Hot d'Or


Hot d'Or was an adult film industry pornographic award, awarded annually from 1992 to 2001 in Cannes, France by the French trade journal Hot Vidéo.

Overview

The awards have been described as the porn equivalent of the Palme d'Or or the Academy Awards. The analogous American honor is the AVN Award. The inaugural event was held over two weeks in May in a hotel complex, at exactly the same time as the Cannes Film Festival. Venues included the Royal Casino Hotel, situated five miles from the Croisette. In 1997, the event was held at the Lido in Paris.
The Hot d'Or was noted for the lavish parties that accompanied it, particularly those held by Private Media Group on board a yacht in Cannes marina. The event attracted many performers, paparazzi, directors, and producers and distributors who would make deals buying and selling films. The event would often court publicity by having porn stars pose naked on the public beach. Consequently, it attracted attention from international media who were in town for the mainstream festival.
The highest award given was the Hot d'Or d'honneur, which was awarded to figures including Estelle Desanges, Marc Dorcel, Julia Channel, John Stagliano, Internet Entertainment Group and Ona Zee.

20th anniversary*

After an eight-year absence, the awards returned to Paris on October 20, 2009 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hot Vidéo magazine. They were held at Salle Wagram at the art deco Radisson Hotel, and French pop star Helmut Fritz performed at the show. French television giant Canal Plus had the rights to broadcast the show during their late-night block of adult programming.

Reception and review

Hot d'Ors presence was not particularly welcomed by the Cannes Film Festival or Cannes city officials. In 1998, Steve Vlottes of Wicked Pictures said the awards were: "the most important show that we attend".

Award history

;1st Annual Hot d'Or
;2nd Annual Hot d'Or
;3rd Annual Hot d'Or
;4th Annual Hot d'Or
;5th Annual Hot d'Or
;6th Annual Hot d'Or
;7th Annual Hot d'Or
;8th Annual Hot d'Or
;9th Annual Hot d'Or
;10th Annual Hot d'Or
Award winners:
;11th Hot d'Or for the 20th Anniversary of Hot Video magazine
The complete list of winners follows:
Honorary Awards: