Youth is the holy grail of our society, with people spending fortunes trying to look younger and younger. And then there’s the exceptions, like Jorge Alberto, someone who challenges the norm and celebrates his body as it is: a temple capable of achieving amazing things. Things that go from adventure sports to taking care of a magnificent vegetable garden. And, of course, getting in front of the camera for Noel Alejandro’s latest film, Apartment 52. In this interview, we get to know more about Jorge, his views on sex and nudity, and his intimate experience filming with his co-star, Bast.

✦ Your Just for Fans bio says you’re a “model, vegetable gardener, cook, outdoor and winter sports enthusiast…”. That sounds like a lot! Are there any other activities you’d like to add to that list?

I have a large vegetable garden in Lisbon where I cultivate more than 30 kinds of vegetables, all year round. It requires several hours a week. The best part of growing my own veggies is cooking amazing meals with them for my family and friends. 

Aside from the snowboarding, I’m crazy for water sports… the real water sports that is (although I do love the “other” water sports!). I grew up being a champion swimmer, so living in the seaside town of Lisbon is perfect for long days at the beach, swimming and playing in the ocean till the sun sets, and surfing any day of the year. There’s something magical about just sitting on the board, feet dangling, looking back the shore so far away, fish below, birds flying overhead, the warmth of the sun beating down on my neck… Nothing matters then. It’s so peaceful. And then the thrill of catching a wave and riding it.

I love any activity that makes me feel like I’m flying… I guess I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Since I was a small kid, I loved jumping off heights. And to this day, even at 62, I won’t hesitate to dive off a 20 meter cliff or grab some air or jump in the snowboard park.

✦ You seem to travel a lot, is it something you enjoy?

I love traveling, especially to the beaten path places. My grandmother taught me that I should see as much of the world as possible, learn as many languages as I could, and to take whatever risks I safely could. By the time I was 50, I’d already flown over 6 million miles around the world. I’m also fascinated with everything related to languages, from their origin to the regional differences. My grandmother spoke seven languages fluently. My grandfather, six. It was in my DNA to absorb languages easily.

I’m also an avid collector of all things cartographic. I have an extensive collection of globes in my office, framed maps and atlases from different countries, languages and centuries. It’s amazing to see how the world has changed through time… the borders, the occupations of land, the names, the politics of it all.

✦ What about sex? Does it play an important role in your life?

I love sex. All kinds of sex… with men, women, cis or trans. I embraced my sexuality and figured out the power of sex at a very young age. I’ve never been ashamed of sex, and have always believed in having as much of it, as often as possible with as many different kinds of people as possible. Sex has always been my greatest curiosity, my best teacher of human behavior, the ultimate form of connection, and the way that I can best express myself. I don’t hold back on sex at all. I do what I feel, and just let it go … go with the flow. When I cum/orgasm… I really explode. It’s a spiritual moment for me. When I feel totally connected to the universe. I scream uncontrollably, I wail, my body goes into shakes and contortions, eyes roll back in my head, and I can even cry. And I want the person who I’m with to experience it too, or at least to see that it’s possible and maybe that will help them enjoy sex more, to feel more free, to understand how pleasurable it can be.

“Sex has always been my greatest curiosity, my best teacher of human behavior, the ultimate form of connection, and the way that I can best express myself.”

✦ So I’m assuming you don’t like boxing yourself in a certain role?

When someone asks me, “top or bottom?” I say “everything”. I am whatever I feel like at that moment, with whoever I am with. How I have sex, it always depends on the situation, the vibe. To be “typed” into one or the other is so limiting, so boring to me, it’s an act of submission to societal norms, and I see that person as unable to explore new things and experiences, inflexible… and totally unattractive to me. I actually abhor the terms top and bottom, even though I know and understand they serve a purpose in language and communication.

✦ In a society where the goal is to look as young as possible, you embrace your age and natural looks. Has that hindered your career, or does it work in your favor to distinguish yourself from the norm?

I do embrace my age, and I’m very content with my looks, I don’t try to change or alter them. I’ve always taken great pride in keeping fit for the sake of just feeling good, and being able to enjoy the sports that I do. It didn’t hit me until my mid 50’s that I looked so much younger than most of my friends, and that this was something that I could capitalize on. Especially when I grew a beard. Suddenly, I had this whole new persona that I really embraced. I got signed with a big modeling agency in NYC and started getting a lot of work, one campaign after another. 

I’ll never forget my first underwear campaign with a top US brand, they’d never before used anyone near my age. The campaign was hugely successful. Several more followed, including magazine editorials and covers. Soon after, a German magazine put me on their cover… naked! This was when I finally felt confirmed that society is beginning to look at older, fit guys as equally as hot and sexy as younger men.

The “older but looking younger and fit” was never a hindrance until I moved to Portugal, where I felt like brands and clients didn’t know what to do with me because my looks don’t seem to match my age, so I rarely get cast anymore for fashion jobs or commercials. As progressive as Europe is compared to the US, they still have a mindset of what 60 is supposed to be/look like. And when I go for the age group of 40-50, they see my age and say “no”.

✦ Do you create your own content on your Just for Fans account?

I do create my own content on my JFF page, but often with the help of professional photographers who I’ve worked with before, who are friends and who get my aesthetic and “brand”, if you will. When I started my page, a few months ago, I already had some decent content from previous photo shoots. I will shoot some of my own content, but it all vibes with the aesthetic that is professionally shot. And I’m a good enough photographer, know enough about light, angles, etc. to take some pretty good photos of myself.

✦ And how was the experience being directed by Noel?

It was a dream come true. From the very beginning, when Noel contacted me and proposed the project to me, I knew that he was a class act, a visionary who has very specific ideas about what he wants to create. He knew me from Instagram and how I very openly, and unapologetically display to the world what I’m about, who I am. I felt so honored that he “got me” enough to believe that I could be the right guy for his film. I have great admiration for his selection process, his perfectionism, and how he described everything so clearly to me. Especially since I’d never done anything like this before. 

The way that Noel cared about me, getting me excited to work on the film and how he cares about his entire team… I was blown away, and kept pinching myself, saying “I cannot believe I’m doing this, and that it’s all so polished, so tight, so impeccably produced”. I saw and felt the respect that he commands, and how everyone gives their absolute best so that Noel can create the art that he wants to, and believes in. And at the same time, I felt like everyone was family. I was so welcome, and treated with such respect and dignity. During the sex scenes, which are so intense and deeply personal for me—as I give all of myself to whatever I’m doing—Noel made sure that only a handful of the most necessary staff were present, allowing us full freedom to express ourselves without any inhibitions.

“The way that Noel cared about me, getting me excited to work on the film and how he cares about his entire team… I was blown away.”

✦ Did you feel at ease filming the intimate scenes?

Noel made sure that both Bast and I were exactly on the same page, psychologically and emotionally. He prepared us so well by literally choosing the perfect two people with the perfect chemistry, so that he only had to give us some guidelines and tips, but mostly… he let us be us. I felt that Noel knew me so intimately, on a cellular level, and prepared me so thoroughly about how I should perform, how the scenes should be, that I was able to channel my character naturally. Noel is an amazing director, a story teller. I loved working with him, and getting to know him through the process. I felt like I made a good friend. He was always so honest and clear about what he wanted to get across, that it was very easy for me to want to help him get there. 

