Eight years ago, a 21-year-old Montrealer working in the Los Angeles porn industry contracted HIV from one of her male co-stars.

Lara Roxx was temporarily a cause célèbre, but it was not a good experience. She felt dismissed by the porn industry and exploited by the media who wanted her story. Still, Canadian photographer-turned-filmmaker Mia Donovan convinced her to take the story public once again.

The result is Inside Lara Roxx, produced by Montreal's EyeSteelFilm. It will be released in a limited engagement in Toronto starting Friday.

In an interview with Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC’s Q cultural affairs show, Donovan discusses why she was interested in the Lara Roxx story and why a new Los Angeles law mandating condom use may not be enough to save other young women.

Former porn star Roxx also joins the discussion, saying that making the documentary helped turn her life around.