(W/HOLE) Episode 1 – Rent

The first episode of (W/HOLE) begins with a bite and tunes into pleasure as we take our first steps into the sensual epic.

In a brick-walled room bathed in soft light, Trouble Clef bites an apricot, and suddenly (W/HOLE) transports you. Ten performers move together through the space, pulling you in, and pulling you under. Then, dipping just below the surface of a memory as it surges up from the subconscious, they tune into their pleasure, narrating their experiences. They describe their actions’ sounds and smells, their warmth and sharpness, communicating moments of desire, and release, and relief. It is quiet, loud, exuberant, and tearful. Then it’s over, and (W/HOLE) begins.

(W/HOLE) is an evening-length film created by queer/feminist porn collective AORTA films in collaboration with performance company the A.O. Movement Collective, exploring the incredible potency of queer hedonism, specifically how the authentic performativity of kink and queer porn can evolve trauma into orgasm, and grief into politically radical, transformative, body-based joy. The film investigates the complexity of pleasure, exploring the so-called obscenity of bodies in their most tremendous capacity—their glorious, illicit humanity.

(W/HOLE) premiered at the Invisible Dog Art Center and has won Best Film (Fiction) at the Vienna Porn Film Festival, Best Feature at the Hacker Porn Film Festival in Rome, additionally screening at the London Porn Film Festival (closing film), BRIEFS erotic short film competition, BU Festival, LADYFEST Maastricht, Los Angeles Underground Film Forum, SECS Fest, and the Berlin Porn Film Festival.