Crowd-funded ‘porno’ premieres in Berlin

Those keen to indulge will have to download it though, as it won’t be hitting cinemas.

Director and writer Sergej Moya, 23, announced his intention to make “Hotel Desire,” which stars Clemens Schick and Saralise Volm, back in July.

The project was simple: raise €170,000 for an independent erotic film in 80 days. Moya promised that if the target wasn’t met, the funds, which were offered anonymously online, would be donated to charity.

The German public dug deep however, and “Hotel Desire” became the first ever crowd funded film in the country to date. Although it was premiered at the Cinemaxx in Potsdamer Platz, the film will only be available via download. Prices start at €2.99 on videoload.de.

The film’s storyline involves a sex-starved chambermaid Antonia (Volm) being seduced by a mysterious blind artist Julius (Schick), who is a guest at the hotel.

Coupled with arty camera angles and classical music, Moya’s overriding aim was to create a film that “portrays sexuality in its entirety and the joy it brings to humanity,” as stated on the film’s homepage.

The jury’s still out on the credibility of the film’s prolonged sex scenes, as recent reports from the Bild suggest that body doubles were used for many of the really steamy bits.

Despite this, the director, who is also known for his frequent acting roles in German crime series Tatort, insists the sex is genuine. “Without real sex the film wouldn’t have made sense,” he told the Berliner Kurier daily.

DAPD/The Local/jcw