A co-production by Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc and the NFB
April 15, 2015 – Montreal, National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Ève Lamont's latest documentary, Le commerce du sexe (The Sex Trade), co-produced by Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc and the NFB, will open on May 1 at Cinéma Excentris in Montreal and Cinéma Cartier in Quebec City, in its original French version. An in-depth, disturbing look at the underside of the sex trade, the film re-examines an activity that's often trivialized and sometimes even idealized. At a time when arrests for sex trafficking are frequently in the news, Lamont captures a stark reality in true auteur style. We meet a broad spectrum of players in this industry in Quebec: current and former pimps, women who depend on prostitution to make their living, massage parlour owners, a police officer, a sociologist, a renowned investigative journalist, and even several johns.
Following her 2010 documentary, L'imposture (Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc), which sparked concern over the plight of women struggling to leave the sex trade, Lamont plunges deeper into a subject she's explored over the past 10 years. Le commerce du sexe is shot in the Direct Cinema tradition, taking viewers into a shadowy world as it probes the hidden workings of one of the most lucrative industries today.
The film prompts audiences to take another look at things they may come across in their day-to-day lives—the neon signs for massage parlours, the streetwalkers, the classified ads for sexual services. The foray into this underworld is accompanied by insightful commentary from various experts, shedding light on issues that affect all of society, and demonstrating beyond a doubt that the sex trade comes with severe social repercussions.
Quick Facts
• Le commerce du sexe, Ève Lamont (76 min) Co-produced by Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc (Nicole Hubert and Sylvie Van Brabant) and the NFB (Nathalie Cloutier). Executive producer: Colette Loumède (NFB).
• Synopsis In the past 30 years and with the rise of the Internet, the sex trade has expanded worldwide to become a true industry. But who benefits from this phenomenon that has turned women's bodies into an exploitable commodity? Le commerce du sexe is a foray into a brutal world whose key players claim that prostitution is a service like any other. High-end and street prostitution, escort agencies, massage parlours, strip clubs, pornography, sex tourism: The Sex Trade reveals a modern form of slavery whose victims are often too frightened to speak up. A powerful documentary that journeys into the heart of darkness.
• The film's experts
Rita Acosta, Mouvement contre le viol et l'inceste.
Dominic Monchamp, Detective Sergeant and Investigations Supervisor, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (West Region Vice Section).
Victor Malarek, award-winning Canadian investigative journalist and author of a number of works on the sex trade, including The Natashas: Inside the Global Sex Trade (2003) and The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It (2009).
Gail Dines, American sociologist (Wheelock College, Boston) who specializes in women's studies and research on pornography. An internationally acclaimed speaker who has written a number of books, including Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality, Dines is also the founder of Stop Porn Culture.
• About the filmmaker
An experienced director and camerawoman, Ève Lamont is a free spirit who delves into social realities that are often overlooked. Since her first feature documentary, Méchante job (2001), she has consistently made socially engaged films (The Fight for True Farming in 2005, L'imposture in 2010) that give a voice to people living on the fringes of consumer society. In 2003, her film Squat! won the Best Direction – Canadian Feature Documentary award at Hot Docs in Toronto. Her latest work, Le commerce du sexe, is a behind-the-scenes foray into the sex industry, a clandestine world fraught with serious social repercussions.
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Filmmaker Ève Lamont will be in Quebec City and available for interviews on Monday, April 27.
Press screenings
Montreal
April 21 and 28 at 10 a.m.
Cinéma Excentris
3536 Saint-Laurent Blvd.
Quebec City
April 23 at 10 a.m.
Cinéma Cartier
1019 Cartier Avenue
Information
Marie-Claude Lamoureux
NFB Publicist
Tel.: 514-283-9607
Cell.: 514-297-7192
E-mail: m.c.lamoureux@nfb.ca
Lily Robert
Director, Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs
Tel.: 514-283-3838
Cell: 514-296-8261
E-mail: l.robert@nfb.ca
About the NFB
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) creates groundbreaking interactive works, social-issue documentaries and auteur animation. The NFB has produced over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 14 Canadian Screen Awards, 8 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.
