"The representation of sexuality is part of human culture"

Why should I visit Porny Days if I don't watch porn myself?
Perhaps you haven't yet found the right films that you like, that inspire you or in which you see yourself represented. You might just find what you're looking for here. The Porny Days not only offer pornographic content, but also documentary and animated films, performances, panel discussions and workshops that deal with sexuality, gender, body and role images.

And why should I bother with it?
The representation of sexuality has always been part of human culture - one that is also used to make a lot of money. That's why the monetisation of sexuality is also a key theme of this festival edition. Sexuality is personal, intimate and at the same time very political. Our festival programme operates in this field of tension.

Okay, okay. But back to the porn. What are you showing?
A selection of playful, hot, profound, humorous, feminist porn that we're pretty proud of.

I discovered the word "neoprudery" on your website. What is that?
Nowadays, we constantly encounter hypersexualised images in everyday life and access to pornographic content is easier than ever. Openness towards sexuality has certainly increased. At the same time, a reactionary, conservative backlash is taking place, which means that more and more people are finding no space for their individual sexual fulfilment. With our festival, we want to counteract the stigmatisation of sexuality, sexual orientations and gender identities.

One focus this year is sex work: why? And what does this mean for the programme?
Sex work is a social reality - and work that people perform in different ways in a capitalist society for different reasons or under different constraints. Their voices often go unheard. That's why we looked for films, performances and talk formats in which sex workers can focus on various aspects of their work in a self-determined way. This year, we are showing several films on the topic, and there will be a workshop and performances. In the "Stigma of sex work" workshop, for example, two members of the Swiss sexworkers collective will dispel myths surrounding sex work. And in the musical lecture performance "Gaze.S", sex workers Marianne Chargois and Romy Alyzée talk about their day-to-day work.

The Porny Days have been running for over 10 years now. How much has the festival changed in this time? How has the audience?
The festival started 11 years ago as a small "Porny Brunch". A lot has happened since then! Today, we are a permanent institution in Zurich - and our topics have left the supposed "dirty corner" and have become part of the cultural and social discourse. We perform at various venues such as the Schauspielhaus, the Shedhalle, various clubs and our cinemas are almost completely booked out. And our guests have also grown with us: we are experiencing a self-confident, diverse audience that enjoys engaging with our topics.

What are the cinematic highlights this year?
As every year, a centrepiece of our film programme is the short film competition, from which our jury will select a winning film. You shouldn't miss the programme at the Xenix cinema either. There we will be presenting the sex-positive part of the retrospective on the feminist film collective Xenia, which stirred up the Zurich film scene from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. There will also be some rarities!

Do you still have an insider tip?
In cooperation with the Shedhalle Zurich, we are inviting the visionary multimedia artist and filmmaker Shu Lea Cheang to the festival. Our closing film Kokomo City by D. Smith is also highly recommended. It portrays four black trans women who speak openly about their experiences with sex work.

Speaking of highlights. Finally, a quick question. What do you Porny Days makers prefer: explicitness or ambiguity?
Explicit ambiguity! ;)

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Answered by Luisa Ricar (film selection), Emanuel Signer and Talaya Schmid (festival director)