Pornography by region
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The production and distribution of pornographic movies are economic activities of some importance. The exact size of the economy of pornography and the influence that it plays in political circles are matter of controversy.
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North America
In the United States, distribution of pornography changed radically after the 1980s, with videotape and cable television largely displacing X-rated theaters. Video distribution in turn is in the process of being replaced by DVD (and Internet distribution for niche markets). Distribution of pornography is a large industry that involves major entertainment companies such as Time Warner (which profits from pornography through its cable channels, and in-room movies provided by hotel chains).(see Pornography in the United States)
The porn industry in Canada is mainly situated in Montréal, Québec, the third largest porn producing city in the world after Los Angeles and Amsterdam. Canada has previously seen a major court case where pornographic writings involving children were deemed to be legal. Certain communities such as Medicine Hat, Alberta have seen divisive battles where restrictions have been placed on the sale of pornography. In Medicine Hat, Jim Ogston led an unsuccessful battle against the new restrictions for businesses to have the right to sell pornography.
Pornography generates billions of dollars in sales in the United States alone, and economists have suggested that it has now gotten to the point where the outlawing of the industry, which has been tried on many occasions, could have a major negative economic impact upon the country, and a prohibition-style legislated ban might spark a rise in organized crime much similar to that of the prohibition ban on alcohol did. An estimated 211 new pornographic films are made every week in the United States.
Japan
The 1960s, in Japanese pornography, was the era of the independent Pink film. In the years since the end of World War II, eroticism had been gradually making its way into Japanese cinema. The first kiss to be seen in Japanese film-- discreetly half-hidden by an umbrella-- caused a national sensation in 1946. Nevertheless, until the early 1960s, graphic depictions of nudity and sex in Japanese film could only be seen in single-reel "stag films," made illegally by underground film producers such as those depicted in Imamura's film The Pornographers (1966). Nudity and sex would officially enter the Japanese cinema with the independent, low-budget softcore pornographic films which would come to dominate domestically-produced films in the 1960s and 1970s. These films were called eroductions during the early 1960s, but are now more commonly referred to as pink films. The first true pink film, and the first Japanese movie with nude scenes, was Satoru Kobayashi's controversial and popular independent production, Flesh Market (Nikutai no Ichiba, 1962), starring Tamaki Katori. Katori would go on to star in over 600 pink films throughout the 1960s, earning the nickname the "Pink Princess".
Latin America
In Latin America, the pornography industry production is somewhat limited. Yet pornography is abundant, especially pirate DVDs from the USA and Europe, which are present in the streets of most capitals in Latin America . Brazil is perhaps the only country that openly produces porn movies, but with mandatory use of condoms. In addition, in the last 10-15 years numerous American and European actors such as Rocco Siffredi, Nacho Vidal and John Stagliano among others have visited Brazil to produce movies there. Brazil is also a well known market for gay and transsexual pornography. Allegedly, African American actor Darren James contracted H.I.V. after shooting a scene in Brazil with actress Bianca Biaggi who had unprotected sex with a transsexual actor in an American film. Most American productions are shot without condoms.
Europe
European hardcore pornography is dominated by a few pan-European producers and distributors, the most notable of which is the Private Media Group. Most European countries also have local pornography producers, from Portugal (e.g. Naturalvideo) to Romania (e.g. Floyd-Agency), with varying potentials of competition with international producers.
Women in European pornography typically have a so-called "more natural" look than in American pornography, with less emphasis on breast implants. The once popular style of Euro-chic pornography represented by directors Lasse Braun, Joe d'Amato, and Michel Gentil has lost ground and the Pierre Woodman style of video porn now attracts a larger audience. A few directors like Luca Damiano, Mario Salieri, and Alain Payet continue with the "older" cinematographic and dramatic styles that often distinguish European pornography from those of other cultures. (See European pornography)
Throughout Europe, ostensibly private "stolen" videos featuring celebrities (mostly TV and music stars) having sex are very popular on the Internet and in the black market. It is debatable whether these videos were truly released without their participants' permission, or whether they constitute a type of publicity stunt planned by stars themselves. In recent years, starting with the Severina Vučković "incident" in 2004, the Croatian public has seen a great number of these videos being released, causing a phenomenon of imitation by teenagers.
Many U.S.-centric pornography websites distribute or focus on content shot in Europe or featuring actresses from European (particularly Eastern European) countries. These actresses (often advertised as "Eurobabes") may conform more to a look usually identified with U.S. actresses than European ones, although they may still be considered to look "more natural".
East Asia
The three main producers of pornography in Asia are Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Japan has a large pornography industry (see Pornography in Japan) which features more natural looking women usually wearing little makeup servicing multiple men who tend to be anonymous. Women in some Asian pornography often act as if the sexual act were painful. In Japan, fetish pornography has a great variety, ranging from well-known bukkake to tamakeri. Hong Kong and Thailand produces much print pornography but less video. The men in Thai pornography tend to be younger than in Japanese or American pornography.
In 2004 and 2005, Malaysia was shocked with a few exposures of budding wannabe pornographers - couples having sex for the camera. While a few show the performers willingly doing it for the camera, others seem to have been captured secretly (voyeurism). VCD copies of these are widely sold on the blackmarket.
Middle East
Turkey, with its deeply rooted secular attitudes towards Islam, is an exception for pornography production in the Islamic World. After a long period of producing Italian-inspired softcore comedies in 1970s, the first hardcore film Öyle Bir Kadın Ki was legally distributed in 1979, followed by many more until the 1980 coup d'état, which strictly prohibited graphic sex in cinema. In the late 1990s, Turkish pornography lived a relatively humble revival, producing cheap material of much lower quality. Contemporary producers of Turkish porn (e.g. Trimax) are centred in Germany, although they still recruit their performers from Turkey, Sibel Kekilli and Şahin K being the most famous. KRAL ŞAHİN K Sibel Kekilli's life inspired the Golden Bear winning film Head-On. Today, a government regulated website, terbiyesiz.net, shows amateur porn produced throughout the country.
In Azerbaijan in accordance with article 3 of the Media Act of December 7, 1999, the "pornographic materials" are defined as works of art, photographic reproductions of paintings, information and other materials the main content of which is the crude and undignified depiction of the anatomical and physiological aspects of sexual relations. Pornography in Azerbaijan is easily and cheaply obtainable in Baku, although not in most other places. Pornographic images, either printed or recorded may cause problems when crossing the border. Taking the soft-core materials should have no problems, but Azeri borders guards can require a few extra euros . Meanwhile the legal activity to combat child pornography is governed by 1998 Rights of the Child Act, 1999 Media Act, the Plan of Measures to Solve the Problem of Homeless and Street Children and the National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
In Israel, which is often seen as a Western country in the Middle East, pornographic films began to be produced in the 1990s, However most of the films were shot in the 2000s . Israeli pornography may be considered nascent but has gone a way since its beginnings. Today, the biggest pornography company is SexStyle that produces films for the Israeli public. In 2003, the first pornographic film featuring Arab performers, produced by this company, caused a public uproar among Israeli Arab community.
See also
