Juliana Piccillo

Burning from the core of the feminine divine we unravel.. uncoil.. undulating from where the patriarchy had us firmly wrapped up, silenced, burnt and buried beneath the sand, the earth, the blood soaked desert once lost in a mirage, lost in what we told ourselves as children was a far away dream, or nightmare, depending on how sharply you felt her claws caress you. The beguiling landscape of the Arizona desert forms the backdrop of the film, in which Lilith fights for the rights of marginalized minorities, be it the stereotype of the “wild” woman, the witches who were burned; the sex workers, the queers, POCs, transgender people, people with physical and mental disabilities. Lilith Rising is a tribute to all those we have lost on the way to claiming our rights.

Since the dawn of cinema, sex workers have been portrayed (mostly negatively) by filmmakers. With equal parts historical overview, critique, and homage, this eye-opening film lets real-life dommes, escorts, porn stars and hustlers tell you which films they love and which they hate, which get it right and which miss the mark, and how perpetuating stereotypes in media affects real peoples' lives.

As told by real-world sex workers, the documentary Whores on Film, navigates the history of sex work in cinema and the stereotypes that have engrained themselves in film language. The clichés of the sex worker as unable to receive or give love, lacking in agency, desperate and even unredeemable, are presented with overflowing evidence from some of Hollywood's most respected films. A fascinating insight into how cinema impacts real-world communities and a hopeful argument for the power of cinema to comfort and inspire.