Model Dakina is our first-ever official Fetish Cult Siren! We couldn't
have chosen a better subject to kick the project to a great start, as her
spirit of collaboration and constant good mood is surely a glimpse of things
to come!
1) When did you discover an interest for all things fetish?
When I was really young, I watched an insane amount of films and my favourite genre was the erotic thriller (the complete opposite of the kind of films kids my age were supposed to watch!). I quickly developed an interest for sexuality, especially when it was portrayed in a non-traditional way. Films such as Sliver, Basic Instinct, Final Analysis and Jade greatly influenced my early fantasies and helped shape my vision of sexuality.
I can also think of two strong fetishistic images that had a profound influence on me before I even hit puberty! (Mind you, I wasn’t aware fetishism existed back then, so I considered them as being normal). The first one is Catwoman as portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. When I first saw the film, I immediately fell in love with her. She embodied everything I wanted to be and to this day, she is still the ultimate sex symbol. I remember playing with the toy bullwhip that came with the action figure and wishing I had a real live one! I not only wanted to be her, I also worshipped every little details that were part of her persona.
The second childhood fetish is the riding crop. Let me explain. I discovered Madonna shortly before she came to Montreal for her Girlie Show tour, around the time her album Erotica came out (I was about nine at the time). I was too young to go to her show, but I remember watching my VHS copy of it countless times! I simply LOVED her choreography with the riding crop and memorized every movements! (Once again, keep in mind that I was too young to really know or understand the underlying meaning of the instrument and its many great uses). I used to take any stick I could find around the house, pretend it was a riding crop and lip sync/re-enact most of the show!
Growing up, I finally understood the full implication of these early influences and I learned about fetishism and alternative lifestyle. Despite my early interest and curiosity, I always thought this lifestyle was not for me so I didn’t really pay attention to these urges. Then, a couple of years ago, my curiosity emerged again, so I started exploring and was pleasantly surprised!
2) You model but also write, produce and direct films. Are you satisfied differently in any of these tasks or do you enjoy the same fulfilment?
They all provide very different kinds of fulfilment and I think that is what keeps things interesting! When I model, I see the whole process as acting, playing, having fun… It is pretty much an effortless and enjoyable experience for me and the end result fulfills my narcissistic side!
Producing on the other hand is much more rational and nerve-wracking! It could almost be compared to trying to do a puzzle for which you’re not sure to have all the pieces and then trying to make it fit on a surface that is too small to accommodate it. Since it is essential for the film to exist, the satisfaction that comes with it can be comparable to any satisfaction that comes when we finish something we HAVE to do, but don’t necessarily want to.
Directing taps into my creative urges and provides me with an exhilarating artistic fulfilment. I’m tempted to say this is the most exciting for me because it allows me to really lose myself in what I’m doing. It represents the outcome of all my producing efforts and the magic of seeing my vision come true right before my eyes provides an indescribable energy rush!
Then, there is writing, which is an entirely different experience. When I write, I often tap into deep (sometimes dark) personal corners, so it’s a very introspective experience for me. It is also a very long process during which you have to literally live 24/7 with your ideas, whether you like them or not. Writing can either be very painful (when the words don’t come out the way I wish they would, when I’m dissatisfied with my ideas, etc.) or extremely pleasurable (when I go in a writing frenzy and have trouble following my own train of thoughts), but it’s an activity that is essential to my sanity. It allows me to purge the bad and inflate the good. The process itself is fulfilling in the sense that the very fact that I’m able to write and articulate my thoughts is wonderful, but in the end, if I manage to produce one page or one text that makes me proud, I’m in seventh heaven!
3) To be a female and create films with fetishistic themes… is it a "double challenge?"
Yes and no. I could say that the fact that making film when you’re a woman is a challenge in itself, but I’ve been writing, directing and producing films for over nine years now, so it’s not really true for me anymore. Over the years, I formed a tight network of people with whom I regularly work and it greatly facilitates the process.
