''Adam Film World'' (''AFW'') and ''Adam Film World Guide'' (''AFWG'') were American
magazines
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
about
pornographic film
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue films, sexually explicit films, or 18+ films, are films that represent Human sexual activity, sexually WIKT:explicit, explicit subject matter in order to sexual arousal, arouse, fasci ...
, starting in 1966 as ''The Adam Film Quarterly.''
History
Knight Publishing Corp. had launched ''Adam'' magazine in 1956 as an attempt to follow ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
's'' success. ''Adam Film Quarterly'' was spun off from that magazine by
William Rotsler
Charles William Rotsler () was an American artist, cartoonist, Pornography, pornographer and science fiction author. Rotsler was a four-time Hugo Award winner and one-time Nebula Award nominee.
Rotsler's papers including dozens of matted color ...
in 1966 to cover the
sexploitation film industry.
The first issue's cover price was
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
1 and the cover story was about ''
The Notorious Daughter of Fanny Hill'', an erotic movie directed by
Peter Stootsberry and produced by
Bradford Hallworth.
["Adam Film Quarterly"](_blank)
''The Site of Movie Magazines''. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
Originally, like ''Playboy'', the publication also covered mainstream films and included feature stories on stars such as
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
or
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...
. However, by 1969 it was renamed ''Adam Film World'' and issued monthly.
["Adam Film World"](_blank)
''The Site of Movie Magazines''. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
The
Internet Adult Film Database owes its start to
Peter Van Aarle, who began keeping notes on index cards on adult movies he had seen or were reviewed in ''Adam Film World'' starting in 1982.
''Adam Film World'' was called "one of the industry's leading
trade publications
A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular trade or industry. The collective term for this a ...
" in 1994 by the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
.
In his 2001 book ''Pornography and Sexual Representation'', Joseph Slade states, "Extremely valuable are the reports,
reviews
A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indic ...
and
gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Etymology
The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...
of ''Adam Film World and Adult Video Guide'', the oldest American monthly devoted to explicit cinema and generally more reliable than similar magazines, though the information on actors and actresses should be approached with caution. Best described as a
fan magazine
A fan magazine is a commercially written and published magazine intended for the amusement of fan (aficionado), fans of the popular culture subject matter that it covers. It is distinguished from a scholarly, literary or trade magazine on the one h ...
, ''Adam Film World'' hypes the careers of performers for a credulous audience, but partly for that reason it is unparalleled as a guide to the mores and customs of the
porn subculture
A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...
."
[Joseph W. Slade, ''Pornography and Sexual Representation: A Reference Guide'', Volume I, Greenwood Press, 2001. ]
Slade pointed out that the magazine's interviews with performers were, to an extent, similar to
celebrity
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...
interviews in popular mainstream magazines: "Actors and actresses usually begin by talking about their parents, their
adolescence
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...
, their own children, lovers, the importance of grooming, then move on to discussions of
augmented breasts, relative
penis sizes, favorite costars and
directors
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
, referred techniques of
oral
The word oral may refer to:
Relating to the mouth
* Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid
**Oral administration of medicines
** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or ora ...
,
vaginal
In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The vaginal introit ...
, or
anal sex
Anal sex or anal intercourse principally means the insertion and pelvic thrusting, thrusting of the Erection, erect human penis, penis into a person's Human anus, anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex inform ...
,
striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...
dancing on tour as a sideline and—most important—their
fan clubs or their
900-telephone numbers."
The publication is also notable for having issued the first movie awards for excellence in pornographic film, first with the
X-Caliber Awards in 1975,
[Thomas H. Hilton, "Film World's Own Porn Awards", ''Adam Film World'', Vol. 5, No. 12, August 1976, pp. 34-37.] then replacing them with the
AFWG awards starting in 1981 when its sister publication, ''Adam Film World Guide'', was launched.
