A friend of mine, Miss Natasha Enquist, invited me to come along to see a movie her friend Gia Balestra has directed and produced.
The movie is called Clitorissima. It was being shown at a long-running sex-positive feminist salon. I arrived a bit late, but luckily there was a fellow outside who spoke English and told me which buzzer to press and what floor, and I went up in the lift. With my asthma, the usual Berlin staircase marathon is a no-go.
On the landing there were dozens of pairs of shoes, as you often see; it is customary to take your shoes off outside the home in Germany. I was nervous about leaving mine, because I was wearing my precious bottle-green granny boots that are a homage to proto-genderqueer YA novel Nightbirds on Nantucket. It took me almost two years of daily eBay search alerts to find a pair. And I am a New Yorker, and assume anything not nailed down will be stolen and anything nailed down defaced or set on fire.
But this is Berlin, and my shoes would be fine, and I entered a room packed with all kinds of women and a few cismen, and someone made space for me on the floor and gave me a pillow to sit on.
Sexclusivitaeten‘s house sexpert Dr. Laura Méritt was displaying a beautiful vagina hand puppet, with detailed anatomical features, wonderful for therapy and education.
And then the film was introduced; I had arrived just in time. Here’s Gia introducing the film.
It is a mixture of documentary and animation. As she talked about interviewing the women she made this beautiful, graceful gesture with her hands, describing the shape of the vulva and clitoral arms. Inscribing it in space, a reiterative dance, so lovely.
About Clitorissima:
Giancarla Balestra (Vulvah Van Klitt Productions), directed/produced the short documentary “Clitorissima” which is a series of interviews with women asking the same question: “At which age, and on which occasion, did you have clitoris awareness?”. She teamed up with the Danish Animator and Illustrator Sara Koppel (Naked Love Film & Koppel Animation) with the mission to normalize and facilitate the first mother/daughter conversation about clitoris and clitoris awareness, told through interviews with various clitoris owners, and storytelling through animation.
It was the winner of ‘Outstanding Creative Vision Award’ at the CineKink Film Festival, NYC, USA, March 2016!
CLITORISSIMA – Official Trailer (Italian subtitles) from Vulvah Van Klitt Productions on Vimeo.
The film is so beautiful and magical. It would be wonderful for parents to show their young kids; it is elegant, cheerful and not graphic.
The artist who drew the exquisitely blooming animation sequences is Sara Koppel of Naked Love Film and Koppel Animation, left. She is so very extraordinarily talented.
Her previous sex educational work, which came out of talks with Gia in the Berlin sex-positive scene, is a short movie called “Little Vulvah and her Clitoral Awareness“. Which has won just buckets of awards and would also be a treasure to show your young child. You can watch the trailer and buy it here.
The vibe at my first Sexclusivitäten event was cozy and warm, and everyone was friendly. My drawing was enjoyed and supported. It was like the first time I went to SF Citadel and met August; I felt so at home. I got stickers!
I am enormously excited about the upcoming event celebrating menopause; I find it is really necessary to learn more about this process as I go through it and I am thrilled to be meeting members of a community that has such an open and creative dialogue.
In the Bay being involved with Midori‘s fundraisers, supporting her performances and creating work with her was so important to me, as was working and exhibiting with Madison Young and her Femina Potens gallery. I look forward to getting to know and doing creative work with kindred spirits here.
Upcoming Sexclusivitaten salon events can be seen here! And workshops!
“For the whole month of March sex-expert Laura Meritt and her team offer an insight into the evolution of pussy power. 10 years ago the (Women’s) March was declared the month of vulvas to push its popularity forward and strengthen the sexual confidence of every vulva owner. All the events take place in the rooms of Exclusivitäten and offer a diverse program consisting of an exhibition, films and workshops around the female sexual organ. Viva la Vulva!”