I was surprisingly impressed by the organization of the production, the scheduling, the coaches for lines, the way he managed everyone on his staff so that it ran so smoothly. It was tight, baby! Real tight. I loved being part of the process.

✦ Were you familiar with Noel’s work prior to working with him?

Yes, I was. I’d followed him on Instagram for a while. I’m friends with another filmmaker, Antonio Da Silva (who I’ve also worked with and who knows Noel), and he encouraged me to work with him. Also, one of my friends and professional colleagues from the fashion model world when I lived in NYC, Brandon Jones, starred in one of Noel’s previous films. Brandon is a perfectionist, a dreamer, a visionary, a creative of the highest caliber. So I knew that if he chose to work with Noel, Noel must be all that. So this collab sealed it for me that I had to do this, no matter what.

✦ What do you like most about Noel’s films?

He takes male sexuality and makes it accessible, gives it humanity, feeling, emotion. He turns it into the poetry that sex can be. It’s porn… but not really. It’s porn with heart, soul, a story. It provokes deep thought and emotions, it forces us to look at ourselves in ways we normally wouldn’t. And that’s not easy. It’s pure art. It shows sex as something beautiful, intimate and authentic. The way real men have sex, with passion, grit, intention, integrity and purpose. His work is accessible in a way that we can all relate to it, whether we’ve been there before, or whether we aspire to have sex like that. Because it’s real, it’s human, it’s cellular. 

✦ What makes it different from conventional porn?

I’m so sick of conventional porn because I can’t relate to it, nor do I find anything sexy about it. I have nothing in common with it. It’s all mechanical, thoughtless, emotionless, fake, not inspirational at all. It usually makes me feel bad. I’m a person who wants to feel everything, to relate to what I’m seeing, to fantasize about it, to grow and learn from it. I see a lot of myself in all of Noel’s films, in his characters. And that makes me comfortable, it makes me feel good about myself, it validates me as “normal”, if you know what I mean. It makes me feel good about my place in the world, it makes me feel good about my relationship with sex.

The way that Noel’s work makes us feel this way is through his extraordinary filmmaking. His work is incredibly cinematic, so visually stunning that I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s poetic. Every frame counts, every angle he uses, how he plays with and utilizes light, color, and space. How the shots are edited, the closeups, the pans, all of it together is just stunning art. I like to describe his work as a Caravaggio painting come to life. He fucking knows how to shoot sex and make it so damn beautiful. He makes it look like what I am actually feeling myself during the act of it. He knows how to capture the emotion, so that we feel what the characters are feeling. The music/score he chooses, and the sound design both add so much to his storytelling. As a professional post-producer myself, these elements of a narrative are very important. Noel is always spot-on. 

✦ And what was it like filming with Bast?

Oh, wow, Bast made it for me. Working with him was effortless, and the most amazing experience. We had such a deep connection, as though we’d known each other all our lives. Making love with him was truly… making love. There was no acting, it was real. Noel matched us very well. Before we met, we had intense conversations, we really got to know each other intimately. And turns out, we both feel exactly the same about sex, what we like, how we approach it. We were two peas in a pod. We understood each other so well, and that rarely happens, that I meet someone who looks at the world the same way I do.

“When I cum… I really explode. It’s a spiritual moment for me. I scream uncontrollably, my body shakes, eyes roll back… I can even cry.”

✦ What did you like most about Bast?

When we finally met in Barcelona, it was like meeting my best friend, my lover, my brother, my soulmate. I know that sounds ridiculous… but that’s how I felt. Not to mention that physically, Bast is such a sexy, beautiful man. I got a boner instantly when we met in person. A raging hard-on. We kept smiling and teasing each other. He was as adorable in person as he was in long distance conversation. His eyes pulled me in deep. Deep dark brown pools that I drown in. We looked at each other, and a very special kind of love was there. A feeling that we both knew we would be able to project together on screen because we both felt that super-charged electricity. We already knew each other. On the set, nothing existed but the two of us. Making love with Bast was as pure as it gets. He trusted me and I trusted him. We were one, neither of us held anything back. 

✦ So was it overall an enjoyable experience?

After about three hours of full on sex, doing everything you could imagine, in every position, sweating galore, tossing each other around, fucking each other, sucking, licking, kissing so intimately, spitting in each other, really experiencing every touch, every orifice… we were definitely exhausted, but so genuinely filled with pure ecstasy. Noel came over and said, “we are on a tight schedule, and as much as you’re enjoying this, we really need you to cum, to climax”. We went on the terrace, chilled and smoked a joint, cuddled up, kissed, and looked at each other like… let’s get this, no problem. We went back to the set and just zeroed in on each other, as if no one else in the world existed. We had the connection and the power to give Noel exactly what he wanted. It was fucking mind-blowing. One of the most amazing climaxes I’ve ever had. And we came together. It was absolutely beautiful. Bast is an amazing human being, who gives everything of himself to what he’s doing. An artist who doesn’t compromise. I love him. I would work with him again, and again, and again, if given the chance.

✦ Has naturism always been a part of your life, or was there a turning point in your life where you stopped worrying about other people’s view of your body?

It’s always been a part of my life, since I was a small child. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and they were very free with nudity in the house. They would change in front of me, be naked in the house. There was never any shame of the body. When you get this from your family at such a young age, it’s ingrained in you that the body is beautiful, every kind of body. When I would visit them in Miami, I would always walk over to the naturist part of the beach and I would sneak into the palm forests where people were having sex, and I would watch in awe. At about 14, I started participating with them. Yep, 14. I’ve always been very free about nudity, and sex.

✦ What can your followers expect to see from you in the near future?

I just started my Just For Fans page last fall. So I hope to ramp that up and get much more expressive with it. I also hope to do a lot more film work. It’s important for me that society sees people my age in positive roles, enjoying and having fulfilling sex lives. I’d like to be part of film productions that encourage more of this, that normalize all age groups and all kinds, sizes, types of people. Because that is the world. That is humanity. I love sex with women as well, and my favorite kind of sex is with trans men. When I discovered it, I was like “fuck, what have I been waiting for!”. I would like to be involved in films where I get to do more of this. I want to keep pushing the boundaries of what people expect me to do.

✦ Do you have any advice to people of all ages who think that the ultimate goal is to look as young as they can afford?

Do what makes you happy and what makes you feel better about yourself. It’s not about how you think others look at you, how you think others judge you. If you’re doing it for them, that leaves you empty inside. I’ve never done stuff like steroids, or plumpers, or fillers, or augmentations. But that’s not to say that it’s wrong, it’s just not for me, because I’m happy the way that I am. Look… my body is changing quickly, right before my eyes. It’s not what it was at 50 or 55 (when I felt at my prime). But It’s natural. And I’ve embraced it. It’s me. I also have several large scars all over my body from surgeries. I love these scars. They set me apart from all the perfect bodies. They tell my story, what I am. What I’ve been through. They’ve given me courage and confidence. 

Maybe there will come a time when I think something might make me feel better about myself, and I might want to try something. I don’t know. It’s all about how you feel about yourself. And if it makes you feel better, more complete, then do it. I just try to live as healthy a life as possible. To listen to my body. I feed it well, good things. It’s my temple. It houses my brain, my mind, and I want to keep using it as long as I can. I love pleasure, a lot . But I also know that there’s a balance. And that if I want to keep having fun, I just need to take care of myself too. Know where to draw the line. You can have it all.