[''Adam Film World Guide'', Vol. 1, No. 1, May 1981.] Today the role of adult film awards has been mostly supplanted by ''Adult Video News'', with its
AVN Awards
The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...
, which launched a decade later.
''Adam Film World Guide'', in turn, spawned an annual ''Directory of Adult Films'' starting in 1984. The annuals were "important directories of...hard-core films and videos of the previous eighteen months, with lists of notable films of the past, capsule reviews that rate
eroticism
Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...
from 'warm' to 'volcanic,' addresses of
distributors
A distributor is an electric and mechanical device used in the ignition system of older spark-ignition engines. The distributor's main function is to route electricity from the ignition coil to each spark plug at the correct time.
Design
A ...
and
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
outlets, brief
biographies
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...
of actors, directors, and
producers and indexes by theme, director, and performer."
Edward S. Sullivan was the first editor of ''Adam Film World'', followed briefly in 1984 by John Zeus, while former
pornographic film actor Tim Connelly was editor, under the name Jeremy Stone, from 1985 to 2003. Connelly, as Stone, was inducted into the
X-Rated Critics Organization Hall of Fame in the
Fifth Estate
The Fifth Estate is a socio-cultural reference to groupings of outlier viewpoints in contemporary society, and is most associated with bloggers, journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and online social networks. The "Fifth" Esta ...
category in 1998.
Knight Publishing eventually expanded to add several other magazine titles such as ''Adam Black Video Illustrated'', ''Adam Gay Video'', and ''Cinema X Monthly'' and several others, but ''Adam Film World'' remained the flagship of the group until it was discontinued in the late 1990s in favour of ''Adam Film World Guide''. By 2008, owner
Bentley Morriss put the company up for sale. When a buyer was not found, the magazine empire folded.
[Tod Hunter,]
'Adam Film World' Reportedly on Hold Pending Sale
", Xbiz.com, July 2, 2008. (Retrieved Sept. 25, 2012.)
X-Caliber Awards
The ''Adam Film World'' annual X-Caliber Awards based their selection of winners "largely on the votes of readers who are members of the audiences of the adult theaters."
[Thomas H. Hilton, "The First Annual Erotica Awards", ''Adam Film World'', December 1977, pp. 18-21.] although after the popular vote is counted, "an editorial panel makes the final selections".
[Frank Thistle, "The Second Annual Erotica Awards," ''Adam Film World'', January 1979, pp. 24-27, 72.] The winners were announced annually starting with the August 1976 issue for films released the previous year. By the second year, the Z-Caliber Awards, for the worst movies, were also introduced.
[Thomas H. Hilton, "The Porn Awards", ''Adam Film World'', Vol. 6, No. 6, August 1977, pp. 16-17.]
Z-Caliber Awards
''Adam Film World Guide'' Awards

In 1981, ''Adam Film World'' revived its awards with a new name, the Adam Film World Guide Awards, to coincide with the launch of a sister magazine, ''Adam Film World Guide''. Rather than giving single awards in several categories, ''AFWG'' had only a few categories — top films, top videos, top sex scenes, best male and female performers and best director — but named the top five or top 10 of each. Then, until 2003, in the annual ''AFWG Directory of Adult Films'' it ranked the top three movies of the year, a combination of movies shot on film and those shot on videotape:
Starting with the 2002 awards, ''Adam Film World Guide'' changed the focus of the annual awards. Rather than naming the top 10 films and top 10 videos (which the ''Directory'' then condensed into a list of the year's top three movies), ''AFWG'' just named one top film, one top video and 51 other awards to movies and individuals for a wide range of categories such as Best Asian Starlet, Best Fetish Vignette Movie, Best Couples Movie, Best Gonzo Comedy, Best Music, Best Box Cover Art and Best All-Girl Orgy Series.
