Sex Worker Documentary Premieres in Bushwick This Thursday

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — A documentary that follows the fascinating lives of sex workers through the U.S. territory of Guam is having a fancy showing this Thursday in Bushwick. The film's event, at Starr Barr at 214 Starr St., includes a panel discussion about media and sex work followed by cocktails and mingling.

The movie, called Exotic, features interviews with people involved in the commercial sex industry in Guam, including Annie Sprinkle, Rachel Aimee of $pread Magazine, and other workers from across the industry.

The showing is presented as a benefit for The Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center, center that provides legal and social services to sex workers and survivors of human trafficking.

"Part of the project of this film is for it to be used as a fundraising tool for organizations that directly benefit workers, so I'm excited to collaborate with the Sex Workers Project," said Amy Oden, the filmmaker.

The post-movie panel will include Oden, along with advocates and researchers who will discuss what it means to make media with/for/about sex work and sex workers, and how to do it truthfully and respectfully.

"Stories about this industry are often put together in a way that sensationalizes the work, and it's my goal to portray the landscape of the sexual economy in Guam in a compassionate and matter-of-fact way," Oden said.

Photo credit: Exotic