NSFW: NakedSword Film Works
NSFW: NakedSword Film Works
By BeBe Sweetbriar | www.bebesweetbriar.com
Earlier in the year, the Netflix of Gay Porn, NakedSword.com expanded its content network by introducing its new independent film division NakedSword Film Works or simply NSFW, an acronym most associated with the not-safe-for-work content on NakedSword site.
NSFW expands upon NakedSword’s vision of creating independent gay shorts and features that combine sex and experimental filmmaking, a vision explored in its co-production of the critically and commercially successful I Want Your Love in 2013. NakedSword has always been a long-time supporter of emerging filmmakers and artists, and has been unafraid to tackle subjects seen as taboo and racy by the mainstream. The independent short films, mostly under 20 minutes in length, a part of NSFW challenge what is considered pornography.
“We were very excited to launch our new independent film division with 100 BOYFRIENDS MIXTAPE.
(Oakland-based artist and filmmaker) Brontez Purnell’s raw storytelling is both compelling and entertaining and it’s the perfect addition to our robust content offerings on NakedSword,” expresses NakedSword CEO and Founder Tim Valenti. “The goal of NSFW is to spotlight singularly unique films that otherwise would be ignored by traditional LGBT distribution channels.”
BEBE: How many films will we see offered in the new NakedSword Film Works (NSFW) in its first year?
TIM VALENTI: We started with the release of three eclectic short films, Hattie Goes Cruising (Konstantin Bock), Catharsis (Robert Aquino), and 100 Boyfriends Mixtape (Brontez Purnell). Since February, NSFW continues to produce and curate at least one film per month.
BEBE: How much of the content in NSFW will NakedSword be producing itself?
TIM VALENTI: NSFW consists of both curated films chosen by former Butt Magazine editor and Outfest curator Adam Baran, as well as, original content produced by I Want Your Love producer Jack Shamama.
BEBE: Must interested viewers of the content in NSFW have to be subscribers of NakedSword.com?
TIM VALENTI: Non-members of NakedSword.com will be able to watch the trailers, additional behind-the-scenes content, as well as interviews with the directors, actors and more in NSFW. NakedSword.com (subscribers) will have complete access to NSFW.
BEBE: Though some of the films in NSFW have been featured in indie film festivals, the NakedSword-produced film I Want Your Love was rejected by the Melbourne Queer Film Festival presumably because it was produced by a gay porn studio. Was this experience what prompted NakedSword to start the NSFW division?
TIM VALENTI: The notoriously conservative Australian film board has had a long history of banning films they deem “controversial”, which in most cases happen to be LGBT films. When I Want Your Love was banned from screening in Melbourne, it had already played in over 30 different countries and around 100 LGBT and mainstream film festivals around the world.
BEBE: Films in NSFW is not what many would expect to have access to on a gay porn site. Is NakedSword, the Netflix of Gay Porn, attempting to change the public’s perception of pornographic filmmaking, or is it simply responding to the film industry’s restrictions that don’t allow a place in the mainstream for sexually graphic content?
TIM VALENTI: You’re absolutely correct! The one consistent thread that ties together both the curated films and NSFW original productions are (they) all are about challenging people’s expectations around what an “LGBT film” is.
The term “New Queer Cinema” was coined to describe the works by an emerging genre of queer filmmakers. Where are (those queer filmmakers) now? Arguably, with the exception of Bruce La Bruce and a few others, they’ve all — dare I say — gone “Hollywood”? Is anyone making films that accurately portray what it means to be a LGBTQ person today? I could easily argue that there’s a more accurate portrayal of gay life on Bravo TV than there is in LGBT film festivals. If NSFW is able to make a dent in this, it would be an unmitigated success in my opinion.
For access to and more information on NakedSword Film Works, go to NakedSword.com