Trust me.

Know more about Jorge Alberto here

Get your tickets now!

Noel Alejandro

Noel directing his team on set

“Nacañadí’s journey highlights the thick-skinned resilience required in sex work”

The film aims not only to captivate with its visuals but also to shed light on the beauty found in NACAÑADÍ’s narrative. His tactile sensitivity and bodily awareness become tools to connect with others, creating a profound sense of pride and fulfillment. Despite society’s stigmatization, NACAÑADÍ’s story humanizes sex work, challenging preconceived notions and unveiling its complexities.

Amidst the celebration of Body Memories, I feel compelled to address recent developments in my homeland, Spain. The proposed abolition of prostitution, labeled as an extension of women’s rights, raises concerns about the potential harm it may cause to consensual sex workers. This pseudo-feminist legislation, intended to combat pimping and trafficking, risks pushing sex work into the shadows, jeopardizing the safety and rights of those involved.

As someone entrenched in the sex industry, I vehemently oppose this proposed law and hope for a more nuanced approach that respects the voices and rights of sex workers. I invite you to share your thoughts on this matter and engage in a meaningful conversation. Your insights are invaluable.

I extend my gratitude for your continued support and invite you to explore Body Memories, available here. Stay connected through my X, Instagram, and website, and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on upcoming releases.

Here’s to breaking barriers, fostering understanding, and celebrating the artistry of touch.

Warm regards,

Noel Alejandro

OnlyFriends in the making

It has been 3 months since the release of “Only Friends” and I’m happy to say it has triggered a lot of interest. How well it performed speaks to how much the audience might crave such plot-driven adult movies. For that reason we wanted to offer a wider perspective on how it was for the actors to be part of the storytelling process. As you know, “Only Friends” touches on matters like the changing modes of sex work, threesomes and open relationships — all currently hot topics. It is no surprise then that our actors had a thing or two to say on the subject. So we had a chat with them which, needless to say, gave us some interesting insight on their perspective. 

“For me, my body is the tool I have to make art, and that’s what I try. Make art, whether it’s dancing or an adult movie.”

✦ You are the stars in Noel’s latest film, Only Friends. Tell us a bit more about your experience. 

✦ What’s the most enjoyable part about filming porn? 

✦ The plot of the film revolves around two of the characters being in an open relationship. Are these kinds of stories something you feel is missing from mainstream porn?

“I truly believe that porn is a good way to get deep in all the misconceptions that we all have inherited from patriarchal traditions; about our bodies, our nudities, our pleasures and our arousals.”

✦ Another plot point in the film is one of the characters making an OnlyFans account. Is there a stereotype about OnlyFans creators you’d like to debunk? 

✦ The pandemic brought change to the world, shifting the focus of arts online and giving rise to platforms like OnlyFans. How have these unusual times affected you as an artist and/or sex worker? And do you see the current conflict in Ukraine having any direct or indirect effect on the sex industry?

FRANCISCO: I think we are living through a very complex historical moment, I think it affects us all, or it will affect us in a way that perhaps we do not know. I don’t consider myself a sex worker, but as an artist I think I am in a very complex moment to develop my art.

ENOL: Well I have to say that at a great economic and personal cost, the whole pandemic situation has pushed me in pursuing my goals, which include porn and other forms of sex working. And about the Putin’s aggression I can’t see any effect on the sex industry by the moment, I don’t know.

PAU: The conflict in Ukraine has affected everyone. I have noticed that some platforms are helping Ukrainian creators by giving them a 100% of the income but, on the other hand, some creators are using the Ukrainian flag in their profiles to catch the attention even when they are not Ukrainians. It makes me mad to see that they are trying to take advantage of that horrible situation just for their own benefit.

To love is to risk. With Valentine’s day right here, love will inevitably find its way into our conversations. Romantic gestures, flower bouquets, heart shaped chocolate boxes and candlelit dinners for our significant other – this is the cliché you might be thinking of. And while I can appreciate a good cliché, it is maybe time we stray off the beaten path. 

Romance is typically for two, but some don’t mind an occasional third. The more the merrier, as people say. That said, I’m pleased to announce my new film, Only Friends, starring the ever so charming Francisco Gabriel,  Enol Domènech and Pau Alonso. In all honesty, releasing Only Friends for Valentine’s day wasn’t what I planned on initially. Yet I do think it connects well to the topic, even serving as a counterpoint to it. An “anti-Valentine’s day” film, if you may. Not that I object to the idea of love or romance. In love there is no “right” or “wrong” way. More than anything I’m a firm believer of people finding their own path to hell. In other words, whatever floats your boat. Just remember to have fun while you’re at it.  

The story in Only Friends follows a regular meet-up between partners Hugo and Pablo and their no-strings-attached friend Jesús, which takes a turn when Jesús reveals his plans to make an OnlyFans account. Curiosity takes the best of the couple as they probe his motivations. Laughter, clatter and playful remarks fill the room with excitement as their conversation progresses. A playful invitation to film together follows. Nothing can ever stay hidden in front of the camera. The question is: is it rolling? 

“In love there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way. Find your own path to hell, just remember to have fun while you’re at it.”

In the film, the couple composed of the characters Hugo and Pablo don’t discuss their arrangement. It is deliberately left unspoken, a part of the story left to the viewers to deduce. I sought to convey a feeling of their relationship being alive and natural. It is a loving relationship like any other – they support each other, learn and grow together – all things that are (also) possible beyond the limits of monogamy. Let’s face it, love is love in all its forms and at the end of the day, there’s nothing natural about being with one person at a time.

When it comes to sex, beyond monogamy, our society is also obsessed with privacy. Maybe that’s part of the reason we’re captivated by the ones who have the guts to be stark naked online. Or why it is sometimes quite thrilling to send a nude. Here it is, all that you’ve zealously kept covered up for years, now readily available to anybody with an interest, an internet connection and (for some) a willingness to pay for it. Being secretive about sex and nudity is cultural – something society has instilled in us rather than being a naturally arising feeling. In such an environment shame, guilt and fear can dominate our sexuality. I would lie if I say I don’t fall victim to those feelings myself, even though the nature of my work presumes the opposite. 

In the movie, Pau Alonso’s character Hugo manifests these frustrations. He is the most reserved towards his friend’s decision to start an OnlyFans account. For Hugo, taking his shirt off in front of his parents, something that isn’t inherently sexually charged, is already unimaginable, let alone baring it all out for the internet. Even discussing sex with his family invokes feelings of shame and guilt. His partner Pablo teases him about his discomfort and the inconsistencies in his thinking: his parents are human beings and human beings tend to have sex—it’s only natural. Still, he despises thinking about his family in those terms. Many of us also struggle to bridge this gap and prefer to keep these two worlds separate.  But isn’t it ultimately a harmful division to make?

“Maybe learning to talk to our families about sex is the key to the next sexual revolution.”

I recently had a conversation with my sister about sex, something we’d avoided talking openly about before. It felt like it was the first time we acknowleged to each other as humans, and most importantly as siblings, that we’re sexual beings. Do my viewers also reflect on the discomfort around sex they might feel towards their families?. Maybe learning to talk to our families about sex is the key to the next sexual revolution, as my mentor Erika Lust, points out in her pedagogical project.

