Proof again that nothing separates porn from its cash like ego.

PARIS – www.straitstimes.com – A BLACK-TIE crowd of 1,000 people involved in adult film attended the return after a nine-year absence of Europe’s porn equivalent of the Oscars, the ‘Hots d’Or”, or Golden Hots.

Awarded annually from 1992 to 2001 on the fringes of the Cannes film festival, the awards were revived ‘to help an industry upset by digitalisation,’ Paul Jerome, of the organisers, Hot Video magazine, told AFP.

‘It’s our response to the crisis.’ Held in the prestigious Wagram concert hall on Tuesday night, the Hot d’Or for Best Film went to Billionaire by Spanish director Alessandro del Mar, while Czech actress Tarra White [pictured] picked up Best Actress. Best Actors went to Choky Ice and Jesse Jane.

The ceremony, which also included awards for best performances and best ‘gonzo’ directing, gathered professionals from both Europe and the US for a sober evening in which no porn clips were shown.

The Hot awards are viewed as the European equivalent of the AVN Award in the United States.

In the past the event was held over two weeks in May at Cannes but was not particularly welcomed by either the organisers of the film festival or the city authorities.