When Chanel Contos’s social media poll went viral, it sent shockwaves through the upper echelons of the elite Sydney Eastern Suburbs set. The subject of consent reverberated and the subsequent 6000 testimonies and 44,000 petition signatures could not be ignored. The issue of teaching consent on the national agenda. A new cultural moment was born. This one was unique because it honed in on our education system, perhaps the most powerful framework upholding rape culture. The curtain was lifted, and we saw how the status quo upholds and protects elite male entitlement to the detriment of not only women and girls but also men and boys. Led by Chanel’s personal story and activism, Consensual takes our audience on a journey to explore the machinations of entitlement and power and how this translates into a culture that normalises sexual violence. Our narrative setup interweaves Chanel’s past experiences, which are told through interviews and evocative reconstructions of memory. We outline the current state of play through a mix of vibrant and foreboding archive to illustrate the societal infrastructure that underpins the framework of rape culture. We refine our thesis to focus on the world of privilege using a patchwork of actual events using headlines and media reports. Consensual breaks down scaffolds of rape culture, the role of ‘entitled opportunists,’ their pipeline to power and how the status quo of gendered violence is maintained through institutions and systems. The film asks the audience to imagine a new path that centres on enthusiastic consent, mutual pleasure and healthy intimacy. Motivated by Chanel’s disarming ability to connect with men and women of all ages, we reframe sex and offer an alternative to non-consensual sex that is sexy and fun. We entertain our audience with subversive messaging that is not didactic. Consensual interrogates the system, but like Chanel, we are kind to those within it, bringing everyone along for the ride.
Rebecca Barry is an award-winning documentary and drama producer-director. In 2012 she founded Media Stockade with Madeleine Hetherton-Miau. She has created critically acclaimed films for National Geographic, ABC, SBS, Network 10, Netflix, Hulu, BBC, Al Jazeera, and more. Her work screens at film festivals globally, including IDFA, HotDocs, DOCNYC, FIFO, Sydney Film Festival, and Melbourne International Film Festival. Rebecca has a PhD from UTS where her research explored the dark grey zone of power and ethics in documentary consent processes. She is a certified Mental Health First Aider.
