LOS ANGELES - The movie of the same name as famed celebrity photographer Michael Grecco's coffee table book "Naked Ambition: An R-Rated Look At An X-Rated Industry" opens to the public May 1, but AVN will host a red carpet event for the film the day before.
Naked Ambition, from Lantern Lane Entertainment in association with KHG Documentary Productions, offers an unabashed peek under the silken covers of one of the few remaining concealed idiosyncrasies of pop culture: the multi-billion dollar porn industry.
The AVN-hosted premiere is set for 7:30 p.m. April 30 at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theatre. More details on the event will be released soon.
The film takes the audience to a surreal setting, where thousands travel each January: the AVN Adult Movie Awards - often referred to as "the Oscars of Porn." Culling from two recent AVN awards shows and conventions, Grecco gained access backstage and in every other area of the four-day Las Vegas pornography extravaganza. The result is a unique look that captures artistic, revealingly human portraits of porn stars and filmmakers, both legends and literal newcomers. Along with human subjects, the documentary features provocative props, hardware, footwear, sex toys and gadgets used exclusively in the adult industry.
Naked Ambition, An R-Rated Look At An X-Rated Industry will titillate and surprise because of the journeys these X-rated performers made from anonymity to erotic stardom.
"It's a film about the industry," Grecco said. "It's not an industry film. This is not an industry of human casualties, but an eclectic collection of astute, enterprising sexual artists. Some of their stories absolutely boggle the mind."
The film was inspired by the making of the book, which features breathtaking photographs of several people involved in the industry, and with guest forewords by Flynt Publications entrepreneur Larry Flynt (Hustler, Hustler Casino) and musician Dave Navarro (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction).
Among those featured in the book are:
Jenna Jameson, the world's most famous porn star, whose majority of fans these days are not men, but women, a result of her best-selling 2006 memoir, How to Make Love Like A Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale.
Jesse Jane, who has Pamela Anderson looks, a naughty sneer and a classically trained danced background.
Sunny Lane, a former competitive roller skater and ice skater who trained for the Olympics.
JoAnna Angel, the Sarah Silverman of the alt-porn industry, who is a leading director/performer/producer/writer of a new sub-sub genre of adult film: gruesome yet campy "sextires."
Additionally, in support of the film, the Guy Hepner Contemporary will exhibit a collection of Grecco's Naked Ambition, An R-Rated Look At An X-Rated Industry photography, as seen in the companion book, April 14 through May 1. The exhibition, in conjunction with the Lucie Foundation, has been hailed by art critics around the country for its compelling nature and intimately flawed figures. Guy Hepner Contemporary is located at 2332 Centinela Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 979-0011.
