Pictures!

We brought back the amazing Stacie Joy to record our CineKinky hijinks again this year and put us all in the best light possible!





(All photos by Stacie Joy; courtesy of CineKink)

Looking for a last-minute Valentine?

Treat yourself to a special Valentine on us!

The CineKink NYC All-Access Pass, covering admission to all 12 regular film programs, the kick-off gala, the closing awards celebration AND the "afterglow" party, is already a fantastic deal at $85 - but it's an even better one at only $70 - with our Valentine special discount.

Use the code "valentinepass" for $15 off the regular price of our CineKink NYC All-Access pass.

Or...

Use the code "valentinetix" to purchase two-for-one tickets to any single screening or to the kick-off gala.

Print out the ticket confirmation, draw a big red heart on it, present to your loved one(s) and, voila, you are all set for the best Valentine celebration ever!

Prepare to be titillated!

Billing itself as the "kinky film festival," CineKink NYC returns for its seventh annual appearance February 16-21, 2010, bringing with it a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality.

The kink-filled festivities begin Tuesday, February 16th, at 8 PM, with a fundraising Kick-Off Gala to be held at Kush Lounge (191 Chrystie Street, NYC), a pansexual celebration that, in addition to music and sexy performances, features a pair of cinematic spectacles--THE 400 BLOW JOBS and THE SHEEP AND THE RANCH HAND.

The festival then moves to Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue, NYC), Wednesday, February 17 through Saturday, February 20, with several different film and video programs scheduled for each day. An awards celebration and an "AfterGlow" party complete the festivities on Sunday, February 21.

WEDNESDAY

Among the headliners, first up on Wednesday, February 17 at 6:45 PM, is the festival's CineKink Season Opener screening of S&M JUDGE, a compelling drama in which a respected judge finds his job, reputation and family life in jeopardy after he and his wife begin to explore sadomasochism. Then, at 9:10 PM, the documentary BODY MODIFICATION FREAKS, takes a first-hand look at several Japanese underground scenes--tattoo, piercing and body modification--with photographer and journalist Ryoichi "Keroppy" Maeda, himself a long-time member of the body modification community.

THURSDAY

On Thursday, February 18 at 6:45 PM it's KINDA KINKY?, a collection of kinky shorts that will whet your appetite for a slap of the hand and a taste of the deviant. Then, at 9:10 PM, "boylesque" sensation WAXIE MOON takes the world of neo-burlesque by storm in a hilarious and thought-provoking portrait of one artist's unlikely journey.

FRIDAY

On Friday, February 19 at 6:45 PM, MODERN LOVE IS AUTOMATIC is the darkly comic tale of an apathetic nurse who moonlights as a dominatrix, her aspiring model roommate, and the sad, strange world in which they live. At 9:10 PM, SWINGERS has first-timers Diana and Julian inviting a couple they;ve met online to join them for an adventurous weekend in the country. And at 11:00 PM, DES JOURS PLUS BELLES QUE LA NUIT, a collaboration partly from CineKink award-winner Jennifer Lyon Bell, is an homage to real, explicit love shot in real-time, opening the door to a world where arousal creeps up slowly and sweetly until it ignites.

SATURDAY

Kicking off Saturday, February 20 at 1:00 PM, MY SEXUALITY: A SENSORY EXPERIENCE shines light on five ordinary women from different backgrounds, sexual preferences and past experiences as they experiment with five deliciously different activities intended to boost both sense of self and sexuality. At 3:00 PM a special industry showcase, BRING IT!, features a dazzling array of talent from today's adult cinema, each representing a wide range of genres and visual styles, all stepping up with a hot sampling of their recent creative endeavors. At 5:50 PM, FIXATION is a diverse collection of sexy shorts, with each focused obsessively on that one, particular... something. At 8:00 PM it's YES, MISTRESS, the film shorts program that asks (and sometimes answers!) the question: "How may I be of service?" And, closing out the festival's regular screening schedule at 10:10 PM, STORIES OF SEX(ES) is a sexy French romp--with sex included!--where two cheerful circles of friends, men and women divided, spend a night of intimate chatting about their erotic adventures, conquests, disappointments and fantasies.

SUNDAY

CineKink NYC concludes the evening of Sunday, February 21 at 6 PM, with an Awards Celebration, including encore screenings of jury-selected best shorts from the week and presentation of the annual festival awards, to be followed at 8:3O PM by the CineKink AfterGlow Party, one last chance to mingle with like-minded festival-goers and enjoy a few additional screenings, this time in a relaxed play party setting. The locations for both events will be announced at a later date.

