ASS Studios or Art Star Scene Studios is an American independent film production company founded by Courtney Fathom Sell and Reverend Jen Miller in 2011.Their films are often produced on no-budget, involve guerilla style D.I.Y. tactics upon shooting, take place on the Lower East Side, and commonly premiere at the Bowery Poetry Club during Faceboyz Folliez.The studio has shot numerous short films that often feature various Art Stars including Reverend Jen Miller, Stormy Leather, Femme Appeal, Reina Terror, Robert Prichard, Moonshine Shorey, Mangina, and most frequently Faceboy, while all films are directed by Sell.

 

In an article published in Filmmaker Magazine, Sell commented:

 

"Without Faceboy, it is clear to both Rev and I that our no-budget film company would most likely not succeed. A master of comedic timing, pratfalls, and jumping immediately into every insane character we would write for him without hesitation caused him to become our go-to guy; ... He became the official “Fairy Grant” of ASS Studios."

 

In the same article, Sell continued:

 

"Our main goal was mostly to create work that would be so outrageous, so over-the-top, and so incredibly cheesy that it could receive a chuckle from Big Chief from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. We began cold calling every Art Star in a five-mile radius of our official office, the nearby dive bar, seeking willing actors for our first project."

 

The company has received much attention from various celebrity fans including musician Moby who stated:

 

"I've worked with Oliver Stone and Michael Mann and Paul Haggis and Danny Boyle, but I've never experienced greater depths of genius than what I've encountered with the borderline homeless degenerates at ASS."

 

Regarding the work, TLA Releasing wrote:

 

"Filmed with no budget what-so-ever and very little concern for continuity or even coherency, these flicks will provide lots of laughs among crowds of friends with an appreciation for bad taste."

 

Sell commonly refers to these films as 'Sex-O-Tronic' and 'Grimehouse', claiming they are genre-less and needed to invent terms in which to best classify them.Their work will be released worldwide on DVD in May 2012.

 

Controversies

Infamy arose for the Studio when, during the official launch party, members of the audience were attacked by performers with stunguns.In February 2012, Sell announced the launch of the 'Assdance Film Festival', an event which catered to films that had been previously rejected by other festivals.The festival received much notoriety when actress Janeane Garofalo, upon giving an award for 'Best Overacting Female' during the closing night ceremony, was unexpectedly kissed on the mouth by an audience member who rushed onto the stage.

 

On July 11, 2012, it was announced that Amazon.com had rejected the films from their online store due to "objectionable" content and refused to carry the DVD. The Producers appealed this decision stating that the films did not violate any of the guidelines stated by the company and should not be misinterpreted as pornography due to the name of the title.As of August 4, 2012, Amazon has reinstated the title into their catalogue.

 

Select filmography

• "Waltz of the Bitches - (2012)"

• "The Sinful Bitches - (2011)"

• "The Bitches of Bowery - (2011)"

• "Killer Unicorn - (2011)"

• "Elf Workout! - (2011)"