Submissions open now for Pretty Deadly Films #11 – Necessary Sex

Film In Dublin’s Pretty Deadly Films zine is back again this autumn and submissions are now open for articles and artwork. Issue 11’s theme is all about scenes where the magic happens at the movies.

Each issue of PDF looks at film through the lens of a particular theme, with contributors submitting various features on their favourite movies, the blockbusters, the cult hits, the films where the pretty and the deadly do things that are pretty deadly. On film.

We are currently accepting submissions for:

  • Essays
  • Original Artwork
  • Comics
  • Poetry
  • Themed recipes
  • Playlists
  • And more (Surprise us!)

Due for release this September, the theme of issue 11 is ‘Necessary Sex’ and we have 4 guest contributor spots currently open.

There is a plague making its way across mainstream cinema. As Raquel Benedict put it so eloquently in an essay last year; Everyone Is Beautiful And No One Is Horny. Tension, lust and longing are fading from films like Marty McFly in a photograph, as carefully sculpted supermen and women move from plot point to plot point like action figures; smooth, blank, pure.

And yet still audiences aren’t satisfied at the lack of satisfaction. Viewers young and old across the internet complain about ‘pointless’, ‘unnecessary’ sex scenes disrupting their content procurement. In a media landscape that increasingly prizes plot delivery over all else in art, viewers are saying “No Sex Please, We’re Skittish”.

We’re not here to unpack all that, we just want to challenge the chastity. Of course sex scenes can be important to the plot, laying characters bare in intimacy or animalism can be inherently revealing. Just like real sex though, there doesn’t have to be a ‘point’. Delight, devotion, divinity, depravity, they can all be part of desire too. There’s more than one way to get that D is what we’re saying.

For our eleventh issue, we’re looking for art and articles inspired by what you would call ‘necessary sex’ on the big screen – moments in movies where the characters are overcome by need, scenes that set your pulse racing, wherever that pulse may be. It’s going to be Not Safe For Whingers and Rated X for extremely interesting. We want to read our latest mag for the articles and those pretty pictures too.

Pretty Deadly Films can offer €60 for artwork and essays. We aim to release further issues in 2022. If September is too soon for you, or if we are unable to slot you in this time, we can keep you in mind for future issues. 

Please send pitches, submissions or expressions of interest to filmindublin@gmail.com with the subject line ‘PDF #11’. We will make our briefing document available to selected contributors. 

The deadline for submitting pitches and submissions for consideration for Pretty Deadly Films #11 is Monday 29th August . We can’t wait to hear from you and to share our latest issue with zine fans out there in the fair city of film.

Digital and physical copies of previous issues of Pretty Deadly Films are available here. Do feel free to take a look for info and inspo.

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