TICKETS AND PASSES

Advance tickets and passes may be purchased via the CineKink website or by calling 877-849-5327 (TIX-LEAP)

Ticket prices for each regular screening are $10/$8 advance; $6 for seniors and students, door only. Admission to the Kick-Off Gala & Opening Night Screening is a suggested donation of $15/$10 advance; admission to the Afterglow Party is $30, advance purchase only. The Awards Celebration on Sunday evening is free of charge.

Discounted all-access festival passes, covering admission to all 12 regular screening programs, plus all parties, are available in advance for $85; $75 for members of any sexuality organization; $60 students/seniors; $50 for CineKinksters.

The festival passes represent a nearly 50 percent discount over individual ticket purchase and availability will be limited.

SPONSORS

Sponsors of CineKink NYC/2010 include B-Side Entertainment, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, Njoy and Soho Journal, along with Tied Up Events, For The Girls, Hot Movies For Her, OMG!, Pink/White Productions, Scarleteen, Shelly's Toy Box and Wet International.

CineKink: San Francisco

Now that we've rested up from Berlin, we're hitting the circuit again. This time it's almost like heading home, as we're welcomed once again by the wonderfully hospitable Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for another round of CineKink: San Francisco.

Cutting across orientations to celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality, film and video offerings in this kink-friendly, traveling showcase range from documentary to drama, camp comedy to hot porn, mildy spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between.

Thursday, November 19th - Saturday, November 21st
Yerba Buena Center for the Art
701 Mission Street (@ Third)
San Francisco

Along for the ride will be:

Kinky
A light-hearted, yet thought-provoking look at issues affecting the sexuality of Black Americans (and playing with San Francisco director Erin Palmquist's BDSM: It's Not What You Think)

Whips & Restraints
A kinky collection of shorts that dip into the toy-bag and play with the dynamics of sexual power and release, control and submission.

Lipsticks & Crinoline
A colorfully pansexual mash-up of gender frolics, blurred boundaries, several pairs of Lycra bicycle shorts--and some very high style!

Wanton Female Desires
An exploration and celebration of the female pleasure and the varied, delightful pursuits of such.

The Auteur
A mélange of romantic comedy and raunchy satire set in the world of adult film, the story of renowned porn director Arturo Domingo, the creative genius behind classics like Five Easy Nieces and Requiem for a Wet Dream.

Best of CineKink/2009 Shorts Sampler
A special sampling of some of the hot shorts deemed the very best of CineKink, with jury-selected awards determined during the latest run of our annual festival.

We've been hearing a lot of buzz, so get your tickets now. And we'll see you at Yerba!

Taking it to the White House

CineKink alumni director Scott Bloom (CineKink '06 & '08) reports that a copy of his amazing documentary, Call Me Troy, was handed off to Michelle Obama during yesterday's meet-up with LGBT community leaders.

A profile of gay rights activist and founder of Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Troy Perry, the work is an important chronicle of the fight for sexual freedom and a moving tribute to a man who proclaimed that sexuality and religion - Christianity, even! - need not be separate.



Here's hoping the President makes time in his schedule for a screening and, inspired by Troy's example, room in his heart to be a truly "fierce advocate" for LGBT rights.

Hey, Chicago....!

We're looking forward to a full CineKink: Chicago tour run later in the season, but you're in for a tantalizing appetizer this Saturday, when CineKink will be part of an open house taking place at the Leather Archives & Museum.

As part of the event, we'll be offering up a few of our favorite shorts for your viewing pleasure:

Coming Out Spanko
Keeping a video diary of her thoughts, a woman contemplates her entry into a world of kink and her place within it. (Directed by Tanya Bezreh, USA, 15 minutes)

Who's The Top?
In this fantastical S/M musical comedy, one writer finds her true self by determining who's the bottom. (Directed by Jennie Livingston, USA, 22 minutes)

Drop by to tour the museum galleries, take in our flicks, enjoy tasty refreshments and meet up with other Chicago-area kinksters.

Leather Archives & Museum
6418 N Greenview Ave, Chicago

Saturday, May 2 / 3-5 pm

Admission is FREE!

Special sneak preview...American Swing

The Museum of Sex and Magnolia Pictures invite CineKinksters to a special advance screening of American Swing, the new documentary about the rise and fall of the infamous NYC swing club, Plato's Retreat...

Monday, March 23rd @ 7:30PM

Museum of Sex
233 Fifth Avenue, NYC

RSVP required to:
sylvia@ddanielspr.net

Please note ‘CineKink” in your RSVP – we have a limited number of seats available, so act quickly!

