His film "Pornographic Apathetic" debuted in 2002. The existential plot features four individuals (two women and two men) who recreate dialog from pornographic film while in a state of apathy. "Pornographic Apathetic" garnered eight film awards, and was featured at more than 50 film festivals. "Pornographic Apathetic" received positive reception from journalist Gary Dowell of "The Dallas Morning News", who described it as "Especially notable ... an experimental work that strips the mystique from porn". "Pornographic Apathetic" was selected for inclusion in the Puchon International Fantastic Festival (PiFan) in South Korea; the festival "aims to identify the important elements of fantastic films, such as creativity and popularity". The movie was shown at the Paris Porn Film Fest at the Le Brady cinema, in Paris, France. The film was featured in an exhibit in Vienna, examining the nature of pornography. Writing for "San Antonio Express-News", Mike Greenberg observed, "T. Arthur Cottam's "Pornographic Apathetic" is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen. (The excellent actors are mostly clothed, never touch each other and are nearly motionless, but the dialogue is not suitable for children or bluenoses.)" The film was given a favorable review by reporter Robert W. Butler of "The Kansas City Star" who covered the piece during its presentation at the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee. Butler wrote, "Your ears will burn while watching T. Arthur Cottam's superlative satiric essay on the desensitizing effects of pornography, but you'll also be laughing. ... It's lurid. It's raunchy. It's vile. But all this nasty lubricity is delivered deadpan, a device that deconstructs the whole intention of porn." Marc Mohan reviewed the film during its feature at the Portland International Short Short Film Festival, and wrote that it "makes the most of its one-joke premise". In 2007, "The Orlando Sentinel" characterized Cottam as a favorite film-maker at the Florida Film Festival. "Los Angeles Times" journalist Borzou Daragahi cited the film as an example of problems with the adult film industry in an article about a sexual art exhibit; he commented, "The piece makes you laugh while illustrating one of the paradoxes of smut: At its core, it's rather idiotic and boring." In 2006, Cottam's film "Carbuncle" competed at the Milano Film Festival, alongside another U.S. film titled "The Blood of my Brother" by Andrei Berends.