Porn Directed by Women (Category Spotlight)
“About halfway through the first day it hit me. I love this. This is what I’m meant to do.” (Stormy Daniels on directing)
When you browse the latest porn movie releases, you may not always take a look at the film’s director. For many fans, the primary selling point is the genre or star, not the person behind the camera. However, much can be learned about a movie’s style and approach by simply becoming familiar with porn’s great directors . . . and many of today’s great ones are women. (As outlets such as the Huffington Post have pointed out, this is a marked contrast to Hollywood, where many woman directors still find themselves on the outside looking in.) Adult Empire has introduced a new site category that collects the full range of our inventory of porn movies directed by women. Not sure where to begin? We offer a concise recap of women directors who have helmed some of Adult Empire’s most popular movies.
(Note: this list is intended to be a sampling rather than a comprehensive rundown of porn’s top current women directors. We encourage you to explore the “directed by women” category to discover even more of the best and most interesting directorial voices in the industry today.)
Kay Brandt
Kay Brandt’s background in stage work gives her movies a theatrical flair, and her talents as a writer lend nuance to the characterizations in the stories she tells. Movies like Unfolding and Babysitting the Baumgartners have rarely been far outside Adult Empire’s top 10, a testament to their ability to appeal to porn fans of all types. (Brandt herself notes that many of her fans are men, disproving the perception that romance-themed porn is consumed solely by women.) More recently, Brandt has collaborated with Marc Dorcel on Climax and 40 Years, Comes to Life.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “Kay Brandt Interview: Building Toward ‘Climax’ (VOD Exclusive)”
“Cherie DeVille & Kay Brandt: The ‘Unfolding’ Interviews”
Kayden Kross
Though she first came to the fore as a popular pornstar, Kayden Kross has attracted critical plaudits for her behind-the-camera efforts as part of the Deeper imprint. Drive, with its amazing, twist-laden story featuring Angela White and Maitland Ward, established her firmly as a director of skill, style, and splash. With the departure of porn auteur Greg Lansky earlier this year from the Vixen Media Group family of labels (including Vixen, Tushy, and others), Kross has taken on the mantle as the company’s leading director. Much of the dark psychology seen in Deeper is foreshadowed in Kross’s The One I Lust, released to acclaim in 2016 by AE Films.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “Director Kayden Kross on ‘Sacrosanct Now’ (VOD Exclusive)”
“For Kayden Kross, Porn Is ‘Sacrosanct’ (NEW Guest Blog)”
“Lust Is Katrina Jade’s Business (Kayden Kross Guest Blog)”
“Kayden Kross Answers Questions About ‘Sun-Lit’”
“Kayden Kross Guest Blog: ‘Sun-Lit’ Rising”
Mason
Mason came to the limelight in the mid-2000s for a series of trendsetting efforts for Elegant Angel. The glamorous, modernist/minimalist approach of these movies helped solidify the upscale style that was later picked up by many popular studios. Though seldom interviewed and often enigmatic, Mason has had a far-reaching influence on the industry. (She’s also received attention in mainstream circles, including an insightful analysis in the noted Porn Studies academic journal.) In recent years, she’s launched popular labels such as HardX, DarkX, XEmpire, and more.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “Mason: From Elegant Angel to HardX and Beyond”
Bree Mills
“Porn done differently.” That’s one of the taglines of Adult Time, a brand spearheaded by Mills, and it sums up her approach to porn. The storylines found in her movies are quirky, original, and provocative. (The Weight of Infidelity, for instance, offers incisive viewpoints on body image as it builds toward some genuinely startling plot twists.) Efforts like Teenage Lesbian have provided opportunities for challenging Hollywood-level performances from stars like Kristen Scott, winning praise in critical circles far and wide. Mills has also been an articulate voice for her own philosophy of porn in many interviews and profiles.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “Bree Mills Full-Length Video Interview”
Holly Randall
The daughter of famous erotic photographer Suze Randall, Holly Randall gained recognition for sexy photoshoots for companies like Playboy and Twistys. Her official debut as a director came in 2015 with AE Films’ own True Erotica, which earned Randall an AVN nomination for Best Director – Non Feature. Randall is also known for her popular porn-themed podcast, Unfiltered.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “Holly Randall Interview: ‘Unfaithful,’ The Art of Podcasting & More”
Jacky St. James
Jacky St. James learned to be a director the old-fashioned way: by rolling up her sleeves, getting onto the set with an industry vet, and taking it all in. She applied the knowledge she gained there and used it to shape her own unique directorial voice, first at New Sensations and later with Sweet Sinner. St. James’s Emma Marx series outdid the 50 Shades books and movies with a penetrating, hardcore look at the power dynamics of a BDSM relationship.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “‘Sex Is Integral To Telling A Story Simply’: Jacky St. James Talks Porn Plotting, Music, And More”
Dana Vespoli
Like White and Kross, Vespoli made her first forays into the adult industry as an actor. Her first directorial credits came in 2006, with Digital Sin‘s Cock Starved series, and have continued throughout hundreds more movies, making her one of the most prolific woman directors in the industry today. Vespoli’s movies are no strangers to controversy, having tackled such subjects as boundaries/consent (in Evil Angel’s Consent) and religion (in Ministry of Evil). She’s also shown a particular knack for family roleplay scenarios. “I don’t try to be controversial. I can’t help it! I’m a pretty philosophical person [ . . . ] I quietly try to think things out and try to understand them [ . . . ] I just like to kind of toil and do my work! But to be fair, I tend to be drawn toward controversial subjects,” she told Adult Empire in 2019.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “Dana Vespoli Interview: The Controversy Behind ‘Consent’ (VOD Exclusive)”
Angela White
As regular visitors to the Empire website will know, Angela White has sat atop AE’s pornstar rankings for a record-setting time. While we don’t rank directors in the same way on our site, we can only imagine that if we did so, White would be near the top of that list, too. Though not as prolific as some of the other directors on this list, the Australian star has shown herself to be a porn Orson Welles in directing and starring in vehicles that embody her commitment to the utmost quality. Her directorial efforts, most appearing under her AGW label, offer a chronicle of White’s evolution as a sexual being, including many notable firsts for the star.
All-time AE bestseller:
Further reading: “Angela White 2020 AVN Interview (VIDEO)”
“Angela White Goes In-Depth on ‘I Am Angela’ & More (Video Interview)”
“Angela White Q&A on ‘Angela Vol. 3’”
Also check out movies from Liselle Bailey, Stormy Daniels, Jessica Drake, Jane Doe Pictures, MissaX, Nica Noelle, Proxy Paige, Aiden Starr, and more.
Browse the “directed by women” category >>
