"Manu (Raffaëla Anderson) has lived a difficult life, abused and violently raped, she sets off to find herself only to meet Nadine (Karen Bach). A prostitute who has encountered one too many injustices in the world. For both, sex plays a pivotal and often destructive role and for once in their lives, they decide to alter their destinies.

"Angry at the world, they embark on a twisted, rage-filled road trip. They choose to have sex when they please and kill when they need. Leaving a trail of mischief and dead bodies in their wake. Generating a media blitz and manhunt, soon everyone is out to capture the two young fugitives.

"Rape Me (Baise Moi) is a brutal, savage novel, which is meant to be disturbing. Nadine and Manu aren't bad girls, they simply want to stay alive whatever the costs. All they need to push them over the edge is a slight change of path. A series of unfortunate circumstances blasts them over the line, which separates good and evil and soon the impossible becomes possible. Music, violence, sex, the open road and humor, are all excellent sources of adrenaline, which help us escape the worst parts of life: Obedience, submission, renouncing of the self and depression.

"Music is omnipresent throughout the book and must be a strong presence throughout the film. Varou Jan is in charge of the soundtrack for the film. He's an established musician and composer with whom I share a strong relationship and he completely understands my musical tastes.

"Music is brute emotion and it accompanies the two heroines throughout the film. In Rape Me (Baise Moi) the music is meant to echo the torrential feelings and emotions of both Manu and Nadine.

"They only feel alive when killing people. One moment in time caused their lives to be upturned and now it's too late for pity or remorse. They've crossed the boundary and spilled over to the dark side. No more excuses, no more explanations and no more intellectualization. We understand and feel a kinship toward them because they are beyond judgment. They live for sensation without the need for any introspection.

"They let go and actually feel free, only when having sex. We don't question their rampant promiscuity and we don't know how they feel afterward. Sex is pleasant for them and while doing it, they rid their minds of all other worldly thoughts. For them, sex is the ultimate relaxation tool. Filming the "hard core" sex scenes without any doubles was very important because it will be the first time we see girls onscreen having real live sex in a film, which isn't just about sex. The sex scenes must be real in order to add to the authenticity of the story.

"A woman's right to show off her sexuality has been perverted by men who have a problem dealing with femininity. Women shouldn't have to deal with men's silly little hang-ups.

"The film must respect the spirit of the book. The choice of collaborating with another director, working with a reduced production team in natural light, on video with non-experienced actors, came about in a completely natural manner. We had to boil the story down to its bare essentials. We had to go to a place that everyone tries to avoid. We want to be so in your face, that we will end up in your mind with images that you just can't ignore.

"The Controversy: Remstar Distribution, the North American distributor of RAPE ME has recently sent the film to the Ontario Film Review Board for rating. Returning with a negative review, it was sent back on appeal and once again declined. This action by the OFRB touched off a firestorm of controversy, with featured articles in the Montreal Gazette, National Post, The Globe and Mail, and The Toronto Star. The film was quickly defended by Piers Handling, Director of the Toronto International Film Festival and famed Canadian director Atom Egoyan who wrote a letter of support to the Toronto Star newspaper. At the time of writing, Remstar Distribution has not made a decision to edit the film for general release in Ontario.

"The film however, was approved in the provinces of Quebec and British Columbia and was deemed 'artistically important,' without subjecting the film to any edits. Playing to sold out audiences and standing ovations, the film was one of the 'most talked' about at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

"From the Ontario film community, Kay Armatage, University of Toronto Professor of Women's Studies and Cinema Studies, and programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival attests "that the audience took the film seriously as a political statement, and not only challenges the limits of women's rights to expression, but it opens for discussion questions of female psychology and sexuality." A female senior executive with Unifrance in New York, declared it "the most important film of our time."

"The History of Rape Me (Baise Moi) by Virginie Despentes, Co-Director: I sold the film rights to my novel BAISE-MOI to Philippe Godeau, who then proposed that I direct the film based on my script adaptation. The project dragged on forever, as I attempted to find the right actresses who could accurately portray the two heroines; Nadine and Manu. During the extended casting period, I began to get a real hunger to direct the project. I discovered a heretofore unknown passion to bring to life characters that until now, were only part of my imagination.

"I watched EXHIBITIONS(by John B. Root) a docu-drama, which featured extensive interviews with ten French porn stars. Karen and Raffaela immediately jumped to the forefront: I knew that Nadine and Manu could only be portrayed by them. I immediately called Coralie and she shared my enthusiasm about the two women. We met with Philippe and the project was back on track.

"We quickly wrote a first draft of the script while staying true to the original spirit of the novel. We met Karen and Raffaela and they were instantly smitten with the idea of the film. Meeting with them confirmed our enthusiasm for the project.