Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Pornhub is known for…what the name says. Adult films. But today, they’re trying a new thing. According to Shadow and Act, today the platform released a different type of video: a documentary about a Black lesbian strip club.
The documentary called Shakedown is described as “a stream a stream-of-consciousness, nonfiction narrative about the queer women and men who populated the lesbian strip club scene in Los Angeles in the early aughts.”
Crafted by filmmaker and conceptual artist Leila Weinraub, Shakedown “is culled from nearly 15 years of footage shot by Weinraub over her adult life, and offers a humorous, sensual and informative look at a vibrant subculture.”
In a statement to Variety, Weinraub said, “There’s a cool opportunity right now to present films in the art space, there’s more openness to diversity and content, and a different sort of storytelling. I feel like it [the film] complicates the history of subcultures, like Los Angeles. It reorients your placing of things in that history. I feel like that was my goal, not to put a finger on it, but complicate and add to that richness.”
Shakedown will be free throughout the month of March on Pornhub before it will move to the Criterion Channel. Later this summer, it will be available for download on iTunes.
According to Variety, Pornhub, which received 42 billion visits last year, is looking to expand its viewership and diversify their content.
Over the last three years, Shakedown has premiered at art museums like the Whitney and MoMA.
This will not be the first time Weinraub worked with the adult film site. She collaborated with them for her streetwear brand Hood by Air. The merchandise, released in 2016, featured Pornhub search terms and launched during New York Fashion Week.
Pornhub’s brand director Alex Klein said, “This film is part of a larger general commitment Pornhub has to supporting the arts. We want to be seen as a platform that artists and creators can use/ We’ve seen artists in general upload content to the site, that might not have a home at places like YouTube or Vimeo, who don’t permit nudity. For us, premiering a feature-length film is a first. We’re very excited about it.”
An entire portal has been created for the project. Viewers will have the opportunity to chat with other in the space and Weinraub will hop in the chat once a week to dialogue with viewers.
According to Variety, Shakedown spotlights the world of gay women of color in South Los Angeles. Their world is informed by ballroom drag and cisgender exotic dancers. Their stories are told in unconventional arcs.
Weinraub said, “I feel like it complicates the history of subcultures, like Los Angeles. It reorients your placing of things in that history. I feel like that was my goal, not to put a finger on it, but complicate and add to that richness.”
Throughout the month of March, you can watch the film, here.
