Director's Statement

written by Stella Maclaine

Sex work is a world of duality. To be desired but stigmatized, emboldened yet victimized, glamourous and brutalized, is to endure amidst volatility. Living halfway in the spotlight as Venus, and halfway in the shadow as Medusa, because this profession can be gorgeous yet violent. To survive, we must play both parts, but the voyeur only looks one side in the eye.

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Amongst the modern audience, victimization and its imminent threat in the sex work industry have no tolerance. Elect our cinema to rewrite mythical trauma; sanitize the gorgon out of comfort; replace her survival with a mythical peace; erase the symbol of her immeasurable strength because we don’t want to know how she earned it.

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Nevertheless, the world of sex work remains indifferent.

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Every day, they persist in controversial existence because they must. Should they hide their experiences that appear regressive against their will? Is it better to falsify the relationship between sex work and violence to preserve the safety of the cinema? Is it best for you that they exclude survival even though they need it?

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STILETTO mercilessly answers no.

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As a depiction of cathartic retribution, this film is about:

- duality given the freedom to unify
- survival rewarded the exhibition of justice

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You’re invited to see what happens when we reject the exploitative gaze.