Lars von Trier brings Dogma approach to gay porn

The Dogma movement--which stresses purity and truth in film-making through the use of natural light and hand-held cameras--meets the world of gay pornography in Hot Men Cool Boyz, a gay porn DVD produced by Lars von Trier's Zentropa company that's about to get a worldwide release, according to Agence France-Presse. Knud Vesterskov's gay-themed X-rated film, produced several years ago, will have a worldwide DVD release on October 6. Zentropa has previously produced three porn titles for straight audiences, and all of the company's adult films adhere to the principles of the Dogme 95 movement, including the use of a real plot, sincere acting, and no violence whatsoever. A statement drafted by Zentropa's adult division states that "feelings, passions, sensuality, intimacy, and the lead-up must be emphasized." Zentropa spokesperson Nicolas Barbano told AFP, "Now wanting to tackle the issue of male homosexuality, Lars von Trier is pursuing his efforts to decipher human emotions, and gay sex is part of that. To our great surprise, Hot Men Cool Boyz, which was filmed in 2000, at first met with criticism from distributors of gay films. For a long time, they said the film was 'too different.'" The DVD was nominated in several categories in Adult Video News's GayVN Awards for 2001, including Best Art Direction, Best Videography, Best Editing, and Best Foreign Release.