Wellspring Series 2026: Reimagining Sex Work

Debates about sex work often recycle sensationalised images of sex workers; salacious, depraved or victimised, they are not truly flesh and blood, but stock characters made to play a role in moral and political fantasy. Such myths fuel the collective imaginary, and of all media, cinema has perhaps the greatest impact. Film portrayals shape our image of sex work and create concrete conditions for people who sell sex, increasing vulnerability to violence, institutional discrimination and social and economic marginalisation. In Reimagining Sex Work, a sex-worker-led panel will parse key scenes in Australian and world cinema for their integrity, their consequences and the (un)truths they disseminate. Through discussion and analysis, the panellists will examine a breadth of on-screen sex-work stories, including in works like Belle de jour (France, 1967), Tangerine (USA, 2015) and How to Please a Woman (Australia, 2021) – first naming and then exploding the stereotypes and stigma that shroud sex work. Panel: Jane Green is a current sex worker and sex worker activist, with a career spanning over 30 years, and with work in many sectors of the industry. Venus de Siren is a sex worker and sex worker activist, who has served as the coordinator for the ACT Sex Worker Outreach Program. Natasha Ambrose is an escort, somatic bodyworker and champion of healing, shame-free sexuality. Moderator: Leslie Barnes is an Associate Professor of French Studies at the ANU and the author of Sex Work in Southeast Asia: Scenes of Ambivalence in Literature and Film (2025). Content Warning This discussion includes frank references to sex work, sexuality, child sexual abuse, violence, and suicidal ideation. Viewer discretion is advised.