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NEWS
metronews.ca WEEKEND, January 31-February 2, 2014
What happens when the Canadian government funds a 1970s porno? Screening. ‘Porn archeologist’ brings tax-funded Sexcula film to Ottawa for showing It features sex scenes, nudity, even a plot and a grant from the Canadian government. This is not your average porn film. In fact, it’s Canada’s only X-rated movie from the 1970s. Nearly 40 years after it was shot, Sexcula is making a campy cultish comeback. “The States made hundreds (of porn films), if not thousands, and Canada made only one,” said Dimitrios Otis, a “porn archeologist” who digs into lewd movies from the film era of the early 1970s. He pulled Sexcula from the Library and Archives Canada, where it had been sitting until it piqued someone’s curiosity. Its contents slowly became known until it “snowballed” over time.
Now Otis is going full frontal with Sexcula. He has screened it in theatres in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Paris and soon Ottawa. Like its name suggests, Sexcula is a “painful play on Dracula,” said Otis. The horror spoof features the likes of curvaceous Dr. Fellatingstein, Countess Sexcula, a sex robot, a guy in a gorilla suit and 70sstyle hair — in more places than one. At the time, there was no Canadian government mechanism to filter out bawdy films, so the $85,000-budget Sexcula got a full tax write-off. However, laws did prevent porn movies from being screened publicly. So soon after it was filmed in the Vancouver area, it only showed once, privately to a small audience in the western city before it was shelved. Although X-rated at the time, Otis said it’s more along the lines of R-rated compared to today’s “plastic” porn industry standards. “It’s supposed to be funny. It’s also unintentionally funny.
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“The States made hundreds (of porn films), if not thousands, and Canada made only one.” Dimitrios Otis, a “porn archeologist”
It’s, like, bad funny,” said Otis. It also sounds like bad porn. Its creators never intended to make a risqué film, but, given that it was the “free love lifestyle” of the 1970s, some scenes unintentionally ended nude, he said. “There was some off-screen romance and it sort of became onscreen ... with mixed results,” he said. Sexcula will be screened at the Mayfair Theatre Feb. 8 at 10:45 p.m. LUCY SCHOLEY/metro
Dr. Fellatingstein, played by Jamie Orlando, and “Frank” a.k.a. John Alexander, are shown in this still from Sexcula. Inset: Despite its retro appearance, the movie poster for Sexcula is a modern development for the film because it was never released after it was shot. CONTRIBUTED
Health network funds walk-in counsel clinics Five family service agencies, including three in the Ottawa area, have received funding from the Champlain Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN) for free walk-in counseling clinics, The Jewish Family Services said Thursday. The three local walk-in clinics are at Family Services Ottawa at 312 Parkdale Ave., Jewish Family Services at 2255 Carling Ave., and Catholic Family Services at 310 Ol-
mstead St., said JFS assistant director Rebecca Fromowitz. Two other clinics are in Deep River and Cornwall. Fromowitz said the Champlain LHIN is providing approximately $483,000 to be shared by all five agencies in an 18-month pilot project. The walk-in clinic at JFS will provide clients with licensed therapists who offer counseling on a first-come, first-serve basis on a variety of life chal-
lenges, such as mental health issues, addiction, and family conflicts. “We’re open to anyone who might walk through the door (from) across the region,” said Fromowitz. “We want to divert some non-urgent patients from hospital emergency and reduce the single or repeated visits that the emergency department is seeing.” For clinic hours at JFS, visit jfsottawa.com. Joe Lofaro/metro