Modern Whore is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Nicole Bazuin and released in 2025.Matthew Carey, "TIFF Documentary Lineup Revealed: Films On Canceled Paula Deen, Daring Aeronauts, “Modern Whores” And More". Deadline Hollywood, August 6, 2025. Adapted from the 2018 memoir of the same name by Andrea Werhun, the film is a portrait of Werhun's time as a sex worker before turning to writing and filmmaking.Andreas Wiseman, "Protagonist Boards Toronto-Bound Sex Worker Film ‘Modern Whore’ With Sean Baker Among Exec Producers; Watch First Teaser". Deadline Hollywood, August 22, 2025.
Production Bazuin originally collaborated with Werhun as the photographer for the original book.Patricia Kozicka, "Andrea Werhun: 'It’s a really good time to talk about sex work'". The Guardian, December 21, 2017. A short film version of Modern Whore premiered at the SXSW festival in 2020.Orla Smith, "Modern Whore is a short about sex work for fans of Cam". Seventh Row, September 2, 2020.
In 2024, Sean Baker was announced as executive producer of a feature film version of Modern Whore, after Werhun served as a creative consultant on the production of his 2024 film Anora.Kelly Townsend, "Director Sean Baker boards hybrid doc Modern Whore as EP". Playback, January 17, 2024.
In an essay for CBC Arts's Cutaway column, in which filmmakers talk about their creative process in making the film, Bazuin described the film as an effort to "combine the authenticity of documentary with the immersive storytelling of narrative cinema", and to serve as a manifesto for the rights and humanity of sex workers, "Playboy if it were run by the bunnies".Nicole Bazuin, "My friend told me she'd been working as an escort. Right away, we knew we needed to make art about it". CBC Arts, September 2, 2025.
Distribution The film premiered on September 5, 2025, at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.Etan Vlessing, "Ben Proudfoot’s Obamas-Backed ‘The Eyes of Ghana’ to Open Toronto Fest Doc Program". The Hollywood Reporter, August 6, 2025.
Awards Modern Whore won two major awards at the 14th Canadian Screen Awards in 2026 for Best Editing in a Documentary (Bazuin) and Best Original Music in a Documentary (Tom Third).Jamie Casemore, . Playback, May 28, 2026.
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