JENS HOFFMANN: We actually worked on this documentary for a total of five years. We wanted to show the people behind the scenes of the porn business, from producers to agents to performers. At times we even lived with the protagonists – I think we were closer to the porn business than any outsider before us.

What attracted you to the topic?

Strangely enough, someone who did not correspond to the prototype of the pornographer brought it up to me: a theology student who produced cheap sex films in the Czech Republic. That was the first point of contact.

Now your documentary deals exclusively with the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of LA, which, as you learn, is considered the Hollywood of the porn industry.

In the so-called Valley, porn is produced for the global market. The business is gigantic, extremely professional and cannot be compared with the German market. We wanted to look straight into the epicenter of the mainstream porn industry, so we focused on the American studios. The films produced there turn over more money than the entire music industry. So there are very many consumers worldwide, although hardly anyone officially admits consumption. But that alone shows that pornography is a socially highly relevant topic.

Was your presence never disturbed by the porn stars?

I quickly realized that my partner and I had to become more or less invisible in order to really get a deep insight. We spent over a year researching and building a relationship of trust. Some protagonists were even excited when they heard that we were from Germany. They thought: Munich residents must be ultra-liberal sex freaks. Because there is a production company here that does really hard things that are even banned in America. Because German sounds like hardcore, many performers consciously give themselves German names.

And these actors are young and need the money and have sex in front of the camera because of that?

Money is of course the main reason. But not only that. For many, it’s also fame. There are actresses with the status of icons. Fame – that is very important, especially in America. Many are blinded by the easy money, but some also manage to lead a “normal” life later.

Is pornography still a taboo subject at all?

Definitely. We put a lot of private money into this project, simply because we were blown away with funding applications everywhere. Anyone who writes porn on the application need not hope for funding. Seen in this light, pornography is still an absolute taboo. According to studies, 80 percent of all Germans consume porn.

How does the audience react to the film?

Surprisingly positive even at festivals in more Catholic-conservative countries like Brazil. I don’t want to judge morally, I want to make viewers think. Strangely enough, this works better with women. They deal with the topic in a much more relaxed manner than men who are more embarrassed. Some women even come up with sex-technical questions in the subsequent discussion.

Outraged feminists have not come forward?

Not until now. But could still come. Alice Schwarzer and the Emma editorial team have already ordered a DVD.

With what thoughts do you look at the relevant departments in the video library today?

I would be lying if I said I never watched any porn before the movie. Today I know most of the actresses personally and have even been on the set in some films. Of course, I see these films with completely different eyes today.

In the end, is your documentary also a hardcore flick?

Strangely enough, the film seems more vulgar with the German subtitles than in the English original. What you see is actually hard enough – or rather: honest enough.

Interview: Reinhard Keck

Start: 07/02/2009, OT: 9to5 – Days in Porn, director: Jens Hoffmann, with Otto Bauer, Belladonna, Audrey Hollander, Katja Kassin, Sasha Gray, Roxy Deville, Mark Spiegler, Jim Powers and others, 95 min.