Ovidie is an author and film director. Her explicitly feminist films like “Pulsion” and “Le baiser” depict an ethical and realistic take on sexuality. Today Ovidie is a journalist, blogger, documentary filmmaker, and the author of a dozen books.

“Pornocracy” will premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival on March 12.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

O: Never before have we watched as much porn as we do today, yet the traditional porn industry is dying. The arrival of “Tube” sites showing pirated clips has transformed the way porn is made and consumed. Studios are closing and actresses are forced to shoot increasingly hardcore scenes for less and less money and protections.

My film reveals how IT companies with no experience in pornography have hijacked the adult industry and are slowly killing it with their business model and their controversial financial structures.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

O: I have taken quite a unique path to documentary filmmaking that I want to explain. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a director, and the first opportunity that presented itself to me was porn. From the age of 19, I filmed feminist pornographic films for the French channel Canal+, at first in parallel with my studies. Throughout several years, I made over a dozen films, as well as sexual education programs, all while developing myself professionally as a journalist and researcher.

While being immersed in the field of pornography, I worked for various publications, publishers, and radio stations, all while continuing to pursue my studies until I finished my dissertation. It wasn’t until I turned 30 that I got the opportunity to make my entry into the documentary world — when I directed two films for the French national channel France 2 and then finally in directing “Pornocracy.”

My primary areas of interest — be they in porn, documentary film, or even my academic work — is women, feminism, and body politics.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

O: I seek to provoke reflection on new regulations concerning the protection of minors on the internet. It is very abnormal that porn should be so freely accessible to them from their smart phones. The average age someone discovers porn is 11 years old; this must not continue.

Politicians do not wish to get their hands dirty with this issue, out of fear of appearing to obstruct freedom. In my film, the producers I met were the first to find this situation so shameful. It should not have to reach the stage where porn producers themselves are obliged to demand censorship: It has never before been this way.

But also more generally, I would like people to think about the emerging “gig economy” and the dominance of tech companies on changing work practices. When you see what has happened in the porn industry, it is just a reflection of what is waiting for us all in other industries. Look at what has already happened in music, in education, and even in journalism. The exploitation of actresses and webcam girls is just the sexualized face of the bait-and-switch in the new economy.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

O: The biggest challenge was to find people who were willing to speak on camera. Many people were ready to talk to me over the phone, but most people were afraid of how it would affect their career. There really is a wall of silence.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

O: The film was produced by the production company Magnéto Presse with the participation of Canal+. But in fact, the story began for me back in December 2012, on the day that a certain Fabian Thylmann was arrested at his home in Brussels. The story in the online press was that “the world king of porn” was in prison. That raised questions for me because I had really never heard of him, and most people from the porn world had also never heard of him. How could he be “the world king of porn”?

Over the next three years I collected together a whole mass of information about him and about “Tubes” in general. After three years I took my initial research to the team at Magnéto Presse and that’s where the adventure of making the film began. I had help from Barbara Conforti, an experienced producer of investigative films, and support from several international journalists. Together we were able to go deeper into the story from my initial research. We were supported throughout this process by Canal+.

W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at SXSW?

O: I feel a certain sense of pride: We are the only French film in this category. I am conscious of how fortunate we are to have this opportunity.

I hope also that this will be the catalyst for a wider reflection. This film highlights a set of international issues. I hope that it will begin the debate in Austin and I hope in the U.S. in general.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

O: When I produced my first documentary, commissioned by the national public channel France 2, I felt that there was some jealousy towards me within the tiny world of French documentary production. Certain people seemed to think that I didn’t belong there because I had made porn films.

One day a female producer told me, “Go back to your little camera.” It was both the best and worst advice of my life. It gave me the energy to pursue this — to prove to these people that an outsider can sometimes outdo them. In the end, the film was a success, and so were the other films that followed. It’s the best revenge.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

O: Take a camera, even an iPhone, and film as much as you can. Don’t film with the goal of getting a commercial distribution deal, necessarily. Run away from the desire of creating “buzz.” Just accept that you are creating something with personal integrity. Do not worry about the audience or even the broadcaster — film what ignites and animates you.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

O: Whilst working on my thesis, I studied the French producer Catherine Breillat. Her films are dark, disturbing, sometimes sexually explicit, but never erotic. Her approach towards the human body is very cold and unsettling, and this really spoke to me. Also amongst U.S. filmmakers, I very much admire Mary Harron’s adaptation of “American Psycho.” She succeeded in making a film which never strays into vulgarity.

W&H: There have been significant conversations over the last couple of years about increasing the amount of opportunities for women directors yet the numbers have not increased. Are you optimistic about the possibilities for change? Share any thoughts you might have on this topic.

O: It’s quite different in France because we have many female filmmakers here — Agnès Varda, Claire Denis, Nicole Garcia, Coline Serreau, Julie Delpy, Zabou Breitman. I think that since the New Wave it just makes up part of our DNA.

I can’t accurately judge what is happening in the U.S., but certainly as a filmgoer I agree that the majority of American films which are shown in France have been made by men. Is this the glass ceiling at work? Or is it discrimination? It’s an interesting question.