ABOUT
Photo by Kailee Mandel
Nicole Bazuin is a Toronto artist and filmmaker with a passion for pushing boundaries, creating indelible images, and empowering women and youth.
In collaboration with writer and former escort Andrea Werhun, Nicole co-created and photographed the acclaimed book Modern Whore: A Memoir (Strange Light, Penguin Random House Canada). The New York Times calls her images “provocative” and Chester Brown (Paying for It) praises Modern Whore as ‘‘Everything you could want a book to be — it’s moving, entertaining, funny, and smart.’’
Nicole wrote and directed the award-winning short film adaptation, titled Modern Whore (World Premiere, SXSW 2020) starring Andrea Werhun. She teamed up with Andrea again for the CBC Short Doc Last Night at the Strip Club (Hot Docs), which won a Canadian Society of Cinematographers Award.
Nicole is the co-creator/director of the comedy art show This Art Works! (CBC), and the climate change doc series Climate Talks With Kids (Bell TV).
Nicole’s media artworks have been exhibited by the Art Gallery of Ontario, and commissioned by festivals such as Nuit Blanche and Luminato. She is co-founder of Madeleine Co., an all-female interdisciplinary art collective reimagining social issues through experiential storytelling and multimedia art.
AWARDS INCLUDE: “Best Documentary” Sydney Underground Film Festival (Modern Whore), “Best Documentary Short” El Paso Film Festival (Modern Whore), WIFT BravoFACT live pitch competition winner, the HSBC Filmmaker's Award, the Universal Studios Scholarship, the Ouat! Media Distribution Award, the ArtReach Grant in support of youth arts initiatives, the Ashoka Photowings Insights Grant, and the Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
PRESS
All new Modern Whore is like The Godfather Part II of sex work memoirs - Now Magazine, May 3, 2022.
Fantasia Film Festival 2021: Interview With Director Nicole Bazuin - Film Inquiry, August 25, 2021.
Fantasia ’21 Short Film Reviews! - Nightmarish Conjurings, August 15, 2021.
[Fantasia 2021 Review] LAST NIGHT AT THE STRIP CLUB - Awesome Friday, August 16, 2021.
[Fantasia ’21] ‘Last Night at the Strip Club’ review: Introducing Sophia - AIPT, August 16, 2021.
'Last Night at the Strip Club' Review - To Tony Productions, August 10, 2021.
The state of sex work: Risks and rewards in the era of OnlyFans - Now Magazine, February 11, 2021.
Andrea Werhun Returns in Last Night at the Strip Club - Joyful Magpies, January 4, 2021.
9 filmmakers on what it was like to make a documentary during lockdown - CBC, December 4, 2020.
Modern Whore is a short about sex work for fans of Cam - Seventh Row, September 2, 2020.
CBC backs 119 projects through Creative Relief Fund - Realscreen, June 18, 2020.
Hot Docs 2020: The 10 best documentary bets for an unprecedented online film festival experience - The Globe and Mail, May 26, 2020
SXSW 2020: Best Short Films Streaming Online - The Young Folks, May 9, 2020.
Toronto sex worker Andrea Werhun: "Whores are pretty relatable when it comes down to it" - NOW Magazine, March 28, 2020.
Erotica alive and well in Toronto - Toronto Sun, March 14, 2020.
Canadian filmmakers look to alternative screenings amid coronavirus - The Globe and Mail, March 11, 2020.
Former sex worker bares all in documentary 'Modern Whore' - Inside the Story (CHCH), Feb 28, 2020.
In documentary ‘Modern Whore,’ a former escort takes control of her own narrative - Daily Dot, February 22, 2020.
This Former Sex Worker Reviewed the Terrible Johns That Reviewed Her - VICE, November 26, 2019.
Six Female Journalists Ask, Does Nudity Discredit Intellect? - Playboy (Print + Online), March 8, 2019.
Le client que toutes les prostituées craignent - VICE France, October 26, 2018.
Le client que toutes les travailleuses du sexe craignent - VICE Quebec, October 26, 2018.
