Axel Braun is the son of legendary porn-pioneer Lasse Braun, who, through his work in the early 1960's helped push the legalization of pornography in Europe. He was born and raised in Italy, where he received a privileged upper-class upbringing, studying the Classics and learning five languages. An accomplished drawing artist, as a child he dreamt of becoming a cartoonist, until at the age of seven he watched the film The Four Feathers by Zoltan Korda; the epic tale of love, betrayal, honor and revenge moved him so, that he suddenly knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: a film director.
A proud member of MENSA, an avid movie buff, and the recipient of a Ph.D. in Psychology, Braun started early, traveling and working with his father as an assistant director, writer, producer, videographer, and editor. Lasse introduced him to the world of adult filmmaking, and taught him all the tricks of the trade. Over the years they developed a strong personal relationship, as well as an incredibly creative business partnership. Lasse's flair for luxury and comfort suited his young pupil well, as Braun still found plenty of time to indulge in his non-porn passions: poker and car racing.
In 1982, at the Sorbonne Library in Paris, Braun read a book on human sexuality that talked about the G-Spot and the ability of certain women to ejaculate. This led him to years of research, and ultimately to the production of countless X-rated movies featuring female ejaculation. In 1988, Braun moved permanently to Los Angeles to attend the prestigious Columbia College, where he eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema. From 1989-1995, Braun and Lasse developed and produced a series of R-rated TV movies for German Television RTL, while still shooting hardcore content. Fantasy Nights, in 1990, marks the first collaborations of three of the most influential pornographers in history: Lasse Braun, Alex DeRenzy, and Henri Pachard. With the excuse of filming the series Ibiza Lust, in 1991, Braun and Lasse spent a few months in the beautiful Balearic Island.
In 1995, Lasse and Braun traveled to Budapest to shoot MasterSex, produced by Italian porn tycoon Joano Ceretti. Through Joano, with whom Braun formed a strong friendship, he lands a deal to translate and adapt a series of big-budget American movies in Italian. It's a moment of transition and growth, and it provides a chance for reflection, which leads Braun to realize he needed time to find his own path. In 1996, produced by Joano Ceretti, Braun steps behind the camera to direct his first solo project, The Adventures of the G-Man, the first installment of a successful series that would earn him both critical and commercial praise in Italy, along with an incredible notoriety for being able to make all women ejaculate with his hands.
In January 1997, Lasse calls Braun to co-write and shoot Uncontrollable Lust, for VCA. This was the their final father-son collaboration. Later that year, Antonio Passolini, an accomplished director and longtime friend, gave Braun his first break in the American XXX-market, executive-producing the feature The Book of Lust, released by VCA. In 1998, VCA released Braun's new feature Sexcape, shot between Los Angeles, Florence, Rome, Milan and Budapest. In 1999, Braun released Fleshlight, a hardcore comedy that topped the charts in Germany, as well as Libido, and most notably The G-Spot Chronicles which became the top-selling adult video of the year in Italy.
Award | Year | |
---|---|---|
Director Of The Year (Body of Work) AVN | 2011 | |
Hall Of Fame AVN | 2011 | |
Director Of The Year (Body of Work) AVN | 2012 | |
Best Director - Parody XRCO | 2012 | |
Best Director - Parody AVN | 2013 | |
Best Screenplay - Parody AVN | 2013 | |
Director Of The Year (Body of Work) AVN | 2013 | |
Director of the Year - Parody XBIZ | 2013 | |
Best Director - Parody XRCO | 2013 | |
Director Of The Year (Body of Work) AVN | 2014 | |
Director of the Year - Body of Work XBIZ | 2014 | |
XRCO Hall of Fame Inductees XRCO | 2014 | |
Best Director - Parody AVN | 2015 | |
Best Screenplay - Parody AVN | 2015 | |
Best Director - Parody XRCO | 2015 | |
Best Director - Parody AVN | 2016 | |
Director of the Year - Parody XBIZ | 2016 | |
Best Director - Parody AVN | 2017 | |
Best Screenplay - Parody AVN | 2017 | |
Director of the Year - Parody XBIZ | 2017 | |
Best Director - Parody XRCO | 2017 | |
Best Director - Feature AVN | 2019 | |
Best Director - Parody XRCO | 2019 | |
Best Editing XBIZ | 2023 |
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