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22 December 2023 11:39 AM

Short film on ‘fall of communism as seen in gay pornography’ to be shown at London festival

It examines the desperate situations many young men found themselves in after the fall of the USSR

By Dale Fox

Composite of a young man standing shirtless in front of a communism flag and another man sitting in a chair wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans
The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography (Image: William E. Jones)

A short film exploring the influx of capitalism into Soviet-era gay porn will be shown at the London Short Film Festival (LSFF) in January.

The 1998 film The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography by US artist William E. Jones will show as part of a wider programme of post-Cold War Europe themed films at the LSFF.

Opening with a young man undressing uncomfortably in front of the camera, the film examines how many found themselves thrust into desperation after the dissolution of the USSR.

A still from The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography showing a young man shirtless
(Image: William E. Jones)
A still from The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography showing a man wearing white underpants holding his groin
(Image: William E. Jones)
A still from The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography showing a young man shirtless
(Image: William E. Jones)
A still from The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography showing a young man shirtless
(Image: William E. Jones)
A still from The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography showing a young man shirtless
(Image: William E. Jones)
A still from The Fall of Communism as Seen in Gay Pornography showing a young man shirtless
(Image: William E. Jones)

Running for 19 minutes, it uses footage from low-budget pornographic films made in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism. The film mixes this with street scenes showing poverty and deprivation.

“An atmosphere of coercion”

In an interview about the film with Sleek Mag, Jones explains that the wave of Eastern European gay porn that emerged in the 1990s was “cheap and nasty looking, with an atmosphere of coercion and cultural misunderstanding pervading them”.

The films became popular in the US market, with customers expressing “breathless admiration” for them and their subjects.

The screening is part of Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More, curated by Martyna Ratnik. Bringing together six films made in the 1990s capturing first encounters between Eastern and Western Europe after the fall of the USSR, it examines notions of European identity in a post-Cold War landscape.

The LSFF runs from 19-28 January 2024. It has screenings at venues across London, including the ICA, BFI Southbank, Rio Cinema and venues in Brixton. The programme featuring Jones’ film will screen at the ICA on 24 January.

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