Based on Volunteers Wanted a confession by MerilynK
Do you date civilians, like people who don't do sex work?
Kali, a performer and sex worker, arrives to Berlin for the most well-known Porn Film Festival in Europe. Whilst engaging in artistic shootings exploring the dynamics of power with performers such as Jiz Lee, she has a crush on Finn Peaks, also a sex worker and a “glitter fag”. Whilst getting lost in Berlin's nightlife, the ephemeral couple shares stories about their work and the place it sets them within society, and the difficulties of their personal relationships.
Shot during the actual Porn Film Festival in October 2018, Volunteers Wanted is a mixing of documentary and drama where all performers play themselves. It presents the viewer a portrayal from inside a stigmatised and cohesive community, maybe one of the last avant-gardes. People pushing through pornography the boundaries of filmmaking and film distribution, as much as those of gender and human relationships, in a moment when romantic love needs to be redefined. It is also a film about the politics of making your body a party.
Kali, a performer and sex worker, arrives to Berlin for the most well-known Porn Film Festival in Europe. Whilst engaging in artistic shootings exploring the dynamics of power with performers such as Jiz Lee, she has a crush on Finn Peaks, also a sex worker and a “glitter fag”. Whilst getting lost in Berlin's nightlife, the ephemeral couple shares stories about their work and the place it sets them within society, and the difficulties of their personal relationships.
Shot during the actual Porn Film Festival in October 2018, Volunteers Wanted is a mixing of documentary and drama where all performers play themselves. It presents the viewer a portrayal from inside a stigmatised and cohesive community, maybe one of the last avant-gardes. People pushing through pornography the boundaries of filmmaking and film distribution, as much as those of gender and human relationships, in a moment when romantic love needs to be redefined. It is also a film about the politics of making your body a party.
Volunteers Wanted was shot during the Berlin Porn Film Festival 2018 and gives you insight into the vibrant community of sex workers in Europe. Most of the people you see in this film are friends and colleagues in real life which gives Volunteers Wanted a very immersive and authentic feeling. If you've always wondered what it's like going to a porn festival, follow Kali to Berlin and get invited to porn sets, movie screenings and very, very private encounters.
Erika Lust