I digress. Working on Only Friends was delightful and I hope it is just as delightful to watch. I’m looking forward to your comments!

In the predominantly male world of gay porn, both in front of and behind the camera,  how much room is there for women and why is their inclusion on screen a point of contestation? 

In my most recent film, BELLO, I invited Carla Berrocal to play the role of Pili, a secondary character who helps create a plausible setting for the storyline. I was hesitant about her inclusion because I wasn’t sure what the reactions to it might be. Even though most of the crew for my movies (excluding the cast) is female, it felt as if including a woman on screen as a full-fledged secondary character fell outside the convention. This in turn got me thinking about the sparse female presence in the genre.

Women are hard to find in the mainstream gay porn industry both in front of and behind the camera, but especially when it comes to presence on screen. And one would think, at surface level logic, that this is perfectly OK, right? At the end of the day, the genre targets people who get turned on by seeing hot men get railed on screen, which also includes a considerable amount of women as audience. 

“Any attempt by the major studios to add a plot turns the film into a facile parody.”

However, more and more studios are playing around with including more substantial roles for women in storylines. Many are resistant to this addition. Reception to such attempts has been mixed, with fans who like their porn as it is, wondering why they are seeing women on screen. 

Let’s take a look at what female characters do for gay porn storylines. In the rare cases they are included, they serve as either comic relief or complementary to a straight-to-gay fantasy. Think “wife who gets cheated on” or “mother of a sexy barely legal twink”. Among these brief performances, one stands out: Nikki V’s iconic part in Men.com’s Private Lesson 3, in which she says the words now engraved in gay pop culture: “Are you guys fucking? Right in front of my salad?” 

The popularity of the meme seems to be encouraging big studios to deviate from the typical “no distractions, get right down to business” approach, although it still reinforces a format where any attempt to add a plot falls remarkably flat or turns the film into a facile parody, rather than captivating the audience.

Consider this: the invisible woman in porn is such a popular trope that the American late-night comedy TV show – SNL, made a hilarious sketch about it, in which we see a starry-eyed Emma Stone pondering the backstory of her character and fervently practicing the one line she has to deliver. We then see Emma’s dreams get shut down by the sharp remark of the unconcerned porn director : “[You] exist solely to be cheated on!” The sketch also shines light on the reality of the actresses, namely their anonymity. Their sparse inclusion as cast members reflects their perceived contribution to the final product in the eyes of the producers. 

There also is a large section of gay porn fans (such as on this reddit thread), for whom a woman’s presence in their porn is “a boner killer”. Why is this the case? It might be useful first to think about where this distaste comes from. 

It might not be farfetched to say that these attitudes derive at least in part from deep-rooted societal misogyny, especially if one argument against women in gay porn is the sight of them spoiling the sexiness of the scene. 

On a psychological level, female presence in a gay sexual fantasy might bring up deeply buried discomfort with what women represent in a gay sexual context. This in turn causes a visceral negative reaction – a defense mechanism potentially rooted in the trauma of the years spent forced to behave in ways they don’t feel comfortable with. A trauma that was maybe never resolved. 

The growing meaningful presence of women in gay porn is also arguably linked to a growing queer sensitivity in the LGBTQ commminity, “queer” here meaning less rigid about convention. Truth is, the format we all know, but not all love, might be just a little too limiting and the industry seems to be growing conscious of it. The rigid structure of porn is in a process of rethinking and reimaging with the end goal to leave its misogynistic baggage behind and look towards a more queer and feminist present and future. 

“Female presence in a gay sexual fantasy might bring up deeply buried discomfort, (…) a defense mechanism potentially rooted in trauma.”

But why should we have more women in porn in anyway? As a film director, I think including women in gay porn enriches narrative flow of the movies. Omitting women diminishes the vibrancy of  the cinematic universe and also robs us of a tool to tell better and more complex stories, especially in plot-driven movies, which are not made just to masturbate to. 

At the end of the day maybe it isn’t about whether women do or do not have a place in gay porn. What we should really be asking ourselves is why has the format for porn been so stiff all along and what we have to win or lose from straying away from it. Consider this an invitation to any gay porn fan to look inwards and to keep deconstruting their preconceived notions about the genre, sadly and wrongly constructed during erratic growth in an environment that denied our right to exist and to love ourselves as we are. 

Noel Alejandro

Failure is joy. We’re nearing two years since the outbreak of the pandemic and its consequences have now started to fully manifest. Many of our projects, plans and aspirations have been thrown into a disarray, receding further and further into an unknown future until they fade away like a mirage.

Noel Alejandro – Berlin, November 5, 2021. We’re left feeling empty, deprived of much of what makes us feel alive and human. Yet, the existential dread caused by these extraordinary circumstances is here to stay, a point of adjustment we’ll have to accept. Besides, nothing is more human than failing, than feeling down and seeking comfort and consolation in times of great uncertainty. It is in this context that I am pleased to present my new film: BELLO, starring the talented Francisco Gabriel, Vinicius Coelho and Carla Berrocal. 

BELLO is a short film, in which a series of unfortunate events make the protagonist Raul (Francisco Gabriel) feel like a failure. Visibly affected after a dramatic break-up, he’s forced to push through a photoshoot with photographer Mauri (Vinicius Coelho). Emotions come to a boiling point and things quickly get complicated. Through the unrelenting forces of fate Raul sees his luck reversed and once again tastes the nectar of life on his tongue. 

Most of BELLO is shot in sequence shots, aside from the sex scene, which is the first time I explore this narrative technique. This means the film contains longer shots, which create a sense of voyeurism in the audience, as if they’re there themselves, the scene unraveling in front of their very eyes. 

“Nothing is more human than failing”

BELLO’s point of departure was my desire to explore these dark places we go to when dejected. It follows Raul’s erratic quest for joy on his path to salvation from the gloom that torments him. 

We’ve all been there: despair has taken over, you’re incapable of functioning normally, it all feels pointless and tiresome. It could be a break-up, not living up to others’ expectations or maybe even your own. The reason doesn’t matter when the world around you seems like it’s falling apart. But what if we were to see possibilities in failure? What if we were to stop being so harsh on ourselves? BELLO is an invitation to contemplate failure as an inexorable part of livelihood, encouraging us to soothe the bitterness of our existence and see missteps as key to reaching the joys of life. As people say, it’s always darkest before dawn. 

BELLO a film by Noel Alejandro from Noel Alejandro on Vimeo.

True to any of my other films, sex is portrayed as a powerful tool for connection – with others, but also with oneself. Sex is a powerful. And emotional. It is powerful precisely because it is so emotional. More than simply an act of pleasure, it is a natural act that can ground us and remind us of the transience of feelings that might have overstayed their welcome in our mind and body; an ordering act which holds the possibility to restore our inner harmony and let us remain sane when everything else seems to be upside down.

“True to any of my other films, sex is portrayed as a powerful tool for connection with oneself“

Above all, BELLO is a beautiful, layered portrait of human emotions, of their intrinsic convergence and inseparability: seeing failure asexist within the same universe and are deeply interconnected in ways we only truly feel at the lowest of moments. Raul is a perfectly imperfect human being, one who aches, feels lost and hollow. And this is what makes him such a captivating character, one that anybody can relate to. His vulnerability leads him in the direction of pleasure, where his walls come down and he blossoms anew, turning a new page together with Mauri. 