The year was 1977 and New York City burned. As the metropolis hurtled into bankruptcy, the city's nightlife hit unprecedented heights. In midtown, the ultra-exclusive Studio 54 was a cocaine-fueled celebrity playhouse. Downtown, at the spartan CBGB's, punk rockers set out to destroy everything Pop. Meanwhile, in the basement of the prestigious Ansonia building on the conservative Upper West Side, Plato's Retreat opened its doors to ordinary couples who came to dance, to swim, and...to swap.

Includes a post-screening Q&A with co-directors Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart.

American Swing will open in New York on March 27th at the Quad Cinema and in Los Angeles on April 3 at the Sunset 5.

Pictures!

We loved Stacie Joy's coverage of last year's CineKink gala festivities so much, we brought her back to take photos of the whole of it. And here are the colorful results!





Along with some images from intrepid blogger/CineKink juror extraordinaire, Viviane, doing a bit of doubletriple duty with the camera:

You be the judge!

You put all that time in the seats, be sure to let us know what you think!

Our CineKink community on B-Side gives you the ability to rate your favorites (and, though hard to fathom, not-so-favorites) and leave reviews on the films you saw throughout the festival.

These reviews are keenly anticipated by our filmmakers, fellow audience members, other festival programmers and all of us at CineKink, as we use them to help determine and promote bookings for our upcoming tour appearances.

All you need to take part is an email address, just register here and pass along your thoughts.

And the winner is...

Slightly delayed by the lingering effect of--and subsequent recovery from-- our ever-popular AfterGlow Party, here at long last are the CineKink awards for 2009!

"CineKink Choice" - AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS
CineKink Choice awards, which go to feature-length works in competition during the festival, were determined by audience balloting at the close of each eligible work's screening. The 2009 award winners are:

CineKink Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature:
"The Auteur" (James Westby)

CineKink Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature:
“Graphic Sexual Horror” (Barbara Bell & Anna Lorentzon)
-tie-
“Kinky” (A. Benjamin)

CineKink Choice Award - Honorable Mentions:
“Happy Endings?” (Tara Hurley)
Sex Positive” (Daryl Wein)


"CineKink Best" - JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORTS
CineKink Best awards, which go to short works in competition during the festival, were determined by jury deliberation and ranking. The 2009 award winners are:

CineKink Best Narrative Short
“Kink, Inc.” (Casey Clark)
-tie-
“Matinee” (Jennifer Lyon Bell)

CineKink Best Documentary Short:
“Serving Madame Gina” (Gabriele Hoff, PsyD)

CineKink Best Experimental Short:
“Erotic Moments” (Eva Midgley)
-tie-
“Un Piede di Roman Polanski” (Lauren Wissot & Rosanne Kapitoa)

CineKink Best Animated Short:
"Teat Beat of Sex: 8-11" (Signe Baumane)

CineKink Best Musical Short:
“At the Porno Shop” (Michael Mehfield)

CineKink Honorable Best Mentions:
“BDSM: It’s Not What You Think” (Erin Palmquist)
“Belle de Nature” (Maria Beatty)
“Rubberheart” (Brian Crano)

This year's jury included Steven Speliotis, a photographer and CineKink alumni director, Viviane, ring-leader of the sex blog, "Viviane's Sex Carnival, and Bill Woods, a film festival programmer and curator of the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives.


"CineKink Tribute" - FESTIVAL AWARD FOR EXTRAORDINARY DEPICTION OF KINK & SEX IN MAINSTREAM FILM & TELEVISION
Recognizing extraordinary depiction of kink and sex in mainstream film and television, the annual CineKink Tribute was presented to two works this year:

"Swingtown" (CBS)
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS)

Honorable Mentions (aka the CineKink Nod)
"Burn After Reading" (Focus Features)
"How I Met Your Mother" (CBS)

Many thanks and congratulations to this year's CineKink award winners - and to all of our ultra-talented filmmakers!

For more details on all of the award winning works...

At the movies...

Come join us...!

CineKink-at-a-Glance!

We hope you're using your time to rest up and get ready for the festivities, as CineKink NYC is set for its return appearance February 24th to March 1st, with a jam-packed schedule full of things you won't want to miss.

Tuesday, February 24
8:00 pm - Kick-Off Gala & Fundraiser

Wednesday, February 25
6:45 pm - Sex Positive
9:00 pm - MindFLESH

Thursday, February 26
6:45 pm - Whips & Restraint
9:00 pm - Lipsticks & Crinoline

Friday, February 27
6:45 pm - The Workshop
9:00 pm - Wanton Female Desire
11:10 pm - Graphic Sexual Horror

Saturday, February 28
12:30 pm - Kinky
2:30 pm - Happy Endings?
4:30 pm - Marta's Sex Tape
6:45 pm - Twisted Knickers
9:00 pm - The Auteur
11:10 pm - Bring It! (adult cinema showcase)

Sunday, March 1
6:00 pm - Awards Celebration
8:30 pm - AfterGlow Party!

