In terms of casting, the film co-stars Mr. Marcus. The funny thing is that I am not a porn consumer so (fortunately or unfortunately) I had never ever heard of him before. The same goes for India, who is now a rapper. It was fantastic for me, as a director, to give them opportunities and hold them up to standards that people may not have thought they were capable of.

I discovered Simone Valentino at a university symposium on sexual media and Justin Long through his agent. Trina Asidieu, the non-sexual talent, is a great discovery as well. They were all intelligent, supportive, dedicated and hard working– studying their lines, going to acting classes, and being committed. I am extremely proud of them. They did a great job for non-actors.

Q: What was your film process?

Abiola: Our film process was writing, re-writing and revising a script, casting and extensive rehearsals, and original music production. In rehearsals, I basically gave each of the actors mini acting lessons. It was also key to me that people stay on book. For the most part, no improvisation was permitted, except during the sex scenes of course.

Abiola: I feel that I fell short in my quest to portray women of different body types because of the talent available to me. Several people have asked why I chose not to cover the stretch marks on my main character Simone Valentino, who is otherwise a perfect beauty. Real women have stretch marks and we are beautiful because of them, not in spite of them. Our bodies tell the story of our journeys. I also tried to cast women with only real body parts including breasts, although I do respect women’s rights to do whatever they wish to their own bodies.

In addition, the film was more explicit that I would have preferred because of the financial obligations of being a corporate artist. There was also much more to the story which was devastating to cut, but ultimately, with a low budget and short shooting schedule, my producer Natasha Cortes had to focus on our deliverables, which was to make sure that the sex scenes were in the can. Overall though, I am proud of having the guts to make this work. There are many people who call themselves artists, but they are not willing to risk falling or failing. True artists operate on the edge. I hope to inspire discussion about sexual representation, and then move on to other topics and themes.

Q: How did you hook up with Candida Royalle?

Abiola: I found Candida Royalle and Femme Productions through her website where she specified that she was looking to give opportunities to young female filmmakers. Although I had never considered shooting a sexual film before it was a great opportunity. People can’t conceive of it but I pitched it as a regular movie where the sex is real, and wrote a short script. Although I’ve made other narrative films before, she is the first person to trust me with a larger budget. I approached the work as I did any other—a safe set with a polished and sophisticated crew of mostly women. It was great working with her because sexuality is not my principal field as an artist or activist. This is my one foray into this work, and I couldn’t have had a better guide.

Q: What’s the difference between pornography and erotica?
 
Abiola: Pornography signifies exploitation. Our film is a very positive sexy enterprise made by women for women with a strong message. Call it whatever you want, just see it and tell your friends about it. People who come to AfroDite Superstar seeking pornography will be disappointed. Let’s not talk about terminology. Let’s talk about why women of color are the fastest growing group of people dying of AIDS and HIV. This war has many fronts. We need preachers, abstinence activists, and artists. Female genital circumcision is done to remove pleasure so that women feel powerless. So is silencing women’s sexual voices and exploiting and owning our bodies.