"Your movie ruined regular porn for me. This is just one of the many reactions that the East Van Porn Collective have received since the release of their faux-documentary, Made in Secret: The Story of the East Van Porn Collective, now on DVD. The film is a vibrant, layered documentary that explores anarcho-feminist territory and forward-thinking politics. The aim was not simply ruin sexy movies for the masses, but to discuss the strength of operating on a consensus while also questioning the mainstreams portrayal of sex and sexuality.
Made In Secret captures a highly likeable group of people Professor University, Monster, JD Superstar, Nerdgirl, Muffy LaRue, Mr. Pants, Hugh Jorgen, and Godfrey while shedding any sense of self-righteousness that typically appears when politics meet creativity. But the film is not without a twist. When the producers decided they wanted to make a documentary about an anarcho-feminist porn collective, they had a problem: one didnt exist. So they became what, and who, they were seeking out.
This distortion between fact and fiction makes Made In Secret an inadvertent commentary on the questionable factuality of media and pop culture in general. "I think the ambiguity started from the very first word we uttered about the project, Professor University (born Todd Peterson) says. "I dont remember one specific moment where things got muddy. It crept up on us.
For the record, the Made In Secret crew did indeed create their own porn. But the fact that the film came before the collective has caused much confusion among viewers, which Peterson says wasnt intended or expected. Regardless, Made In Secret has been a success story for the EVPC. Made for only $800, it has been shown across North America and as far as Israel and Belgium. The international attention has spurned another question beyond the films vagueness. "A fair number of non-Canadians have come away from the movie asking us where the van was, since we call ourselves the East Van Porn Collective, Peterson says. "We never expected that. We never expected anyone outside of East Vancouver to ever see the movie.
Made In Secret captures a highly likeable group of people Professor University, Monster, JD Superstar, Nerdgirl, Muffy LaRue, Mr. Pants, Hugh Jorgen, and Godfrey while shedding any sense of self-righteousness that typically appears when politics meet creativity. But the film is not without a twist. When the producers decided they wanted to make a documentary about an anarcho-feminist porn collective, they had a problem: one didnt exist. So they became what, and who, they were seeking out.
This distortion between fact and fiction makes Made In Secret an inadvertent commentary on the questionable factuality of media and pop culture in general. "I think the ambiguity started from the very first word we uttered about the project, Professor University (born Todd Peterson) says. "I dont remember one specific moment where things got muddy. It crept up on us.
For the record, the Made In Secret crew did indeed create their own porn. But the fact that the film came before the collective has caused much confusion among viewers, which Peterson says wasnt intended or expected. Regardless, Made In Secret has been a success story for the EVPC. Made for only $800, it has been shown across North America and as far as Israel and Belgium. The international attention has spurned another question beyond the films vagueness. "A fair number of non-Canadians have come away from the movie asking us where the van was, since we call ourselves the East Van Porn Collective, Peterson says. "We never expected that. We never expected anyone outside of East Vancouver to ever see the movie.
