Sex, Lies and Video Tapes

A golden age has come for pornography fans, at least judging by the ads in the Belgrade press, especially the specialized weekly Oglasi published by Vecernje Novosti. Belgrade has been one of the capitals which features hard-core porn on TV every night for free and illegal traders in pornography are trying to fight the competition by offering unbelievable bizarre films. Even the short descriptions in ads over the past few months are enough to turn the stomach of the greatest porn addict. The offers are, for example: "the most perverted child stories." or "mix-teen total 12-14 years", "young pregnant woman with animals", all the way to "group incest", "harsh treatment of beautiful women", "consuming excrement", "total brutality" and "surgery"(!). But the local public was most provoked by ads for the domestic films "Belgrade Schoolgirls", "Yugo Girls" and similar.

Interestingly almost all the erotic tape libraries that do advertise are concentrated around the train and bus station: in Nemanjina, Sarajevska and the neighborhood. There are also legal video clubs offering "a wide choice of erotic and pornographic tapes" but the "clubs" that advertise hard-core are in private apartments and have only an answering machine, a phone and a video recorder. Customers speak into the machine after a message that tells them to leave their name, number, address and list of tapes they want. Payment is by post at a cost of 15-20 DEM per tape and 30 DEM for domestic porn.

You can collect the tapes yourself after making an appointment by phone. There is no sign on the door and the whole deal is done in the hallway where the buyer learns that there are just a few domestic tapes. "These two are semi-professional and the tape is very good," the polite seller says. "This third one was made last January and caused a fuss in the newspapers, you know drunk kid, but she's not under age, she's 18. Kids made it. This latest one is the best, the girls are the best. That's 30 DEM or 110 dinars. All of them are of age, there's one that looks under age but she's not, I'm not lying to you."

Asked whether he has films with under age girls (15-16, you know?), the seller's voice got cold and he assumed the stand of a businessman with the traditional hesitation to assess the customer's finances:

"We could if you want to, but it's expensive. It's 100 DEM a tape, you could get three for 200 DEM. The girls aren't local, we get the tapes from abroad."

The tape didn't show anything that wasn't shown on TV and some could ask why domestic tapes are more expensive than imports, especially given the difference in quality in favor of imports. The reason is clear; the local market is small and sales are low. A domestic porn film costs 5-10,000 DEM to make, average pay for the "actors" is 500 DEM but can be much higher or lower because they have to bargain. The number of copies doesn't go over 100 but that number is increased by the pirates who tape the films onto their cassettes, advertise in Oglasi and sell them for more money than the original.

The advertised "Belgrade Schoolgirls" was on a tape marked Yu-Teen 4 which turned out to be "Voyeur Sexy Stories From Belgrade" produced by Apolon. Porn film producers are facing pirates at home just a few years after the birth of the genre in the Balkans. Besides Apolon, there is also Sex Excess in Novi Sad and a few free-lancers (there are slightly more porn magazines).

There's no need to stress that the "teenager" is about 25, that the "middle aged woman" is no older than 33, that the sounds of traffic from outside mix with the groaning and moaning in Serbian. The fate of the actors is also authentically Serbian. Photographs of a girl featured in one porn magazine were taped to the office wall by her father's co-workers. Porn actresses who get recognized are subjected to what the Americans call "sexual harassment" in an aggressive, Balkan variation. Even men have problems and some have left the business because of them.

Despite everything, the number of actresses on the market is constant and even growing.

Judging from the tapes on offer there is no sexual deviation in domestic films. The actors are of age. Not everyone asks for ID and perhaps an older teenager might get through, especially in amateur videos in private collections but that seems more to be the exception than the rule which does not mean things will stay that way. The underworld hasn't gotten involved in the business yet because the earnings are relatively low. "But sweet", on connoisseur says.

The media are threatening the business. The state controlled press are competing in indignation. The state Borba went furthest, launching action against "the abuse of children for pornography" and publishing an open letter by its editorial board to Serbia's home affairs minister, the republican public prosecutor and president of the supreme court.

Even the excessive indignation would be understandable but the problem is that taping and distributing pornographic films isn't regulated precisely by law and the judiciary aren't prepared to deal with the issue.

Official and alternative institutions that are trying to help abused children are often incapable of doing their job for many reasons. The latest research into abused children was completed 11 years ago. The problem isn't a priority for the state and there's no research money. The state is poor, it had to finance the war which killed or crippled thousands of children.

Since there is obviously no money, will or the people to deal with the problem the solution is being sought in bans and repression. The attempt to close all cafes and discos by midnight failed temporarily, a campaign against pornography was launched.

The first effects of the media campaign were visible soon. There are fewer ads in Oglasi and they don't include the worst descriptions.