Petra's Blog
A unique insight into the day-to-day life of Petra Joy as she chronicles the fun, frolics and frustrations of an independent female porn producer.
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Looking back with gratitude and ahead with joy
Posted: 23 December 2009
It has been an amazing year for women’s porn. I am happy I could contribute in various ways to what feels like the breakthrough of the genre in Europe. I am particularly proud of publishing the first ever feminist porn compilation “Her Porn, volume 1” which has been a huge success. Throughout curating this exciting compilation many fantastic friendships with fellow filmmakers were born.
I am grateful to count the accomplished queen of women’s porn Candida Royalle, the creative grand mistress of “porn noir” Maria Beatty and the inspiring Marianna Beck as my friends.
A personal milestone has been to work my way through 150 hours of behind the scenes footage shot during the last three years, to create my very personal documentary “The Joy of Porn” which premiered at the pornfilmfest in Berlin. It felt good to look back and realise how far you can go when you believe in your dreams and do everything you can to make them come true. But this is not just about me, my friends and performers in my films and our dreams and fantasies as 2009 was the year I started to actively mentor new female filmmakers with the “Petra Joy Award”. I would like to thank all the amazing women that did submit their erotic films to my first ever award for new filmmakers and congratulate the talented winners! It has been a pleasure getting to know you and with the support of my sponsor pjur encourage you to make more erotica from a female perspective.
It also feels good to become more actively involved in the distribution of alternative porn and help fellow female filmmakers to get their films sold and seen in Europe. I am distributing Marianna Becks’ film “Free Love” (U.S. Title was “Urban Friction) about the adventure to enjoy an open relationship. As of now “Dirty Diaries”, a feminist porn compilation from Sweden is also distributed by me in all German speaking countries and I feel honoured that the producers trust me with getting this exciting project out there.
The sisterhood is getting bigger and stronger – we are a force to be reckoned with. Not only do we inspire and support each other as filmmakers but are using our contacts as business women to actually build up an alternative distribution network that spans the world. Rather than letting men in suits decide if our films make it to the shops we sell them to the shops ourselves. I would like to use this opportunity to thank Candida Royalle for distributing my film “Feeling it!” for me in America.
Not only do women network and distribute each other’s work, we also started to celebrate our creative achievements. This year the first feminist porn award of Europe, PORYES happened in Europe and it was a special event for me as I was honoured alongside other filmmakers that I count to be my friends: Candida Royalle, Maria Beatty, Annie Sprinkle and Shine Louise Houston.
On a personal note, my dwarf rabbits had really cute and fluffy babies this year, so it was an all round fertile year!
I look forward with joy and excitement to 2010: With the input of more up- and coming female erotic filmmakers, I will publish “Her Porn, volume2”. I look forward to my presentations and workshops that I will give in Valencia and Vienna (so far). With the help of a sponsor I hope to run another erotic short film competition and award more talented first time female filmmakers. The topic and prizes should be announced soon – keep an eye on: www.joyawards.com
If all goes well I will also shoot at least one new film – finances permitting. What it is about is a surprise. After having been featured on three prime time TV programmes in Germany, many women and men applied to star in my films – so it will be exciting to cast some new faces for a film. I am buzzing with ideas.
I also hope to have a two week holiday for the first time in three years some time in 2010. And as I now have a personal assistant, the lovely Saskia I hope this will happen. It is lovely to see the team grow and work with people who share my vision. I would like to say thank you to my fab graphic designer Ray, my editor Paul and my webmaster Tony. Well done, guys – we like men that support female sexual liberation and porn by and for women!
Thank you all for supporting me by reading my blog, writing to me, buying my films or co-operating with me creatively! It is for you that I do what I do and it makes it all worthwhile to feel appreciated.
I hope the peaceful Christmas magic will reach you very soon and wish you an exciting and erotic, happy and healthy and successful 2010. Enjoy!