I really enjoyed making this film and hope you enjoy watching in return.

Thanks and enjoy,
Noel Alejandro

With the upcoming release of the new Noel Alejandro’s movie BELLO, Noel will be attending to several film festivals all over Europe.

Here’s a short list of the confirmed festivals and all the info.

Get your tickets!

OSLO
Fusión film festival

Sunday October 3rd 20:30
VEGA SCENE tickets

With Noel Alejandro (Q&A)

Saturday October 9th 20:30
CINEMATEKET: LILLEBIL tickets

https://oslofusion.no/program/visning/noel-alejandros-bedtime-other-stories

VIENNA
Porn film festival 

Saturday 9th 18:00
Schikaneder no online ticketing

With Noel Alejandro (Q&A)

more: https://www.pornfilmfestivalvienna.at/program-21 and https://www.schikaneder.at/kino/veranstaltung_detail?veranstaltung_id=1632429429497

COPENAGHEN
MIX CPH

Noel Alejandro Retrospective I
Friday 29th 21:45 tickets

Noel Alejandro Retrospective II
Sunday 31st 18:45 tickets
Cinemateket

With Noel Alejandro (Q&A)

more info: Retrospective I Fb Event and Retrospective II Fb Event

Isaak Rion is the vulnerable and sweet Chris in my newest film, “Asphyxia”. We first worked together in my other Bedtime Stories project, “Blissing Deal”. I love how he expressed himself through his characters and wanted to work with him again, so when I started writing “Asphyxia” he was the first person to come to mind to play Chris. I’m glad to share our conversation regarding our work together and let you know a bit more about who Isaak Rion is.

Hi Isaak! Great to be able to chat with you. For those who don’t know you or haven’t seen the films with you, who is Isaak Rion?

Isaak Rion is a young dancer with a passion for connection, kink and wit. I love losing myself in the feeling of another, diving into my sensations and creating sensual situations. Isaak is a performer on stage and screen, a lover to some and a curious body in general. I’m a sex-positive person. I coach and create workshops on sensuality. I’m also part of Objects of Desire, an archive of sex workers’ stories from inside the work.

[Porn] is the same [as] when you’re a dancer on stage: you always try to have a genuine experience, to explore and fully feel what you’re doing.

You worked with some big names in the adult film industry before. How did you get involved in porn and erotic content in general?

My first scene was with Pigboy Ruben and it kind of happened by accident, after we met through Grindr. But I had already thought I’d like to explore the challenges of having sex for an outside eye (the camera, the audience) while still wanting to fully enjoy and connect with the other person with whom I’m having sex. It’s the same when you’re a dancer on stage: you always try to have a genuine experience, to explore and fully feel what you’re doing, even though you do it for an audience that is on the outside. I kept having the opportunity to do more work by connecting with other performers in the industry; I had a very intense threesome scene in an old train with Eric Videos, several scenes for Crunchboy in Paris and also shot for Tim Tales. 

“Asphyxia” is your second film for Noel Alejandro. How was working with Noel again?

Working with Noel brings me closest to this beautiful challenge of experiencing, creating and enjoying sex for an audience, for the camera. His team is very engaged and respectful, the sets are professional, and the films are complex and meaningful. Noel has a poetic way of making his films and engaging with the actors and the natural experiences on set.

You’ve starred in the “Blissing Deal” alongside Sabah, and now in “Asphyxia”. What was different this time around?

In “Blissing Deal”, Sabah and I had to engage much more with words, as the non-sexual scene was longer. The story and setup were less sex-centric, and so was our relation. It was more gentle, curious, and soft. “Asphyxia” obviously has another dynamic; The script was more straightforward, and the work more physical and intense. Just thinking of it, it makes me want to do another kinky scene right away. 😉 

In “Blissing Deal”, Sabah and I had to engage much more with words, as the non-sexual scene was longer. The story and setup were less sex-centric, and so was our relation

You and your co-actor, Rufus Bright, seem to have excellent chemistry in the film. How was the experience of working with him?

Rufus and I are friends. We are much wilder together. We do acrobatics and physical things together, but this was our first scene together. We’re both strong characters and can get very silly with each other. It was interesting to do a scene with someone you know so well; when the camera was on, and the sex was happening, it was crystal clear; we were super present, and I could let go.

Erotic asphyxiation is a big topic in this film, but it’s also a metaphor for people’s search for something that makes them feel truly alive. How do you personally relate to this character and his desires?

I like that he is open to trying out. He is insecure about it but knows that there is an urge in him. I identify with the curiosity and the trust that the character puts on his partner, as he has a good feeling about it. They define the rules to feel safe. I think kink practices from the BDSM world can open up a lot of understanding and bring to the foreground new knowledge about your body and psyche, but sometimes you tend to push away. 

I make sure to be socially connected, do lots of physical activity, breathe a lot, and catch any ray of sun possible.

How are you making sure you stay connected to life, especially during these trying times?

That is a big question. I feel the toll on my body and well being by not being in physical touch with many different people – online meetings can’t carry the information a touch does. I make sure to be socially connected, do lots of physical activity, breathe a lot, and catch any ray of sun possible 😉

What’s next for Isaak Rion? Any dreams or aspirations you can share with us?

I’m working on a method for sex coaching which deals with the composition of sex … it’s very thrilling, and I love the exercises we created. I hope that work continues; it’s an amazing group of people. Then I see myself going on a very hot trip which was meant to happen in 2020 … whenever that’s possible. When I hear the word “aspiration”, my mind associates “respiration” and then sweat, and then I’m already thinking of dancing bodies – I think that already tells a lot.

Watch “Asphyxia”by Noel Alejandro here.

And follow Isaak Rion’s work on his Twitter

I wrote “Asphyxia” as a way of representing our search for what makes us feel truly alive, the quest for adrenaline, the rush.

Almost a year ago, the world entered this very bizarre period where most of us leave our houses only for short walks, get groceries, or meet uncomfortably with a friend in the middle of the street. To say this year has taken so much of our humanity isn’t an exaggeration. The sociability aspects of being alive, the experience of culture in the museums or movie theatres, the close contact with people, the energy of dancing at a club are all critical dimensions of ourselves as beings. Being deprived of all these beautiful experiences is almost akin to losing a sense of aliveness.

I wrote “Asphyxia” as a way of facing these issues and represent our (and the character’s) search for what makes us feel truly alive, the quest for adrenaline, the rush. 

Sex has always been one of the most powerful practices to reconnect oneself to existence and to others. It’s a marvellous thing that we can feel pleasure, yet, so much of society (and this virus) impedes us from truly giving in ourselves to joy. Epicurus wrote taught that the goal of humanity is the pursuit of pleasure. So why do we deny it? Allowing ourselves to break the rules from time to time is as healthy as a bio smoothie made of damned quinoa!

Allowing ourselves to break the rules from time to time is as healthy as a bio smoothie made of damned quinoa!

Society has imposed norms about proper, decent behaviour based on fearmongering ideas and draconic practices associated with religion. Guilt, and atonement from it, are now the driving forces. But sex can’t be extinguished from humanity because it’s part of the natural fabric. So, sex became the de facto anti-system tool. A brick that can be thrown against this establishment of perpetual guilt. That, I’d argue, is why kinks are so fundamental in people’s sexual lives; they are tools to help us cope with the world. The more the societal noose tightens, the more liberating and risque our sexual and escapistic practices are. 

Chris is not unlike most of us. Walking around, not mindful or present, wandering through life, lost, looking for love and affection.

The practice of erotic asphyxiation spoke to me for being something that is simultanously capable of granting immeasurable pleasure and capable of swiftly taking us out. Chris, the main character in “Asphyxia” feels that disconnection with his humanity. -Usually, I try to make sure my characters have a rich backstory, with flesh out motivations for their actions. Still, this time around I wanted this character to be a metaphor for how we feel and cope with detachment. He may be tired or depressed or merely disappointed. Maybe even bored with his life. It’s really up to you to fill in the blank with your assumptions.-  Then, the chase for the thrill begins. Since Chris can’t find what he is searching for by himself, he wants to be pushed further, made to feel something by someone. This character is not unlike most of us. Walking around, not mindful or present, wandering through life, lost, looking for love and affection.

The practice of erotic asphyxiation spoke to me for being something that is simultanously capable of granting immeasurable pleasure and capable of swiftly taking us out.

More and more, I see us requiring our own “asphyxiation” practices to preserve sanity. The more society pressures us, the more we rebel against the system and fight for acceptance. Our bodies, feelings, and desires are some of the main things that classify us as humans; sex is the key and the lock. The more we are prohibited from entering that door, the more we rebel against it.

Despite what we were thought on these religious occidental worlds there’s redemption in pleasure. Whether it is to smoke weed after work, drink a glass of wine before bed, indulge in your favourite meal, or having rough kinky sex with a stranger. As long as we are grounded, know our own limits, and strive to make explorative choices (rather than self-destructive ones), we shouldn’t be afraid of seeking satisfaction.

Kinks are so fundamental in people’s sexual lives; they are tools to help us cope with the world.

I wanted “Asphyxia” to be such a critique of society’s constraints to the point of literally sucking the breath of our lungs. A metaphor for our power to break those shackles and free ourselves from what is or isn’t deemed acceptable. I hope you enjoy the film and the marvellous chemistry of actors Isaak Rion and Rufus Bright. I look forward to hearing from you on my Twitter and Instagram, as well as the comment section on my website!

It’s also been a year since I started “Bedtime Stories“. I released “Minha Luta“, a film about grief, heartbreak and love. Looking back, I am very proud of the stories and encounters I was able to paint over the six entries in this collection. I am energized for a year filled with even more content and meaningful, empowering stories.

I am currently in Barcelona, Spain, and I am looking to produce the next set of shorts soon, so if you are in the area and interested in acting or collaborating in my films, please email me at [email protected]. 

Thank you all for the support, stay safe!

Noel

I had talked with Gany Meat a couple of years ago about starring in a film of mine. Finally, in “Obituary: My Name is Leo” we got the chance of making that a reality. When I was developing the role of Leo I was captivated by the ideas of kindness and innocence meeting with ambition and aggressiveness in the body of a multi-faceted character. With his sweet demeanour, Gany Meat was the perfect choice to bring Leo to life.

Hello, Gany Meat! So nice to sit with you and discuss this film. So, to start: Who is Gany Meat? And how did you choose your performer’s name?

Hi! Gany Meat is a homophone of Ganymede, a hero from Greek mythology whom Zeus fell in love with because of his breathtaking beauty. As Homer described it in the Iliad; Zeus, in the form of an eagle, abducted Ganymede and brought him to the Mount Olympus where he was granted eternal youth and immortality, serving as the cupbearer of Zeus. This relationship evolved into a so-called paiderastía; a romantic relationship between an adult male and an adolescent male. 

This myth made those kinds of relationships socially accepted in Ancient Greece, and it became an accepted lifestyle for ambitious young men to have an older established man educating them in various fields and even leading a romantic relationship with them. 

I attended a language-specialised High School, and my specialisation was in Latin. I studied it for many years, and it was my favourite subject. As soon as I learned about Ganymede in Latin class, I was simply fascinated by this persona and his story. Of course, back then I was like 17 or 18, and I had no idea about the stuff I would be doing in the future. When I tried to come up with a name for my alter ego (which I would classify Gany Meat as) I immediately thought of him, and that’s how everything developed basically.

“I’m still trying to fathom the answer about why I express myself the way I do currently. It could have been an act of protest in the very first place, a rebellion against my parents.”

What’s your relationship with porn and adult arts in general? And why did you choose to express yourself through them?

I am still trying to fathom the answer about why I express myself the way I do currently. It could have been an act of protest in the very first place, a little rebellion against my parents. But, of course, it is more than that by now. I definitely consider myself an exhibitionist in any case. All I can say is that I simply enjoy spectators while engaging in sexual intercourse. But I have no idea about why precisely that is the case.

“Obituary” was your first film with Noel. How was working with him?

Filming with Noel was such a different experience than shooting for big commercial gay porn production companies. I enjoyed it so much more. As actors, we were treated with decorum (which doesn’t happen every time), everyone on set gave their best to contribute towards a fantastic outcome. Noel gave very clear instructions which I very much appreciated and I never felt left out or ill-informed at any point during the process. This experience really raised the benchmark for which potential future collaborations have to clear for me to accept them.

“When Noel told me that I would star with Bishop, I was bubbling with excitement. And as it turned out, very rightly so.”

What attracted you to participate in Noel’s films? Was there any particular film that spiked your interest?

It was not one film in particular that raised my interest in Noel, but more so the selection of actors that were so beautifully portrayed in all of his scenes. And years ago it became a sort of dream for me to work with Noel.

“I simply enjoy spectators while I’m engaging in sexual intercourse. I’m an exhibitionist.”

You star with Bishop Black in this film. How was the experience of working with Bishop?

Just like it had been a goal for me to work for Noel, it was also an ambition of mine to work with Bishop. So when Noel told me that I would star with Bishop, I was bubbling with excitement. And as it turned out, very rightly so.

Was it challenging for you to go from shooting traditional sex scenes, to act in a narrative film? 

Acting in narrative films was, in fact, how I started many years ago, back when I was still in High School. I often acted as an extra or had small speaking roles in some German TV series. After moving to Berlin, I played some main characters for various short film productions (all non-sexual). I still have a showreel online somewhere (and I am still technically listed in some agency as an actor) but my interests have shifted away from that. So it was super exciting to finally be able to connect sex scenes with an actual narrative and acting!

“When I find myself in a downward spiral of bad feelings, I try not to use social media and just focus on my immediate surroundings which are usually not bad at all.”

As a worker in the sex industry, how did the pandemic affect your life these past months? 

Well, the start of the pandemic was also my start in getting involved with sex work on a bigger scale. Before that, I engaged in sex work very rarely and was more focused on modelling. But yeah, I only started to monetise Gany Meat in April this year. Luckily enough, I have been employed all these past months while doing my Master’s degree at the same time, so I was fortunate enough not to be affected by pandemic as much.

As a young person, how do you deal with anxiety, especially in a society continually pushing us to reach our goals as fast as possible?

