Schmutz Cinema invites you to a program where erotic imagination meets cinematic invention – playful, queer, and joyfully open-minded.
For this year’s International Queer & Migrant Film Festival, we take a bold stand for the right to pleasure and the power of labor. Through the lens of pleasure activism, Schmutz Cinema presents a curated tribute to the sex workers around the globe, who navigate the intimate frontiers of our society. We aren’t just here to watch; we are here to support bodily autonomy and celebrate the healing power that exists within the hustle. This is a battle cry against shame.
This program features four films that blur the lines between documentary reality and explicit artistry. These works move beyond the surface, offering an exploration of sex work as a site of care, connection, and transformative power, spotlighting the urgent needs and rights of sex workers, and refusing to look away from the complexities and systemic challenges of the industry.
True to the Schmutz tradition, the screening will be accompanied by an intermission in the form of a live performance by GiA G. We’re keeping the details under wraps for now, but expect a physical intervention that brings the themes of the screen directly into the room.
Join us at LAB111 for a night of cinematic resistance, pleasure-forward politics, and unapologetic visibility.
About Schmutz Cinema
Schmutz Cinema creates a space where erotic imagination and cinematic creativity meet; where intimacy and pleasure are not only entertainment, but an integral part of our emotional wellbeing. Whether you’re a long-time lover of erotic art or just a little curious, Schmutz Cinema welcomes you without judgement and with a good dose of humour.
Follow Schmutz on Instagram and join the adventure.
About Gia G (they/them)
GiA G is a queer sex worker, pleasure activist, sex educator, facilitator, porn performer and creator, and writer. They build their lives around making people feel gooooodddd, and try to make this world more shame-free and more pleasure-filled. In a world that’s full of politicians that want us to be numb, connection is resistance.
Pleasure Nights is GiA’s baby. Nurturing it daily, Pleasure Nights is a coming together of sex-worker knowledge, queer theory, somatics, lots and lots of self-pleasure, conversations with participants, books, lovers, and idols. Both Pleasure Nights and GiA G are ever-changing entities in relation with each other and the world around.
Follow Pleasure Nights on Instagram.
Escorpiônikas—Countermanifesto
Duration: 12 min
Director: Matheus Mello
Language:English
Subtitles: English
Country: Spain, Brazil, Canada
Year: 2024
Synopsis: In a fusion of manifesto and performance, Scorpionikas crosses three continents to follow an insurgent collective—trans women, sex workers and racialized and gender non-conforming voices—as they confront to dismantle the colonial and patriarchal systems that oppress them.
Best Practices for Clients of Sex Work
Duration: 22 min
Director: Poppy Sanchez for Sex School Hub
Language:English
Subtitles: English
Country: Germany
Year: 2023
Synopsis: Have you ever wanted to know how to approach a sex worker? What to say or how to respectfully negotiate and find the best route to pleasure? Sadie Lune, Maria Riot and Sylvan bring to life the dos and don’ts of any sex worker client relationship, not only in discussion but in action. This episode of The Sex School Hub offers helpful insights into how to be a good client, with the added bonus of being invited to watch.
Mes Chéries
Duration: 13 min
Director: Ethan Folk & Ty Wardwell for Buttermilk Films
Language:English
Subtitles: English
Country: Germany
Year: 2020
Synopsis: One month before his mastectomy, Jamal Phoenix takes on the role of Chéri, a character modeled after his experiences as a Fierce Fem sex worker. This raunchy tribute subverts straight porn tropes and mainstream trans representation in a radical act of self-love.
Sex(ual) Healing
Duration: 22 min
Director: Maximus Skaff for 422Luxe
Language:
Subtitles: English
Country: United States
Year: 2021
Synopsis: An inside look into the healing powers of sex work from both client and sex worker perspectives.
“Through the first episode of this reality-focused and nuanced docuseries the Sex Workers Project at The Urban Justice Center help individuals better understand the complexity and diversity of sex work, recognize the harmful impact of existing laws, and change the way we talk about criminality, sex and consent.”