Angie Rowntree of Sssh.com Speaks at Brown University

During this year’s session, Rowntree said the students in attendance led the conversation, asking incisive and pertinent questions. She identified one as a central question that has been wrestled with for as long as the concept of “pornography” has existed: Can porn be art?

“It’s such a subjective issue,” Rowntree said, noting the audience agreed with that sentiment. “But the conversation leading to the conclusion was fascinating. People weren’t simply offering knee-jerk reactions or reciting preconceived notions. Instead, they approached the topic with open minds and exchanged thoughtful points.”

Other subjects of discussion included the role and importance of the narrative in Rowntree’s filmmaking; the long-running Sssh.com survey and what the data reveals about the site’s member base demographics and trends in their interests; consent and communication on the set; the “female gaze” vs. the “male gaze” in adult filmmaking; what a typical day of shooting entails for Rowntree and the use of “scripted” sex scenes vs. a more organic approach.

The session also included a screening of Rowntree’s award-winning 2015 film Gone, which has been hailed by critics as one of the most emotional and heart-wrenching erotic works ever committed to film.

After the screening, the conversation turned to “the intersection of death and porn,” and the blending of genres presented by the film, said. She added there was also “considerable interest in the nonlinear sex scene” in Gone and the scene’s implications for interpreting the work.

The conversation also covered artistic decisions made in Rowntree’s 2019 short film Alla Prima, which the attendees had screened prior to Rowntree’s arrival at the session, as well as the use of foreshadowing in film.

“I loved hearing their perspectives on art, filmmaking and adult entertainment,” Rowntree said, adding that her conversations at Brown “have been every bit as educational for me as they have been for the audience.”

“I’m really looking forward to going back next year,” Rowntree said. “Conversations like these are so valuable, presenting an opportunity to talk about adult filmmaking as an art form, as opposed to a business. Adult business conventions are great for talking business, but I can’t remember the last time anyone talked to me about creativity or the artistic process at one, and it’s so refreshing to have that conversation. It reminded me of what it is I love so much about making films in the first place, which is the opportunity to tell strong stories and draw a response from the viewer.”

For more information and to watch Rowntree’s award-winning work, go to Sssh.com.