The First Ladies of Porn
Women Directors
by Alicia Guinn

In the past five years, women porn directors have come into their own. These talented trail-blazing first ladies of porn are at forefront of sexy, award-winning, innovative porn productions. From traditional couple’s fare to hardcore mainstream girl-on-girl to hot dyke porn, women directors are questioning assumptions about what women’s porn "should be" and are catering to a diversity of tastes.

Tristan Taormino

Better known as a sex educator, advice columnist, and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women, Tristan Taormino has started directing some of the most creative mainstream porn movies on the market.

Her latest movie, Chemistry, won an AVN Award for the Best Gonzo Release of 2007. Her directorial debut, House of Ass, won at the Feminist Porn Awards for the Hottest Anal Adventure in 2006.

Taormino’s secret to success isn’t better film quality or a better soundtrack. Her skill lies in eliciting hot, enthusiastic performances from well-known stars like Mr. Marcus and Joanna Angel. In her reality TV-style movies, porn stars decide the who, where, what, and when of their scenes. They even film each other. The performers’ control over their performance translates into fun, authentic scenes that titillate viewers who are tired of half-hearted, plug-in-socket porn.

In House of Ass Taormino’s background as a former Babeland sex educator shines through as she openly promotes the use of sex toys and lube among her cast.

Our Favorites:

Chemistry
Director: Tristan Taormino
Noteworthy Stars: Marie Luv, Mr. Marcus, Mika Tan, Kurt Lockwood

This is the tale of seven porn stars picked to live in a house for 36 hours with no plot, no script, and no restrictions. Based on the first and most famous reality TV show, this candid, honest, and sexy look at seven porn stars is sure to be a classic. Former Babeland Babe Tristan Taormino considers this her best effort to date, and we not only agree with that statement, but believe Chemistry is one of the best DVDs we have seen ever, period. Taormino knows a thing or two about creating a hot flick and applies it here to create a sex-positive fuck fest that does indeed have CHEMISTRY. A diverse cast stars in this intimate look at porn stars' lives and stories, spliced between passionate and sexy scenes.

House of Ass
Director: Tristan Taormino
Noteworthy Stars: Joanna Angel, Sarah Blake, Justine Joli, Keeani Lei, Mr. Marcus

House of Ass is the best of a sizzling collection by the ass-mistress herself, Tristan Taormino. The premise: a weekend getaway where porn stars are at their leisure to hookup whenever and with whomever they choose-makes for engaging, unscripted conversation and incredible sex scenes where the chemistry between partners is palpable. We love the porn scene gossip, real female orgasms, and diverse cast, but were really blown away by seeing Taormino capture people having real sex-porn star style. The only downside is the distributor's insistence on plugging the inclusion of an interracial scene on the cover, which will hopefully be removed in future prints.

Anna Span

The first female porn director from the U.K., Anna Span specializes in glossy, independent productions with amateur actors. A member of Feminists Against Censorship, Span earned an arts degree in film and video, and her dissertation was a manifesto on women-centered porn. Her movies are distributed through her own distribution company, Easy on the Eye Productions.

Anna Span’s movies highlight amateurs with beautiful, natural bodies who interact in casual, authentic scenes. Span places utmost importance on the comfort of her sets, even hiring all-female film crews to make her female performers feel more comfortable. The result is that the performances come across as genuine and relaxed.

Her movies include a hint of a plot, more dialogue than mainstream films, and sex toys. Span is known for hiring, unknown good-looking male performers. Her movies a good bet for folks who like high-quality, independent porn and love British accents.

Our Favorites:

Hoxton Honey
Director: Anna Span
Noteworthy Stars: Avalon, Azura, Dirty Dog, Karen Wood, Lucia, Mark Marais

If you're seeking a movie that shows women enjoying sex in a casual and relaxed way, check out Hoxton Honey, a 2005 release from Anna Span, Britain's first woman director of porn. Follow trendy Brits around London as they encounter five stellar sexual scenarios, from the ole sex on a pool table to a hot session of make-up sex. 

