GAZE: RUFF Shorts

CLUB 18+95 min

Red Umbrella Film Festival (RUFF) is organised by current and former sex workers. We are delighted to be part of GAZE this year and to have the opportunity to celebrate queer sex workers’ lives through film. Where there is sex work, there are queer and trans sex workers.

With our programme at GAZE, we hope to share some of the beauty and complexity of these connections. By showing sex worker stories, we aim to challenge stigma and shame, fight for our safety and self-determination, and build towards a decriminalised future.

Below The Surface Dir. Tomas Ponsteen Netherlands / 2022 / 14m

Elkin is a sex worker who has left their family in Colombia to explore their gender identity in Europe, where they live a nomadic life. Below the Surface chronicles both their physical journey and their mental quest to find out who they really are.

House of Whoreship Dir. Holly Laura Bates Australia / 2022 / 16m

When Violet, a recently heartbroken brothel worker returns to work post break-up only to find her ex-girlfriend hustling the same shift, she must make the choice between avoidance and vulnerability in order to make her month’s rent.

One Leg In, One Leg Out Dir. Lisa Rideout Canada / 2018 / 15m

One Leg In, One Leg Out is an honest look at the complexities of leaving sex work. After a decade on the streets, Iman takes the first steps towards pursuing her dream of becoming a social worker.

Fuck My Life Dir. Xandra Ibarra / USA/Mexico / 2012 / 4m

Fuck My Life, named after Ibarra’s full-length performance work of the same name, follows a sordid and fatigued showgirl as she sluggishly awakes to make up with yet another day.

Roxanne Dir. Paul Frankl / UK / 2015 / 14m

Centred around a trans sex worker and a child whose mother has left, Roxanne explores caring relationships that exist outside of what might be expected.

Family Matters Dir. Maximus Skaff / USA / 2022 / 24m

Family Matters is an inside peek into the lives and relationships between sex workers and their family members. The documentary profiles four families who share the struggles that got them where they are today and the unconditional love that allowed them to heal together.

Kırmızı Şemsiye Turkey / 2022 / 2m

A beautiful, brave and down to earth Turkish trans worker takes to the screen in this short,created in honour of the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers with Kırmızı Şemsiye.

The Holey Grail Dirs Ethan Folk & Ty Wardwell / Germany / 2022 / 6m

It’s trial by goblet for this horny cup-bearer on his first day. Madame is thirsty and he’d better not spill a drop!