“I don’t like to run away from controversial subjects. I like to run toward them,” says filmmaker John Stagliano.

His company, Evil Angel, charges into the war zone of rough sex with “Consent,” a new project by thoughtful director/adventurous performer Dana Vespoli. She and executive producer/cameraman Stagliano explore serious, timely questions of sexual freedom and responsibility: Each scene features a revealing look at its stars’ erotic desires and insights followed by a XXX segment that satisfies those desires. All scenes are available today at EvilAngel.com; also today, the Evil Angel Films release premieres as a 2-disc DVD and as a VOD exclusive from Adult Empire. (Wider VOD release comes Oct. 1.) A trailer at EvilAngelVideo illustrates the provocative movie’s blend of documentary-style investigation and aggressively hardcore action.

“Is society trying to protect porn performers by vilifying porn producers, and trying to restrict the ability of those performers to freely express their sexuality?” asks Stagliano. “‘Consent’ lets actual performers and producers speak for themselves. Seeing hardcore porn performers talk about what they like with regard to stronger, rougher sex — and then seeing them do those very acts — is uniquely powerful; it speaks to the importance of consent and what that personally means to them.”

“Rough sex is a very divisive subject,” comments Vespoli. “As someone who has shot and performed in plenty of rough sex scenes, I’ve been met with a fair amount of criticism, not just from conservative folks, but from feminists who tell me I can’t be a feminist if I do these types of scenes, or that I can’t possibly be in my right mind, and am therefore incapable of consent. There are plenty of female performers who endure the same scrutiny, and this movie was a great opportunity to explore the subject.”

“Consent” trains its lens on articulate, sophisticated sexual explorers:

Rough sex is “like a dance,” as curvy cover girl Ivy Lebelle experiences it with Manuel Ferrara. She reveals her inner motives and her rocky journey to intense sexual pleasure, and she doesn’t avoid uncomfortable experiences. “We witness their intimate expression of slapping, spitting, biting, gaping, choking and deep anal fucking,” says Stagliano. “Manuel’s insights and controlled abandon explain why he is a six-time Male Performer Of The Year.”

Emily Willis makes bold statements about her right to perversion. Bill Bailey delivers her requested throwing around and hard anal fucking. “She exudes pure, athletic sexual joy as he fucks her face upside-down,” according to Stagliano.

“Whitney Wright is the innocent girl off the bus, but not,” observes Stagliano. “She is clearly the instigator of her destiny, going from pharmacy technician to stripper to porn star.” Whitney proceeds to take on three guys in a gaping, choking, airtight DP orgy.

London River explains why a person wanting extreme sex is better off getting it in porn with professionals. Her double-anal hardcore segment features rough sex savant Markus Dupree, with Vespoli adding the second phallus via strap-on. “London demonstrates how the submissive is really served by a good dominant,” notes Stagliano, “and then Dana becomes the submissive, subject to London’s dominant intuition. Dana personally and powerfully demonstrates what she has been talking about throughout the movie.”

“Consent” is available today (Sept. 23) on DVD and at EvilAngel.com. This penetrating documentary is for consenting adults only!

Download the press release materials for “Consent” here.