Directed by Marielle Nitoslawska ∙ 2001 ∙ Canada ∙ 58'

How does the media influence the development of sexual identities, and how might representations of sexuality change the way we understand it? The male-dominated, multi-billion dollar mainstream pornography industry recreates a restrictive image of sexuality, but growing numbers of women directors are offering alternative visions of female desire.

From directors and porn actors, academics and sexologists, to marketers and executives, BAD GIRL offers a comprehensive view of the motivations and constraints faced by women trying to represent their own understanding of sexuality. Excerpts from female-directed films, both in and out of the pornographic genre, track thematic links between avant-garde art, including works by artists like Carolee Schneemann (FUSES), the performance art of Annie Sprinkle (A HERSTORY OF PORN), Catherine Breillat (ROMANCE), and the woman-friendly porn of Candida Royalle and the Scandinavian Puzzy Power collective.