Sex Work, Now and Then: Revisiting the 1984 Film, Hookers on Davie

In 1984, filmmakers Janis Cole and Holly Dale turned their lens towards a marginalized group that had been the focus of a short film they had made as students at Sheridan College. The groundbreaking documentary film, Hookers on Davie, follows the lives of sex workers in Vancouver’s downtown West End during 1983 and the complex challenges they face including violence, prejudice, and poverty. The film was groundbreaking and controversial when it premiered in 1984 and it highlights a conversation surrounding sex work law reform that echoes to this day. In this episode, host Samah Ali sits down with filmmaker Janis Cole to discuss the creation of Hookers on Davie, and Susan Davis, a Director at the BC Coalition of Experiential Communities, to discuss the film’s historical and cultural relevance to sex work in Canada.

Hookers on Davie was selected by Hot Docs for the Canadian Cinema - Reignited project, and will be available to watch in Canada on Rogers VOD on October 1 and Apple TV and Vimeo on October 18.

Cinema Reignited is a podcast by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, powered by Telefilm Canada.

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This podcast episode was produced by Quill