The Girl Next Door Opening In 40 Cities Starting April 14
The Girl Next Door, a documentary about Stacy Valentine's journey from Midwestern housewife to porn favorite, will receive a 40-city theatrical release beginning April 14 at the Screening Room in New York.
GND Productions producer Adam Burns says this means a "huge" release for a documentary. "It'll be one of the biggest releases of a documentary since Hoop Dreams," he told AVN On The Net. "In fact, you could call the film itself kind of the Hoop Dreams of the adult film business."
The Landmark theater chain has agreed to the theatrical release, a deal Burns and director Christine Fugate have spent three years trying to bring off. The Girl Next Door has already had showings at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals, among others.
"She put the bulk of the time into the deal," Burns said of Fugate, a PBS-style documentary director. The film was edited by Kate Amende, whose work on The Long Way Home helped that film win an Academy Award two years ago for Best Feature Documentary.
"Christine has always had an interest in this area, she's always been attracted to observing women and why they do what they do," Burns said. "Three years ago, more than that, she went around interviewing women just starting in the (porn) business, women who hadn't had a film out yet and were just starting. Maybe 40-50 women. And she decided she wanted to pick Stacy."
Burns admitted, though, that he balked at first on producing a documentary concentrating on a single individual. "I was wary," he said. "But Christine was quite insistent on just following one woman. She said she really wanted to make this a personal story, and she felt that by following just one woman, she could build up the kind of trust to get beneath the façade that many women put on when they're in front of their fans or the press. She wanted to see the world through this one woman's eyes, and she didn't think she could do that if she was following multiple women.
"Christine has taken a middle of the road view about what it is that Stacy does, and there are both ups and downs to it. I think she realistically covers both very well."
In February, Valentine wrapped up her final features for VCA Pictures, Cold Feet and Stupid Cupid, both shot, ironically, on Valentine's Day. VCA said earlier this month Valentine's parting from the company appeared amicable, though VCA didn't know whether Valentine was going to leave the porn business entirely or merely look for new directions in the business. The Girl Next Door will open in Los Angeles at the New Art on May 12. For more information on details and dates of the theatrical
release, and other information on the film itself, visit www.gndmovie.com.
