Leading adult film website Pornhub is due to release its first non-pornographic movie this week, a company executive announced. The movie, Shakedown, shot over a period 15 years, tells a story about gay men and lesbians, who attended a strip club in Los Angeles at the beginning of the 2000s. Director Leilah Weinraub began work on the film in 2002. It was made out of 400 hours of footage.
"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", Weinraub said.
The director hopes that Shakedown will engage female users of Pornhub. It is believed that the leading adult film website is trying to expand its audience by attracting women. The company itself said that it supports artists, whose works are not allowed on mainstream video-sharing platforms due to nudity.
"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”, said Pornhub brand director Alex Klein.
The film has already been screened at art events and film festivals and even received a nomination for best documentary at the Berlinale.
This is not the first time director Weinraub has collaborated with Pornhub. In 2016, her fashion brand Hood By Air released a collection that featured Pornhub’s logo.