However, I could say that being a woman and wanting to make fetishistic films (which is a fairly recent interest of mine) is a bit more challenging. There are still a lot of stigmas associated with BDSM, so it’s harder to be taken seriously or to convince people that you want to direct a tasteful and artful film with a story, not just a cheap porn clip. Also, a lot of people are a bit thrown off when I say I’ll do a fetishistic film because it is not common and they don’t know what to expect. I often end up having more explaining to do in terms of my artistic vision, the way I’ll treat the subject, etc.
On the other hand, it can also make things a bit easier to have actors interested in working on my project because I’m a woman and there is the inherent assumption that I’m not gonna produce a work that is exploitative. I think it reassures a lot of people and allows them to be more comfortable to push some of their personal boundaries while working on my projects.
4) What disappoints you the most in fellow male fetish directors’ films?
Because there are very few fetish directors, I’d rather orient the question toward what disappoints me the most in the representation of fetishism in films, in general. I have a big problem with the non-consensual representation of BDSM in cinema. There are already enough societal stigmas associating the lifestyle with perversion, violence and freakish activities that I don’t think these films help break these stereotypes. People are quick to put labels on things they are not familiar with or do not understand, so using BDSM in the same context as torture, violence or rape only reinforces the erroneous image spread by the media. I believe that filmmakers should instead try to explain the reasons behind such misunderstood activities instead of only using them as sensational means. A great example for me of a fetish film is Secretary because the relationship represented is consensual, doesn’t use sensationalistic imagery and portrays S/M in a way that is understandable for an outsider.
5) What would you do in trying to improve the fetish/BDSM scene in Montreal?
I’m still pretty new to the scene, but I’m amazed at all the wonderful and talented people I’ve met so far! I see the Montreal Fetish Film Festival for which I’m working as my contribution to the scene by giving filmmakers and video artists a place to showcase their work in front of an audience that will appreciate what they’re doing. As an independent filmmaker, it can get very hard to screen your work when you are working outside the mainstream norms, so I’m hoping that the Montreal FFF will encourage emerging artists to do the projects they really want to do by showing them that there is an interest and an available space to show such projects.
The only other thing I’d like to improve is not really related to the scene, but to the media representation of the scene. I wish people would be more open-minded and less judgemental when it comes to BDSM. Sadly, social norms are often very hard to change, so I can only hope that with time people will become a bit more accepting of this alternative lifestyle.
6) Tell us what is your vision and your plans concerning the upcoming Fetish Film Festival?
I plan on doing my best to try to find films and filmmakers who have a different approach to BDSM. As I previously said, I’m tired of fetishism being associated to freakish characters, or S/M being used in a violent context and of D/S of being non-consensual. Yes, stories might be easier to write that way, but if nobody makes the effort to try a different approach, things might never change. I’m hoping to gather films that belong to as many genres as possible (horror, comedy, documentary, “art films”, music video, etc.) that have a strong fetishistic feel. I believe having such an eclectic selection will intrigue people in the scene and hopefully attract an audience that might not be familiar with BDSM. If, at the end of the day, I managed to demystify someone’s preconceived notion of the lifestyle, then my goal will be partly achieved.
7) You have a passion for shoes… any chance in sharing your craziest "shoe story?"
I don’t really have that many crazy stories, but I can tell a random fact about that love for shoes. I used to hate high heels, thinking they were a torture device (I was only wearing platform shoes back then). Then I bought a pair of stilettos just for the sake of having one (and also because I wanted my mom to stop complaining about my big “truck wheel shoes” as she liked to call my platforms). I was immediately shocked at how comfortable they were and couldn’t stop wearing them! That’s when I realized that the secret with high heels is to find the kind that suits you (I’m a sucker for the classic pumps), then start with smaller heels and work your way up (right now, I can’t seem to find heels that are high enough for my taste!).
I literally went on a shopping frenzy when I discovered that love for shoes. One day, I walked in a store and bought five pairs! I now have a closet full, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop buying them. In fact, I’m on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair!
Photos in this set by:
