SERVING MADAME GINA Directed By Gabriele Hoff

3 minute Trailer:

http://www.lifestyleeducation.net/play_trailer_Serving_Madame_Gina.html

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Gabriele: It’s a short documentary (25:30 minutes) about an amazing bdsm relationship between Madame Gina and her slave Mercedes.

They are living together in their stylish and elegant house in San Francisco, where Mercedes serves Gina in many ways and worships Madame Gina in a very committed and devoted manner.

They just had their 2-year anniversary, and Mercedes received her third tattoo as a symbol of their lives being bonded together forever. Their unusual women leather family is present as Mercedes receives her tattoo. In their scene, they often enjoy playing with archetypes: the huntress, the victim, the Goddess, the worshipper and much more comes to life.

While Madame Gina treats her slave and “property” to occasional dungeon scenes, most of their 24/7 situation centers around Mercedes being Gina's servant, Lady in Waiting, maid and house slave.

Power is sexy and interesting to many. Think of the CEO in his Armani suit stepping from a limousine surrounded by his yes-men; the glamorous actress in her designer gown walking a red carpet lit by flashbulbs; a certain past President in the Oval Office twirling a cigar. Think of men and women in uniform—a general bedecked in medals; a fire-fighter with helmet and axe; a police officer, one hand on the baton, the other unhooking the handcuffs from a belt.

On the other hand, powerlessness and vulnerability can be attractive too. Picture the slinky doe-eyed model in a sheer gown with her shoulder strap falling off. Imagine the harem girl (or harem boy), anticipating a night with the sultan.

In this movie, we witness how fantasies of erotic power need not be threatening or embarrassing, but become a part of sexual play in healthy relationships. Gina and Mercedes show and discuss their very individual expressions of powerplay in their relationship. They demonstrate how they consciously play with power erotically, act out their archetypes with each other, engage in play and spend time exploring the meaning thereof. They discuss how they use their fantasies and fantasy enactments about power and powerlessness to enhance their union, revitalize their sex lives, and grow closer to each other in the process.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

G: Over the last 20 years, I have met with many healthy couples of all sexual orientations who are involved in erotic powerplay. In 2002, I began making films about some of them.

Every time I make a film, I get very involved in the participants lives, as they allow us to film very intimate aspects of their relationships. And each time, I end up surprised about yet another aspects, and feeling honored by their trust.

Having went through the alchemical process of filming and processing with Gina and Mercedes has left me with a sense of gratefulness and enlightenment. I hope that the viewer of the film can experience what is might be like to spend time with these two very unusual women.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

G: An experienced videographer who became an ally for the project; I did the film with only 1 camera, to not intrude into Gina and Mercedes” space any more than necessary

IE: How did you find your cast? 

G: Via a dominatrix who knew about my project and recommended that I get in touch with Gina. It all worked out!

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

G: About 6 months

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

G: I let them tell their story, starting with their rituals and bdsm scenes. Then I had them speak to each other about their experiences, bdsm and otherwise.

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

G: I have been dedicated to removing the stigma and stereotypes surrounding erotic powerplay and those who engage in it. To help dispel the misconceptions, I found that making movies is the most powerful tool to bring my point across

I have 4 other short documentaries, 3 finished and 1 in-progress (for 2009) and I’m looking for additional couples/families/tribes:

Sara and Ben: Female Dominance, Cross-dressing and Fetish Play (in progress)

This couple is married for 23 years. They recently sold their house in San Francisco and moved to Fresno for retirement. Husband and wife enjoy female dominance: Ben always has been submissive to Sara. He is her slave, and they both greatly enjoy this dynamic.

When they met 24 years ago, when Sara bought Ben at a slave auction, Sara found out that Ben was cross-dressing by himself. When he shared this with her, because he believed that she wouldn't judge him about it, she immediately wanted to explore cross-dressing him together. Soon she bought outfits and shoes for him. They discuss how much fun this is for them; they also demonstrate a cross-dressing session between the two of them..

