LOS ANGELES—In what the entertainment bible Variety described as “yet another recent sign of Pornhub’s seriousness about participating in mainstream cinema,” the market-dominating tube site has made an offer to Germany’s Oldenburg Film Festival to serve as the online streaming outlet for the 26-year-old annual event.
Germany’s premier film festivals are held in Munich and Berlin, and while the Berlin International Film Festival was held in late February, the 2020 Munich event has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the Oldenburg Festival, which focuses on “edgy programming” and independent films — earning it the informal title of “Germany’s Sundance” — has decided to go ahead with its scheduled event from September 16 to September 20, but in a modified format that combines theatrical screenings with films streamed online.
Now, according to a letter to the festival from PornHub Vice President Corey Price, quoted by Variety, the site which draws a reported 115 million visitors per day wants to serve as the streaming outlet for Oldenburg.
“This will offer a much different viewing experience and be more immersive,” Price wrote. “This would further demonstrate our commitment to supporting the arts and entertaining audiences of all kinds.”
Price in his letter noted that Pornhub’s technological infrastructure rivals the capabilities offered by YouTube, “but we are always looking at how we can go further and make things even more interesting.”
While representatives from Oldenburg have not yet offered a response to Pornhub’s overture, the site has made other recent moves into the “mainstream.” According to an earlier Variety report, the company in March for the first time acquired rights to distribute a non-porn film — albeit one with an adult theme. The film, a documentary titled Shakedown, chronicles the Los Angeles lesbian strip club scene of the early 2000s.
Shakedown, which has previously bee showcased in exclusive screenings at such high-culture venues as the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum, made its streaming debut on Pornhub during March, and is now scheduled to move to the art-film streaming service, Criterion Channel.
Pornhub also backed the directing debut of Hollywood actress Bella Thorne, who helmed an erotic short, “Her & Him,” last year. Thorne’s film had its theatrical debut at last year’s Oldenburg Festival, giving PornHub an existing history with the festival as well.
Photo by Oldenburg International Film Festival / Wikimedia Commons