I have a therapist, and I value seeing them very much. I sometimes feel I’m not enough or not good enough. Those feelings usually just push me down a vicious cycle which is so hard to escape and then, very suddenly, everything just gets worse. When I find myself in a downward spiral like that, I try not to use social media and just focus on my immediate surroundings which are usually not bad at all or even really comforting. Those are sporadic phases from time to time, which I think many of us feel. All in all, I do consider myself happy. 

Watch “Obituary: My Name is Leo”by Noel Alejandro here.

Follow Gany Meat on Instagram and Twitter.

With December in full throttle and the temperatures plunging to negative numbers, what better way to bring the temperature back up, and get the blood boiling, then with the release of a new film? I am delighted to share with you the latest film from my “Bedtime Stories” anthology. “Obituary: My Name is Leo” is a short film about an actor down on his luck, striving for one more chance to prove his worth as an artist. He is taken by the end of a kind, yet enigmatic auteur who helps him deal with his troubled emotions; his nervousness, his anxiety, his frustration. And embrace what comes next for him.

Leo is performed by Gany Meat, who’s an Instagram and OnlyFans star with a kind personality and the sort of ambition that suited this character perfectly. When I was creating this role, it was clear to me that I was unloading into it the same fears and expectations I have as an artist- the constant voices in my head debating whether or not I am good enough. Some days I feel like I am, some days I, like most artists, am not. And this multi-dimensional view of ourselves, the personas we become when we are full of confidence or full of dread are incredibly appealing to me as a character study. I knew I wanted Leo to be all-encompassing. Kind, ambitious, beautiful, excited, scared, anxious, horny, nervous… At the same time, this is a character that is not in charge of his destiny. He’s being auditioned for a role, his future depending on the judgement of another figure he has no previous connection to. Someone who’s neither a saviour nor a condemned.

Talented adult performer Bishop Black portrays the auteur intelligently, giving him a duality between a benevolent force, and a severe tester. I had worked with Bishop before in “The End” where he represented this supernatural entity helping facilitate the transition between this life and the next, and it felt natural to have the same actor in a similar role. In “Obituary: My Name is Leo” so too is Leo in a purgatory of sorts, confined between what came before and what lies ahead.

Death as a form of rebirth is also a powerful metaphor. Like a butterfly shedding their previous life and soaring into new heights, or a transgender person having their bodies finally match how they feel inside.

Death. The concept, the meaning, the significance can all be boiled down to the idea of a transition between two phases. And that transition, or change, is terrifying because it’s a solo journey. Meaning everything gets left behind, and we have no idea what we take with us after that transformation occurs. Death as a form of rebirth is also a powerful metaphor. Like a butterfly shedding their previous life and soaring into new heights, a forest respawning and rejuvenating after a fire, or a transgender person having their bodies finally match how they feel inside. I am fascinated by these topics; hence it’s only natural most of my films also dwell in these ideas of transmutation, along with the dreads and distresses we feel. Not just the actual passing of our bodies, but the expiration of an idea, or the crumbling of an emotional fortress we enclosed ourselves in to avoid showing our vulnerability.

I use art, especially my films, to help me deal with these topics as a person, as well as an artist. By projecting my feelings into these pessimistic characters and situations, I am engaging in a very public self-reflection exercise to cope and come to terms with the anxieties. To understand the melancholy and the disappointments that come with being a fleshed-out human being, in touch with one’s emotions, gifted with compassion and love for ourselves and others. As humans, we use art both as a way of escaping our own body and a way to cope with experiences. We watch a romantic comedy to laugh and perhaps run away from a troubled day at work, and we also watch the saddest drama to release that good stream of tears that somehow cleanses our souls and keeps us tuned in with our most basic emotions.

These characters sexualize their bond as a metaphor for the reality that we, as humans, are more connected (or have to potential to be more connected) than we think.

When you enjoy my films, you view stories of people who aren’t necessarily complete, or immeasurably happy. These are people who are going through some change in their lives, whether physical or emotional, who seek comfort, pleasure, understanding. People need to feel they aren’t alone in the world. They connect with other humans, or with themselves, to break down their barriers, to allow their vulnerabilities to flow and merge. They sexualize their bond as a metaphor for the reality that we, as humans, are more connected (or have to potential to be more connected) than we think. These human kinships are what drive my stories, more than a mere sexual observation of their proclivities, I want to probe at their feelings, and by extent my own. In some way, I feel that’s also the reason my audience sees and relates with my films because they too see more humanity in them, than in conventional porn.

I couldn’t be more excited to present you “Obituary: My Name is Leo”, and let you all get inspired, saddened and aroused by the riveting performances of Bishop Black and Gany Meat, and the relationship between their characters. I hope you enjoy it.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram and let me know what you think of “Obituary“. And if you haven’t done so, please consider subscribing to my Newsletter, by doing so you get my film “Call Me a Ghost” for free immediately on your mailbox.

Noel Alejandro

It was my second time working with Bishop Black and as expected, it was a delightful experience. In the midst of pre-production, I took some time to get an update from Bishop regarding his work as an artist, and to talk about his future aspirations, the pandemic, and how it was to star in my new film “Obituary: My Name is Leo”. Bishop had already sat down for an interview with me back in 2018 when he starred in my film “The End”. You can read that interview here.

Hello again, Bishop! It’s been 2 years since we worked together in “The End” and I got to interview you the first time. Back then, when I asked you who Bishop Black is, you answered; he is a “searcher of inspiration and general curiosities”. Do you still identify with that?

I feel I relate to that sentence even more so, especially in the face of unpredictable times. I had a few shows in the summer that reignited that passion I have for performance, especially within my work in porn. That makes me happy. 

It’s important to know that life comes in waves and that we will experience, and be able to handle, the lows as well as celebrate the highs. 

How did your relationship with artistic and explicit content changed or evolved during these last years?

In some ways, I just became more comfortable working with explicit content. The relationship has definitely evolved, and I know what works for me and what doesn’t. I also met amazing performers and directors, who challenged me in a way that gave me a feeling of purpose.  In the artistic field, there is more of a leaning or an interest in nurturing creativity. It’s still a slow process, but I feel like I have time. 

You’re a sought out actor, and participated in exciting projects lately such as Erika Lust’s XConfessions. What makes you so attracted to alternative pornographic and creative work?

Alternative porn has given me the freedom to explore and inhabit roles that wouldn’t be accepted in more mainstream work. It’s also given me the ability to do more acting, dancing or being in avant-garde artistic projects. I feel clearly drawn to more avant-garde, fantastical work. Sometimes it can be fun, and sometimes it’s simply more honest or emotional and vulnerable. The telling of stories can be what’s pivotal to the intensity of the sex. I just love work that speaks to me. 

There is a continuation of my role from “The End” into “Obituary”. He is the psychopomp that helps others fulfil wishes that are perhaps unobtainable to them in their lives and makes their transition into the next phase easier.

How was working with Noel again? 

It was great to work with Noel again. It was comfortable to work with him, and I liked the way we all vibed together. I also appreciated the rehearsals that we had before to solidify the role (which I played before in “The End”). Like putting on a favourite piece of clothing, I got into the role much more deeply. I love the way Noel thinks about to his work. That’s what makes it unique.

You mentioned your character in “The End”. We, as an audience, don’t get to know this character you play in that film and in “Obituary: My Name is Leo” profoundly. What can you tell me about him?

