LOS ANGELES—Today on the company blog, xHamster announced the first recipient of its Porn for Women Award. The honor, which comes with a $500 cash reward, is going to Kay Brandt in recognition of her trailer for Adventures with the Baumgartners (Adam & Eve Pictures).
According to xHamster, Brandt won over the judges with her production and sensitivity to the script.
“Kay has a clear command of her audience,” said Lynx Caballero, co-founder of the xHamster Porn for Women Fund. “We’re happy to be able to reward her for her work, and hopefully encourage more.”
Brandt told AVN, "It's an honor to be recognized as a leader in the porn-for-women phenomenon. This award is a symbol of how far the adult industry has come as an evolving business, with women taking leadership positions. We're breaking barriers, reducing stigma, and celebrating our sexuality in the most positive ways."
According to xHamster, this month’s judges included performer and activist Lotus Lain, performer Texas Patti, Bellesa CEO Michelle Shnaidman, and two women from xHamster’s Porn for Women Fund.
Brandt talked about the significance of the win, saying, “I am thrilled that they chose me to be the first person to receive this award because I understand the reach of their popularity. So I think that’s incredible. It was an honor, and I’m very grateful that they went with this, and grateful to the talent in Adventures With the Baumgartners for giving such excellent performances. But I think also it’s really important to highlight that the adult industry is gaining more and more women in all capacities—behind the camera and in front of the camera and in leadership positions—who are coming out and showing their face. And because of that we are able to break barriers and reduce stigma and celebrate our work instead of feeling ashamed about it.”
The director is far from ashamed of the work she’s done this year, which saw her return to all-girl erotica with Unleashed and Loving Myself (both Adam & Eve Pictures), a genre she started out in with Girlfriends Films and Digital Playground. For Brandt, her favorite part of Unleashed was the interstitial scenes of the performers dancing and playing around in between the scenes. “It’s a nice break for the viewers, and yet they keep you completely turned on. To me it’s all about the process of watching the movie. It’s not just going to be scene, next scene—there are transitions that are sexy and fun and show a different side of the performers that we never see otherwise.”
Also out now from Brandt is The Seduction of Heidi, which once again is an adaptation of a novel by Selena Kitt (author of the Baumgartners series). “It’s a three-and-a-half-hour movie,” Brandt said, “and Selena is over the moon about it. She thinks it’s the best adaptation I’ve done yet of her work. … It’s doing very well.”
According to the xHamster blog post, the competition for this first award was close and the contestants were formidable talents. Filmmaker Kylie Britain was praised for her authentic, organic approach to filmmaking; Ariel X for showing powerful, dominant women and Inna Innaki for her elegance.
“There are truly so many incredible women creating Porn for Women, and it was inspiring to see the variety of content that is being produced ” said xHamster’s Caballero. “While there were certainly debates among the judges, these are all filmmakers we’d want to consider working with in the future.”
xHamster’s Porn for Women award of $500 is presented monthly and the contest is open to filmmakers of all types. Submission for larger xHamster for Women grants and co-production funds become available next year.
Kay Brandt, center, is seen above with cast members Sara Luvv, Mick Blue, Anikka Albrite and AJ Applegate at a party for the first Baumgartners movie. Photo by Rick Garcia/@IndustryByRick
