Normal (Real Stories from the Sex Industry)

Normal is a 48 minute creative documentary based on original interviews with women, men and transgender people working in the sex industry in Albania, Italy and the UK. Documentary director and anthropologist Nicola Mai reveals their unheard voices. The viewer is continually challenged by the truth of their words, their dreams and the lives that they lead. Normal uncovers layered, human stories of migration and sex work, challenging popular expectations that most migrant sex workers are exploited and forced to sell sex against their will. All the characters are portrayed by actors, guaranteeing the anonymity and safety of the original interviewees, emphasizing the inherently performing nature of selves, and challenging the criteria of authenticity and victimhood underpinning research, humanitarianism and documentary filmmaking.