BURBANK, Calif.—It was bound to happen someday: Gay entertainment site Men.com has announced that it has entered into a video production partnership with the Tom of Finland Foundation.
Illustrator Touko Valio Laaksonen (1920-1991), better known as "Tom of Finland," is commonly credited with the birth of modern-day gay pornography through his highly masculine homoerotic artwork. His influence on the gay community was and is extensive, often serving as the first introduction to gay sexuality for entire generations of men.
With a body of work so synonymous with gay sex, it’s a wonder it took so long to bring Tom of Finland’s art to life through pornography. Men.com is the first studio to take on the momentous task.
The two legendary brands will be partnering on an anthology series based on and inspired by the classic works of Tom of Finland, to be released exclusively on Men.com. Each episode of the series will be directed by a different artist.
The first three episodes are period pieces based on classic Tom of Finland works, followed by a contemporary scene set in 2020, and the final episode of the series will be set in the future, re-imagining Tom of Finland for a new generation.
For the project, Men.com has enlisted Cory Krueckeberg (Getting Go, the Go Doc Project), Bruce LaBruce (Hustler White, L.A. Zombie, Gerontophilia), Terry Miller (It Gets Better Project), Matt Lambert (‘Worship’ Years & Years, ‘High School Never Ends’ Mykki Blanco) and Casey Spooner (formerly of Fischerspooner) to bring their interpretations of the Tom of Finland universe to life.
"Tom of Finland's drawings have always intrigued me and turned me on as a kind of burlesque of gay male sexuality," LaBruce admitted. "It's a performative masculinity that also happens to be extremely hot. There is much joy in the representation, as well as an underlying current of humor and irony.’’
"Tom of Finland has always turned me on! I used to collect the Kake comics in the '90s. I love the physical exaggeration and his wild narratives. I admire his freedom and ability to clearly express his deepest desires. I plan to do the same but in the 21st century with the best and newest technology. The future is now!" said Casey Spooner.
"My film in the series was a chance to rewrite my own history growing up in LA; to create a fantastical version of my own youth through the TOF lens," said Berlin based director Matt Lambert. "This reality is one that I’m starting to see come to life in LA and one that Berlin has given me."
Episode one of the series, entitled 1957, features Matthew Camp, Kurtis Wolfe and Theo Brady and will be released on Friday, December 13, exclusively on MEN.COM.
Every month will see the release of a new episode of Men.com X Tom of Finland. The X Tom of Finland collection may be found here.
For more information on the project, contact james@men.com.
