Sex Worker Film Festival

Still from Hands Off, a film by Winstan Whitter

The Rio Cinema in Dalston is to hold the capital’s first ever sex worker film festival. The festival, which take places on Sunday 12 June, will feature films by and about sex workers and their fight for human and labour rights.

The event has been organised by the London Sex Worker Open University, and aims to dispel some of the negative stereotypes portrayed of sex workers in mainstream cinema.

Luca Darkholme, a co-founder of the Sex Worker Open University project, said: “Through presenting London’s first ever Sex Worker Film Festival, our collective wants to show living, fighting, whole sex workers; representations that abandon flat, one dimensional characters and stereotypes. The choice of films focus on the diverse realities of sex workers – often very different from the classic “victim” image. Themes include self-determination, migration, identity, intimacy and the international struggle for sex workers’ rights.”

The festival takes place not long after Hackney Council’s controversial ‘nil policy’ was introduced regarding the creation of new sex establishments in the borough. No new establishments will be allowed to open, and the four existing venues can only continue operating under certain conditions.

Trade union Equity has taken up the campaign for adult entertainers’ rights, has been highly critical of the council’s decision. Similarly, Michael Branwell of the Variety Advisory Committee described Hackney’s policy as “shameful”.

He added that licensed sex establishments were vital in protecting people who worked in them from moving into prostitution.

“The establishments we are talking about are properly licensed entertainment, where people are not required to provide, what was known in my youth, as ‘other services’. Take those licences away and you would leave it open to prostitution. As long as they are licensed, they are controlled,” he said.

Sex Worker Film Festival
Sunday 12 Jun 2011, 1.15pm – 5.30 pm
Rio Cinema
107 Kingsland High Street
Dalston E8 2PB
Tel: 020 7241 9410

Further details of the film festival can be found at the Rio Cinema.