Une ex-escorte se dévoile sans filtre dans un manifeste féministe- TABLOÏD, October 22, 2018
Modern Whore, par Andrea Werhun; un manifeste féministe puissant - PassionMTL, October 15, 2018.
The Client Sex Workers Warn Each Other About - VICE, October 3, 2018.
Episode 129 - Andrea Werhun and Nicole Bazuin - The Bed Post Podcast, May 11, 2018.
Andrea Werhun on her Memoir "Modern Whore," FOSTA/SESTA & The Realities of Sex Work - The Untitled Magazine, April 26, 2018.
'I'm fascinated by the human body:' Former escort says job is like any other - New Zealand Herald, March 11, 2018.
When a Playboy Writer Publishes a Sex Art Book - Widewalls, March 1, 2018.
'Sex Work Has Enriched My Life In Everlasting Ways,' Says Escort Turned Author - Bedford + Bowery, February 28, 2018.
Book Review: Modern Whore by Andrea Werhun - Ottawa Life, February 21, 2018.
'I Wanted to Bait the Male Gaze While Also Satirizing It': An Interview with Andrea Werhun and Nicole Bazuin - Hazlitt, February 8, 2018.
J’ai passé 80 jours à essayer de me sculpter des abdos et ça a ruiné ma vie - VICE France, January 3, 2018
Andrea Werhun: "It's a really good time to talk about sex work" - The Guardian, December 21, 2017.
I Spent 80 Days Trying to Get Abs and It Ruined My Life - VICE, December 21, 2017.
Ex-Toronto escort pens memoir: Modern Whore - Toronto Sun, December 9, 2017.
Modern Whore: Inside the Life of a Sex Worker - She Does The City, December 5, 2017.
Sex Worker Chic: How Fashion Borrows from Prostitution - The Independent, November 12, 2017.
Guest Columnist: Andrea Werhun (Modern Whore excerpt) - The Honest Courtesan, November 10, 2017.
An ex-sex worker has penned a tell-all book called Modern Whore – and admits she particularly enjoyed romping with an 80-year-old man - The Sun, November 4, 2017.
'I felt no shame': Former student, 27, who earned thousands from sex with clients as old as 80 reveals she 'loved every minute' of her stint as an escort (and says 'whoredom was my destiny') - The Daily Mail, November 3, 2017.
‘I Was Born Resisting’ - The Establishment, November 3, 2017
It's Always Fishnets Season Somewhere - The New York Times, October 27, 2017.
How Do You Review an Escort? Advice From a True 'Modern Whore' (Modern Whore excerpt) - Playboy.com, October 12, 2017
Nuit Blanche brings politics to the people - Sheridan Sun, 4 October, 2017
Hans, Sunita Singh, “The Top 20 Exhibitions To See At Nuit Blanche 2017 - Buzzfeed Community, 17 September, 2017.
Many Possible Futures’: Nuit Blanche unveils event-wide theme for 1st time - CBC News, 29 August, 2017
This Art Works! - CBC Metro Morning, July 13, 2017
Learning and Unlearning: On Writing About Sex Work - Hazlitt, June 2, 2017.
What It's Like to Tell the World You're a Sex Worker - VICE, February 1, 2017.
We Asked Sex Workers About Their First Day on the Job - VICE, November 16, 2016.
Mammalian Diving Reflex probes what's really going on inside the mind of a teenager - CBC, October 10, 2015
Should artists drive social change? - Studio Beat, 18 June, 2015
Living the Dream: Entrepreneurship lets you be your own boss - Ryersonian, October 21, 2014
Exploring diversity on campus - The Eye Opener, 14 January 2014
Looking back at 2013: Best and worst Toronto classical concert and opera performances - Ludwig Van Toronto, December 20, 2013
12 HR Zine Machine - Carousel Magazine Issue 30, Winter/Spring 2013, p. 34-39.
Toronto zine competition a warm up for Nuit Blanche - Torontoist, August 27, 2012
Sneak Peeks of Nuit Blanche 2011: Honey I’m Home! - Torontoist, October 1, 2011