There is a continuation of my role from “The End” into “Obituary”. He is the psychopomp that helps others fulfil wishes that are perhaps unobtainable to them in their lives and makes their transition into the next phase easier. He is neither an antagonist nor a saviour. He is simply there to facilitate a role.  

In this film, and in our society, there’s this need for one to live up to their fullest potential as fast as possible, which sometimes causes unrealistic expectations and frustration. How do you deal with these pressures?

I feel it’s necessary to be soft with oneself. It took me a long time to accept the places I am at, and it still takes work not to beat myself up, because I’m not like this person or the next. I try to shut off, as much as I can, my unrealistic expectations. Being with friends, or having something that separates you from this life is a good grounding. Also time is an amazing thing. We think that time is slipping away, but it itself is a construct thrust upon us by others, with its demands of success like other people have achieved.

Additionally, I see potential as something to be nurtured. As I get older, and perhaps more jaded, I also try to hold on to what is essential: me.  It’s important to know that life comes in waves and that we will experience, and be able to handle, the lows as well as celebrate the highs. 

GanyMeat is sexy, super sweet and great to work with. The chemistry between us was beautiful, and I was honoured to have him place his trust in me.

You star in this film with GanyMeat. How was the experience of working with him on this film?

GanyMeat is a charming, lovely individual! He’s sexy, super sweet and great to work with. The chemistry between us was beautiful, and I was honoured to have him place his trust in me. We started talking way before we got to work together with each other and there was already a sense of familiarity with each other before we came to rehearse. And it was exciting to see each other and do something together finally. 

As a worker in the sex industry, how did the pandemic affect your life these past months? 

The pandemic has been the hardest. Endless cancellations can be tough, but the uncertainty is something I find harder to deal with. I would like to say I’m trying to adapt well to the situation and use online platforms to help financially and also to create work. But as I said, one must acknowledge the highs as well as the lows, and this has undoubtedly been a hard limbo.  

What’s next for Bishop Black? 

Good question! I’m still hoping to do my solo show in Berlin at the Ballhaus Naunynstrasse. I’ve just come back from doing a few shoots with Altshift, which should be out next year. Going forward, who knows what the cards may say?

“Obituary: My Name is Leo” is available now for pre-order and will be released December 4th, 2020.

From the beginning of my career as a filmmaker, I knew I wanted to tell stories that relate to me on a personal level. Stories that experiment with ethereal concepts of life and death, that explore the poetry that lies under feelings such as loneliness or sadness. A boiling pot of human consciousness mixed with dreams, hallucinations and cinematic fiction. 

I relate to narratives that show the tragedies of the modern world and add a bit of surrealism and melodrama. I was always fascinated with Hitchcock and Lynch in the way they would depict very raw characters, and tell brutal stories of pain, suffering and the absurdity of the human condition. 

My stories and my characters have a particular narrative depth to them that is relatively uncommon in any form of porn, and indeed almost absent from what we could describe has industrialised pornography. My films start way before the characters have sex, because sex, in my imaginary world is something that comes as an organic extension of their interactions, their desires, and most of the times, as a metaphoric escape to the troubles or sufferings of their stories. This dramatic approach to sex is the cornerstone of my films, and without it, there wouldn’t have been any reason for the sexual connection to develop in the first place.

“My films start way before the characters have sex, because sex, in my imaginary world, is something that comes as an organic extension of their interactions”

Looking back at my films, I regard the carefully executed cinematography (of course thanks to my crew), the beautiful colours and natural scenes with the same importance of dialogues, development of the characters, the locations and the storytelling and the issues I want to explore. Often my films depict characters submerged in sadness, or they talk about dark topics. Still, I always try to show sexual behaviour as a positive and benevolent force a fantastical way of reconnecting with ourselves.

In “Obituary: My Name is Leo”, Leo, portrayed by content creator and sex worker GanyMeat, is an ambitious young actor eager to cling to one last opportunity to show the world how much potential he has. It’s a story that frames the topics of fame and success and carefully dives to explore the reasons we sometimes pursue destructive and dreams. Meditating on the genesis of this film, I see that as my character, I too see success in my industry as arduous labour. And to achieve it, it requires constant dedication and the ability to endure so much frustration that it can hurt. But I think nothing is impossible and only giving up can stop a stubborn being (like me and Leo) from achieving their dreams.

All these topics made me think about my audience and the input and comments I continuously get on Twitter and Instagram. I know I am not making just cinema or porn. I am doing both by bringing the magic of storytelling and combining it with the real, natural sexual connection of my actors. 

But I don’t shrivel up when people call me a “porn director” (like it used to). Love and sex, as well as sadness and death, will always be part of my identity as a human, and therefore as an artist. The space in which my films exist is an amalgamation, and sometimes it’s hard to calibrate the ratio of story to porn. That’s one of the reasons I created “Bedtime Stories”, as a big tent for all the tales I want to tell that relate to sexual encounters and the actions that brought the characters to that situation. And to differentiate those shorter, more “to the point” films, from longer projects like my films “Under the Rain” and “Call Me a Ghost” (available now for free if you subscribe to my newsletter!). 

“Love and sex, as well as sadness and death, will always be part of my identity as a human, and therefore as an artist.”

What about you? Why do you watch my films? What are the things you consider unique about my work that drive you to support this project? Get in touch with me via Twitter or Instagram, or email me at [email protected] with your feelings and suggestions.

I am very grateful for all your support and hope you enjoy my new film; “Obituary: My Name is Leo” is coming out on December 4th, with Bishop Black and GanyMeat.

Noel Alejandro

For a producer of explicit content such as myself, it’s often hard to engage and grow an audience on social media due to the constant shadowbanning and takedown of what the algorithms consider sexual content. This seems more prevalent when talking about queer issues. Many people see their Instagram accounts deleted based on biased algorithms that flag posts from LGBTQ+ accounts, even some very innocuous posts. With the pandemic and the growth of social media in the promotion of businesses, sex workers are being shut down from advertising their activities and expand their businesses. Unfortunately, these are the rules of Instagram and Facebook, with other social media platforms possibly rolling out the same measures in the future. 

One thing that no one can censor or remove is my newsletter. And I use my newsletter to engage with my community and showcase the new content, such as brand-new films or images, that are considered too steamy for social media. 

So I decided to increase the outreach of my own website and have more people who follow and support my work to sign up, so I can better connect with you. And don’t worry, I won’t spam you, this newsletter is only to let you know about new films releases. 

As a gift to all new subscribers, I will be offering for free the download of one of my favourite films:“Call Me a Ghost”, starring Valentin Braun, in his most iconic performance, and my dear, talented friend, Pierre Emo.  

Call Me a Ghost is a trip into the darkest corner of our minds. It all starts with our protagonist, who’s going through an intense depression. One day, at home, he hears unexpected noises. In the darkness, under a cold white light, a supernatural being rests. Is fear a stronger feeling than sadness? Is there a place for desire in the unknown? Could them, together, find pleasure?

To subscribe to my newsletter, click on the banner on your right, or click here! And follow these simple steps:

1. Submit your email,
2. You will receive a confirmation email. Click on the confirmation link.
3. An email with “Call me a Ghost” will be sent to your inbox.
4. Click the link in the email to download “Call me a Ghost” for free!

Thank you so much for supporting me, and I hope you enjoy the beautiful story and performances of “Call me a Ghost”.

Noel Alejandro