Uniform Behaviour 
Director: Anna Span
Noteworthy Stars: Alicia Rhodes, Alex, Alyssa Jenkins, Bonnie Heart, Candice Paris, Cat, Dimitri, James, Kirsty Green, Lee Henshaw, Mark, Mark Sloane, Sarah, Steve Hooper, Teoni, Tony De Sergio

Have a thing for guys in uniform? The stars of Uniform Behaviour do, as they demonstrate with firemen, soldiers, and even doctors in training. They also have a thing for sex toys, which are used to great effect throughout. This installment of the popular Anna Span's Diary Series #3 is mostly heterosexual.

Belladonna

Since 2002, Belladonna has won numerous AVN awards for her scorching hot performances. She’s known for her nasty hot talk, accomplished anal abilities, and her gorgeous, natural tattooed body. But what makes her performances so memorable is her overwhelming enthusiasm for sex.

Belladonna made her directorial debut in 2003 with the scorching hot Evil Pink and has gone on to direct more than twenty movies for Evil Angel Video. Her movie Belladonna’s Fucking Girls won an AVN Award in 2006 for Best All-Girl Feature.

Belladonna’s specialty is hardcore girl-on-girl movies that usually feature herself along with other porn stars. Her movies are full to the brim with dirty talking, contortionist antics, and her giddy performances. They aren’t for the faint of heart.

Our Favorites:

Evil Pink 2
Director: Belladonna
Noteworthy Stars: Belladonna, Annie Cruz, April Flores, Roxy Jezel, Keeani Lei

Hot girls having hotter sex ­ this is Belladonna at her best (and we love her even on a so-so day) ­ and this is one of the best girl/girl movies we've seen in ages. Sexy outfits, sex toys galore, natural bodies, kinky sex (including lots of anal), and a diverse cast mean there is never a dull moment, and the sexy, stacked April Flores gives Bella a run for her money when it comes to enthusiasm and passion.

Belladonna’s Fucking Girls 3
Director: Belladonna
Noteworthy Stars: Belladonna, Vanessa Blue, Holly Wellin, Lexi Love

Belladonna's latest demonstrates yet again why she holds such a special place in our hearts. A jaw-dropping opening scene featuring Belladonna as Tory Lane's personal maid leads to over three hours of hardcore stunt sex, including anal play, strap-on sex, and a puppy-training scene in which the sultry Melissa Lauren makes the perfect pet out of Georgia Peach. Fans of Belladonna, fetish, or hardcore all female sex­this one's for you.

Candida Royalle

Candida Royalle pioneered the genre of couple’s porn in the mid-80’s. She started her career as an successful porn star during the 70s but founded Femme Productions in 1984 to cater to couples, a niche market she saw neglected by the mainstream porn industry.

Candida Royalle’s movies are the epitome of the couple’s genre­lots of foreplay, dialogue, and a particular focus on women’s orgasms. Her movies feature mainstream porn stars and well-developed plots. They are a hit with folks who like context with their sex and are a safe first bet for couples venturing into the world of porn for the first time.

Royalle is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame, and she won an award for Lifetime Achievement in Women's Erotica at the Feminist Porn Awards in 2006.

Our Favorites:

My Surrender
Director: Candida Royalle
Noteworthy Stars: Jeanna Fine, Alex Sanders, Jill Kelly, Nici Sterling, and Marc Davis

The fabulous Jeanna Fine stars as a videographer who films couples' sexual fantasies and creates personalized pornography for them. A rare treat of good acting and sweet sexual connection between partners, this is one of our top recommendations for first time porn viewers. With an emphasis on female pleasure, director Royalle portrays complex sexual emotions, and the internal and simultaneous orgasms set it apart from most mainstream movies. All heterosexual scenes.

 

Eyes of Desire 2
Director: Candida Royalle
Noteworthy Stars: Missy, Mickey G., Rebecca Lord, Jeannie Pepper, Lexington Steele, Steve Drake and Ramon Fernandez

Candida Royalle, the premier female director whose made a career of creating quality couple's movies that break the mold of traditional porn, outdoes herself with Eyes of Desire 2. Real life husband & wife, Missy and Mickey G. star as voyeuristic strangers in a compelling relationship of sexual obsession. Missy's forbidden fantasies of exhibitionism, anonymous sex and anal play are realized at the urgings of her mysterious paramour. Steamy sex, arousing dialogue and stellar acting.

