstream adult industry exploits these fantasies in the worst way, making them the alpha and omega of sexuality, portraying them as almost the only way you can have sex. In recent years, there has been a shift with simulated incest being the fastest growing trend in porn!

Mainstream pornography is too often from a male perspective, with high importance on male pleasure. Why do you think it has taken so long for pornography to shift away from the male gaze?
I think it has to do with the general though that women are not sexual beings. We are seen as mothers or whores. Just two categories. Not as complex humans with our own sexuality.
There has always been a general belief that we are not aroused by representation of sex or sex on screen just as much as men. Thus, the production is done from men “for men”.
I’d say we are equally aroused by pornography and erotica, but definitely not by the one offered to us that is misogynistic and neglecting our pleasure. Female-led adult films are gaining exposure but the biggest productions made still follow those patterns.

Do you think the Internet has been instrumental for the promotion of a misogynistic and brutal form of pornography?
Absolutely. The internet completely disrupted the porn industry.
When the tube sites appeared, they created a business model that destroyed the conditions for sex work, and supported the way we collectively and without conscience, consume pornography.
They steal from studios while, at the same time, profit from decentralized, unregulated amateur production. This adds to the capacity for exploitation towards the performers, and the illusion that porn is free leads to the assumption that sex work is not work.
The internet has made accessing explicit images of sex in an inconspicuous way a lot easier and in most cases, free. One third of all internet traffic is now estimated to be pornography. This free availability of porn everywhere puts further pressure on the production companies and performers to stand out; more and more extreme and ridiculous scenes that have nothing to do with real sex are being produced to that end.

Powerful Womens – @erikalust

What is your favorite part of creating a film? Script, set design, casting…
Everything. Our pre-production process and our casting process are long and thorough. We really get to know the performers long before we start filming and I really enjoy that part. I also like location scouting with my team because I get to imagine everything beforehand.

Love or lust?
Both!

Is it expensive to make films for Lust Films?
Yes, each short film of about 20 minutes costs the company around 17,000 euros right now.

Who do you look up to in the film industry more broadly? Who inspires you cinematically?
Jill Soloway has been, and continues to be, a huge inspiration for me as a filmmaker. The writer, director and producer has been a proponent of the “female gaze” in filmmaking for a long time and is always striving to represent more sexualities and genders in their work. The series I Love Dick and Transparent are powerful, diverse and push boundaries not often seen in television. Transparent is one of the most important series in accurately and beautifully representing transgender with depth and emotion.