SAN FRANCISCO — Filmmakers of an upcoming documentary featuring Kink.com stars Lorelei Lee, Princess Donna, and Isis Love are reaching out to Kickstarter.com for funds to finish their project.
The producers of “Public Sex, Private Lives” need $22,000 for post-production and festival submissions in the next 30 days.
Viewers of the film will witness what happens on set before the camera turns on and when it goes off, the filmmakers said. “Fans of these women may be surprised to see a different, more personal side of their favorite performers as well.”
Some scenes include Princess Donna revealing her job as a porn director to family members for the first time, Lee defending porn in a federal obscenity trial, and Love’s trials as a porn performer and single mother.
Project honcho Simone Jude said she knew her film could never get funding from traditional sources so Kickstarter was the natural alternative.“I realized, though, that there must be people out there who want to see this film get finished,” Jude said. “Now I just hope they'll be willing to support the project financially.”
The campaign offers donors a variety of rewards, including a digital download of the film's original soundtrack, one-of-a-kind polaroids of the documentary's subjects, signed movie posters, credit on the film, a private screening, and more.
All project backers get access to exclusive updates on the film's progress. Kickstarter's unique funding structure is all-or-nothing, meaning the film must raise the entire $22,000 or it loses all of the funds.
The filmmaker has been shooting and self-funding the movie for nearly four years. "People have a lot of judgments about porn performers, so I thought it could be really compelling to not only explore what happens behind-the-scenes, but also in these performers' personal lives,” Jude remarked.
She added, “I've been incredibly honored by the access these women have given me to their most vulnerable moments. And the more I've learned how dynamic they are, the more I've realized how much these stories need to be told to the world.”
The money raised will go to pay for a professional sound mix, color correction, lawyer fees, film festival submissions, and other post-production costs.
Jude hopes to premiere the documentary at a film festival domestically and internationally in 2012.
To learn more visit PublicSexPrivateLives.com or the Kickstarter page.