Veronica Hart

Another former porn star from the Golden Age of Porn, Veronica Hart started directing and producing films in the mid-90s. She also works within the mainstream porn industry with well-known stars like Chloe and Nina Hartley. She has directed the "comeback" films of porn stars Marilyn Chambers and Ginger Lynn.

Hart earned a B.A. in theater, and her background in acting is evident in her productions. Her movies combine the best of the mainstream porn industry with more intriguing plots and surprising, creative scenes. Edge Play remains a favorite for the quality of acting, innovative plot, and sexual tension between characters.

Hart has directed more than 20 movies and is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame.

Our Favorites:

Edge Play
Director: Veronica Hart
Noteworthy Stars: Marilyn Chambers, Chloe, Jamie Gillis, Kylie Ireland, Randy Spears, Veronica Hart

Veronica Hart is known for her cutting edge productions that deliver the sexual energy of mainstream movies but insist on storylines and sexual scenarios about women's pleasure. This lightning paced sexual adventure starts with an unbelievable scene of exhibitionism and a drenching female ejaculation. Marilyn Chambers is titillated by her friend's sexual adventures, but it takes an invitation from a mysterious couple for her to shed her inhibitions like a snake sheds its skin. Voyeurism, group sex, carefully staged abductions and fierce public sex with strangers are in store along with arousing performances and gripping male and female orgasms. Refreshing absence of facial ejaculations.

White Lightning
Director: Veronica Hart
Noteworthy Stars: Ginger Lynn, Chloe, Kylie Ireland, Mickey G, Midori, Brad Armstrong, Nina Hartley

Crackling with sexual energy, White Lightning is a sex-dipped mystery with riveting erotic performances. Ginger Lynn conveys girl-next-door sweetness and intimacy in the opening sex scene with her fiancTe. But something is amiss in their sex life. As the story of a cheating husband and a dark mystery unfold in an unusual prismatic style, we're treated to wickedly hot scenes. The powerfully orgasmic Chloe imperiously dominates Mickey G. and Nina Hartley is the sex positive therapist who urges Ginger to express her fantasies in a cathartic scene that changes her forever. Lots of natural bodies, authentic female orgasms and a variety of sexual moods and scenarios make this a recommended couple's movie.

Shine Louise Houston

In the past year The Crash Pad has been a phenomenon among folks hungry for hot, slick-looking dyke porn. The director, Shine Louise Houston, has a B.F.A. in film from the San Francisco Art Institute and a background in sex education.

As a sex educator for Good Vibrations, the woman-run sex shop in San Francisco, Shine Louise Houston was frustrated by the lack of authentic, sexy dyke porn films to recommend to customers,. Houston decided to put her degree to work by founding Pink and White Productions with the goal of making "high quality, sensual, queer, adult videos."

Houston’s independent movies feature queer performers in hot situations. Butches and strap-ons abound. As an added bonus, the movies look good. The production quality is consistently high.

The Crash Pad won an award for the Hottest Dyke Sex Scene at the Feminist Porn Awards in 2006.

Our Favorites:

The Crash Pad
Director: Shiner Louise Houston
Noteworthy Stars: Jiz, Shawn

The latest hot release from Blowfish Productions, The Crash Pad is generating mega-buzz among staff and viewers alike for the hot, dirty, and chemistry-loaded sex. Lucky San Franciscans are given a key to an apartment that serves as a venue for wild sexual encounters. Many of the performers in this queer-oriented film are lovers in real life as well, and they don't hold back in demonstrating their attraction and pleasure. Includes masturbation, strap-on sucking and fucking, and ejaculation.

Superfreak
Director: Shine Louise Houston
Noteworthy Stars: Madison Young, Lorelei Le

The next movie by the award-winning director of The Crash Pad is as deliriously smart and psychasexadelic as its predecessor. Real (as in, not porn star), hot alterna-chicks have balls-to-the-walls sex, only in this case the balls are all silicone. Blow jobs, kink, and lots of juicy, creative sex are made all the more entertaining by tongue-in-cheek (among other orifices) humor and a clever plot which brings the ghost of Rick James into the action.

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© 2007 Alicia Guinn, Babeland Sex Educator. All rights reserved.

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