Also, both partners enjoy fetish play. Sara loves dressing herself and her husband in latex rubber outfits on a regular basis and spend an afternoon or evening together enjoying their erotic latex and leather glove fetish play. They also play with leather, leather gloves, satin, shoes and boots. Their marriage and their sex life is very exciting to them after all those years.

Bridged and Rob: Role-Play with Humor and Passion

(© 2006, run time 28 minutes)

A bisexual couple, Bridged and Rob have been together for two years; they have lived together since 2005 in a beautiful house in the Berkeley Hills. Bridged is in her twenties. She is finishing her undergraduate degree at Mills College, after which she will continue her research in Nepal and apply for acceptance to UC Berkeley's PhD program in anthropology. She has her own start-up company, which does philanthropic grass root fundraising for social and educational programs in developing nations. Rob, who is 17 years older than Bridged, leads a group of scientists researching nanotechnology. He holds a PhD in chemistry and is an inventor and artist. Both are Caucasian.

Bridged and Rob are intelligent and intellectual. They have a great passion for life, their work and each other. They love to de-construct their thought processes through long and engaged discussions. They adore each other. They enjoy eating out, travelling and meeting interesting people. Rob and Bridged find that they fuel each other's passions and questions. They believe that "the unexamined life is not worth living."

In the film, Bridged and Rob speak about their enjoyment in playing out roles and fantasies with each other. They maintain a great sense of humor. They laugh a lot when playing with each other. Bridged began exploring her fantasies early in life; Rob started his exploration when he met Bridged. Rob explains in the film how his relationship with Bridged has opened new doors for him, and how they play with his foot fetish.

Matthew and kelly: a Master/slave marriage (© 2007, run time 28 minutes)Matthew and kelly (spelled with a small "k" to emphasize her submissive position), have an unusual marriage. Part of the video is shot in the redwoods and on the beach near Eureka, California. Living together in a lovely house with a hot tub, we find out that she is his slave, always.

Kelly does not appear to be oppressed; she has great confidence and is very outspoken. Yet she wears a permanent "slave collar" around her neck and feels truly committed to serving her Master. They deeply love each other and have much fun sharing their many activities.

In their dominant/submissive activities, Matthew tops kelly. They also discuss how kelly sometimes tops her Master, and they explain how that fits into their Ms (Master/slave) marriage. In the video, they show bondage and play with impact toys and many other intimate, sexual aspects of their erotic dominant/submissive and bdsm play.

Hines and Lila: Emotional Release (© 2005, run time 32 minutes)

Hines and Lila met in 2002; they have been married since 2004. They live together near San Francisco, California. Hines is a successful full-time artist who makes a comfortable living selling his paintings. He is in his forties and is of African/American descent. Lila is in her thirties. She works as a nutritionalist.

Hines and Lila enjoy spending time together. When not working, they cook for each other, go for walks, attend music and art events and practice yoga. They met in San Francisco in 2002 when Hines was visiting from Atlanta, Georgia. They fell in love, and a few months later, Lila went to Atlanta to help Hines move to the San Francisco Bay Area. For the move, they took a wonderful long road trip together. Their philosophy, which has a spiritual connotation, is to "celebrate the moment and to stay positive". They believe it is important to seek balance and to open your eyes to the beauty that surrounds us. They think people should learn to choose and trust love by appreciating the "inter-connectiveness of all things."

In the film, the couple explains in the interview how much pleasure and enjoyable release playing with power brings to Lila, and what it means to Hines. At the end of the episode Lila experiences a profound emotional release, which they discuss in the interview. Hines holds his wife lovingly in his arms while they talk. They speak in depth about empowerment though erotic powerplay and how it has enhanced their marriage, their intimacy, and their sense of closeness. Their profound emotional connection and their love for each other are very visible throughout this film.

  IE: What is next for you? 

I am looking for another same-sex couple or family to film.

G: I found that most people play with power sexually to a certain extent, some more and others less, and that consensual SM and Ds are just the more intense aspect of erotic powerplay. I believe that consensual SM and Ds could be taken out of a niche that separates these activities from regular sex. Instead, SM and Ds could be considered to simply represent the more intense aspect of erotic powerplay (along a continuum) instead.

IE: What is next for the film?

G: Hope to get more exposure, find distribution