With movies shot on film and videotape giving way to digital, the Best Films and Best Videos categories were eventually combined into Best Movie, and so in 2005, ''Adam Film World Guide Directory'' stopped naming the previous year's top three movies, thereafter just reprinting the entire list of ''AFWG'' individual awards. The final awards, for movies released in 2007, were published in the July 2008 issue of ''Adam Film World Guide''.
2002–08
''Adam Black Video'' Top 25
''Adam Black Video Directory'' was an annual publication produced from 1998 to 2007, which grew out of ''Adam Black Video Illustrated''.
In the late 1990s ''Adam Black Video Directory'' decided the time had come to honor a list of the best black and interracial movies of all time, because there had been few awards given for them in the past. Adding a few new ones each year, by 2000 the list had grown to a top 25, with a tie for 6th place (shown with year of release in brackets): 1. ''
Black Throat'' (1985), 2. ''
Maverdick'' (1995), 3. ''
Let Me Tell Ya 'bout White Chicks'' (1984), 4. ''
Nasty Video Magazine 5'' (1999), 5. ''
Friend to the Black Man'' (1998), 6. ''
Harlem Candy'' (1987), 6. ''
N.B.A. (Nuttin' But Ass)'' (1996), 7. ''
The Look 2000'' (1997), 8. ''
The Legend of Reggie D'' (1989), 9. ''
The Adventures of Dick Black the Black Dick'' (1987), 10. ''
Pussyman 7'' (1994), 11. ''
Starbangers 2'' (1994), 12. ''
Escape to Pleasure Island'' (1998), 13. ''
My Black Ass'' (1997), 14. ''
Booty Bitch'' (1995), 15. ''
African Angels'' (1996), 16. ''
Hot Rod Honeyz'', 17. ''
Black Butt Jungle'' (1998), 18. ''
Kink World'' (1993), 19. ''
Mac' In 2'' (1996), 20. ''Centerfold'' (1997), 21. ''Dear John'' (1993), 22. ''
Buttman Back in Rio 4'', 23. ''The Dream Team'' (1996), 24. ''
Isis Blublue filme'' (1998) and 25. ''
Bomb Ass Pussy'' (1998).
[''Adam Black Video Directory 2000'']
''Adam Gay Video'' "Dave" Awards
Originated in 1989 by ''Adam Gay Video Directory'' editor Dave Kinnick,
The "Dave" Awards were originally announced in Kinnick's monthly "Video Review" column in ''
Advocate Men Magazine''. They moved to ''Adam Gay Video 1996 Directory'' after the column ceased in December 1994.
[
]
Notes
Some of the terminology used by ''Adam Film World'' for some of the awards was deleted or replaced by something less vulgar in these instances.
In announcing the Z-Caliber Awards in 1977, ''Adam Film World'' did not give Worst Direction or Worst Sinematography Awards, saying "We had a couple more Z-Calibers in mind but have deleted them just to be nice—also the contenders were running neck-and-neck."
In announcing the 1978 awards, the previous year's awards were also noted and this time a Worst Sinematography Award for 1977 was named, but the Worst Direction for that year was "withheld by request".
The 2002 ''Adam Film World Guide Directory'' listed ''Marissa'' as first runner-up and ''Beast'' as second runner-up, however, this was changed to ''Euphoria'' and ''Taboo 2001'' in subsequent directories. It is likely ''Marissa'' and ''Beast'' were the incorrect entries because ''Euphoria'' was named best video that year and since all four movies were shot-on-video productions, it would be the most likely to make the top three movies list overall.
References
* ''Adam Film World Guide Directory'' annuals, 1990 to 2005
External links
*
"Adam Film World Guide Announces Awards Winners" - 2006"Adam Film World Names Annual Awards Winners" - 2008
{{adult entertainment awards
Adult industry awards
Film magazines published in the United States
Defunct men's magazines published in the United States
Monthly magazines published in the United States
Pornographic magazines published in the United States
American pornographic film awards
Quarterly magazines published in the United States
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1966
Magazines disestablished in 1998