Pornography By Region - Europe

Europe

European hardcore pornography is dominated by a few pan-European producers and distributors, the most notable of which is the Private Media Group. Most European countries also have local pornography producers, from Portugal (Naturalvideo) to Romania (Floyd-Agency), all of which compete with larger, international organizations with varying levels of success.

The once popular style of Euro-chic pornography created by directors Lasse Braun, Joe d'Amato, and Michel Gentil has lost ground and the Pierre Woodman style of video porn now attracts a larger audience. A few directors like Luca Damiano, Mario Salieri, and Alain Payet have continued with the "older" cinematographic and dramatic styles that often distinguish European pornography from that of other cultures.

Throughout Europe, ostensibly private "stolen" videos, featuring celebrities having sex, are very popular on the Internet and in the black market. It is unclear whether these videos were truly released without their participants' permission, or whether they constitute a type of publicity stunt planned by the principals themselves, most of whom are TV and music stars. In recent years, starting with the Severina Vučković "incident" in 2004, the country of Croatia has seen an explosion of these videos, causing an imitation by teenagers.

Many U.S.-based pornography websites distribute primarily European pornography, or porn which features actresses from primarily Eastern European countries. These actresses (often advertised as "Eurobabes") may conform more to a look usually seen in U.S. actresses than European ones, although they may still be considered to look "more natural" (European pornography typically de-emphasizes breast implants, among other aesthetic factors).