Money Shot: The Pornhub Story (2023)

Directed by

Suzanne Hillinger

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 35m

Rated

R

Rating

5.8 of 10 from 358 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary covers a scandal about non-consensual videos on Pornhub. It talks to sex workers, company staff, journalists, and activists about what happened and who was affected.

informativeunsettlingsoberingeye-openingcontroversialbalanceddiscussion-provokingneutral

What happens

Money Shot: The Pornhub Story is a 2023 Netflix documentary about Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek (now Aylo). It presents interview footage from sex workers, former Pornhub employees, journalists, and anti-sex-trafficking figures. The documentary focuses on a 2020 scandal over Pornhub hosting non-consensual pornography, including of children, and how the aftermath affected pornographic performers. When Netflix approached Jigsaw Productions about the film, director Suzanne Hillinger wanted to highlight sex workers' opinions because she believed that they had been underrepresented in media coverage. Hillinger said that many figures in the pornographic industry were initially reluctant to participate. Cherie DeVille was skeptical but participated to present the narrative that anti-sex-trafficking groups had right-wing agendas. Ex-Aylo employee Noelle Perdue worked as an archivist and fact-checker, as well as being interviewed. According to Rotten Tomatoes, most reviews of the documentary were positive. However, reviewers were divided on many topics, including the message, provenance, and pacing. Some critics called it neutral, but others saw it as pro-sex work. The focus on the political aims of anti-sex-trafficking organizations was generally seen as a strength, but some reviews criticized the interviews as lacking depth and a viewpoint. Other reviewers concluded that Pornhub's content moderation was lacking and that there are issues with the concentration of money and power in the industry. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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