THE STORY – Italy, 1980s–1990s. With his agency Diva Futura, Riccardo Schicchi revolutionises mass culture by turning the hippie utopia of free love into a new phenomenon: porn. Under his guidance, “girls next door” Ilona Staller, Moana Pozzi, Eva Henger and many others suddenly become world-famous stars and enter Italian homes thanks to the boom of private TVs and VCRs. “Pornstar,” a word coined at the time, marks the beginning of a new era. The media impact is so overwhelming that it leads to the election to Parliament of Ilona Staller, known as “Cicciolina,” the birth of the Partito dell’Amore, and Moana Pozzi’s running for mayor of Rome. The adventure of this big “family”—which sets off jealousies, ordeals and contradictions that leave the pornography industry in shambles—is told through the eyes of Debora, a young secretary at the agency with a mortgage to worry about. All this happened because of desires as private as they were widespread: the ones everybody had.
THE CAST – Pietro Castellitto, Barbara Ronchi, Denise Capezza, Tesa Litvan, Lidija Kordić, Davide Iachini & Marco Iermanò
THE TEAM – Giulia Louise Steigerwalt (Director/Writer) & Debora Attanasio (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 138 Minutes
The Diva Futura pornography and erotic film studio was always deep in controversy — just the nature of its business was enough to cause outrage from the Catholic Church and the public from the 1980s and onward. But as Giulia Louise Steigerwalt’s dramedy “Diva Futura” shows, it was a company built on love, respect, and not hiding from showing the pleasures everyone — yes, everyone — craves, even if they’re too high and mighty to admit it. The compelling film tells the story of the studio’s origins and many controversies while shedding light on the hypocrisies and personal crises its actresses faced. It’s a fascinating look at the porn industry, even if it gets a bit clunky and overlong.
Spanning from the 1980s to 2012, the film begins with introductions to all its main players. There’s Riccardo Schicchi (Pietro Castellitto), who was bullied as a child but quickly found a new way to escape that torment: by flipping through nude magazines. His appreciation and passion for nudity inspired him to begin his own business of photographing and filming nude women, which came at a time when magazines were being censored. With his muse Ilona Staller (Lidija Kordić), they revolutionize the television market before moving into the adult film industry. Soon, he becomes a huge name in the industry, leading to the beginning of “porn stars,” including Moana Pozzi (Denise Capezza), a wannabe actress, and Éva Henger (Tesa Litvan), who eventually becomes his wife. There’s also Debora (Barbara Ronchi), a dutiful but feisty secretary who joins the agency as a stepping stone to pursue a career in journalism.
What the film does so smartly — Steigerwalt and co-writer Debora Attanasio are the ones to thank for this — is that it takes time to establish the women of the film as more than just adult film stars and examine their personal crises tied to their work. Ilona may have gotten her start in the porn industry. Still, she eventually becomes an outspoken politician (though the film doesn’t get too into some of her more controversial statements while in office, like offering to have sex with Saddam Hussein in return for peace). Similarly, Moana, deciding she’s had enough of being belittled for her work, tries to pursue a career in feature films and later politics. Even though people look down on her for her work, they also don’t give her a chance to try something new, as her non-adult films flop and she loses elections. It’s quite a poignant commentary on the business, showing that people only show interest and compassion toward these women when their clothes are off and leave them in the gutter if they ever voice any other desires. Not to mention how much people think they’re better than these women even though they also engage in their work. Éva’s storyline is most heartbreaking, having her work literally used against her only to be exploited and made a fool later in life.
Despite plenty of serious situations in the film, there are humorous moments that keep the momentum going. Castellitto nails his comedic timing here, leading to big laughs throughout the film — there’s one great moment where two women are getting into a fight, and he just has to state that they’re fighting over him. His storyline is also marred with health struggles and controversy due to censorship later in life. It does get a little tricky to follow at times because of the film’s many time jumps, which are not in chronological order.
Despite the clunky editing, “Diva Futura” is a pleasant dive into the infamous film studio that goes beyond the sex. It’s an emotional look into the industry, the people who make it up, and the societal challenges these workers face. It’s unfortunate that many people still have the same feelings toward these workers today, but hopefully, this film will open their eyes and remind them that porn actors are humans, not just tools for desire.