For all the salacious details, visit http://www.cinekink.bside/films/ and
click on the films and events like to know more about.

Amuse bouche?

As we continue to tinker behind the scenes on CineKink NYC, coming up February 24th to March 1st, let us whet your appetite with this tasty morsel, a glimpse at The Auteur, a mélange of romantic comedy and raunchy satire that tells the story of renowned porn director Arturo Domingo, creative genius behind such classics as Five Easy Nieces and Requiem for a Wet Dream:



We've been admiring The Auteur from afar for quite awhile now and we're delighted to give this sweetly smutty film a stellar CineKink showcase slot--Saturday, February 28 @ 9 PM.

Hope you'll join us!

Coming soon!

As you're hopefully well aware by now, CineKink NYC is getting set for its sixth annual appearance February 24-March 1, 2009, again bringing you a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality.

While we fine-tune and finesse the last details of the program line-up, to be announced very soon, be sure to block out your calendar so you don't miss a single second of the CineKinky wonders!

Tuesday, February 24 - 8 pm/Kick-Off Gala

2/25 - 6:45 pm/+ Screenings @ Anthology Film Archives
2/26 - 6:45 pm/+ Screenings @ Anthology Film Archives
2/27 - 6:45 pm/+ Screenings @ Anthology Film Archives
2/28 - 12:30 pm/+ Screenings @ Anthology Film Archives

Sunday, March 1
6 pm/Awards Celebration
8 pm/AfterGlow Party

More info...soon!

What to do, what to do?

Holy dueling CineKink alumni! Tonight's entertainment options might leave us with something of a dilemma, as disparate performers from CineKink kick-offs past take the stage in different parts of the city. (NYC that is, apologies to be so centric.)

But if you move fast you may be able to catch them both, proving that you really can enjoy everything you desire. Performing at 8 PM, that fabulous cabaret duo, The Wet Spots will bring their sophisticated sex comedy to the Zipper Factory. Then at 10 PM, zoom on down to the Slipper Room for the Jessica Delfino Dirty Folk Rock Show.

Below, a few tantalizing dollops of what treats lie in store, as our performers offer up their musical talents in praise of favorite orifi:



The Wet Spots / "Do You Take It?" (CineKink '06)



Jessica Delfino / "My Pu55y is Magic" (CineKink '08)

Hey, Seattle!

Tell all your friends and make plans to join us, we’ve just landed in town to wind down our annual tour with a two-night run of the “Best of CineKink” at The Grand Illusion Cinema - tonight and Saturday!

Works in this traveling showcase run the gamut from documentary to drama, camp comedy to hot porn, mildy spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between. Among the offerings, the animated TEAT BEAT OF SEX presents three short lectures on sex. OFFICE MOBIUS traces a tawdry office flirtation. In SALT, three people share a passion for food - and other things. COMING OUT SPANKO is one woman's autobiographical coming to terms with her kink identity, while CROSSING looks at what it takes to move between the realms of kink and "normality." In SOMETHING ABOUT NADIA, three women recount the uncontrollable desire they feel for the mysterious Nadia. And in WHO'S THE TOP?, a fantastical S/M musical comedy, one writer finds her true self by determining who's the bottom.

Friday/Saturday, January 2nd & 3rd, 11:00 PM

Grand Illusion Cinema
1403 NE 50th Street

More info!

The procrastinator's almost-too-late gift-giving guide to kinky cinema

Maybe it's our masochistic streak, but we always find ourselves waiting until it's really almost too late before we kick into gift-giving mode during the holiday season. Ahhhh the sweet torture...the rush of adrenalin, the sense of impending danger as we fear we've really done it this time...followed by the relief of just barely squeaking it out in time!

For those of you who also indulge in this ritualistic practice of self-abuse, a few choice tidbits of cinematic kink for your giving pleasure, all available with a little extra penance paid in the form of two-day (next-day?!) shipping via Amazon.

But hurry! Or not, if you really enjoy your punishments:

Preaching to the Perverted
As we mentioned earlier, there's a new Guinevere Turner-hosted edition of this sexy saga, the tale of a fresh-faced (and suit-wearing!) moral crusader who attempts to infiltrate the lair of fetish goddess Tanya Cheex (aka Guinevere Turner!). (Winner, Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature, CineKink '03)

Silken Sleeves
Just in time for the new year, director Maria Beatty celebrates the four seasons of kink in the form of bondage diva Midori lavishing all kinds of attention on the helpless and beautiful Maya. Fall, winter, spring...mmm, summer! (Winner, Audience Choice Award for Best Experimental Feature, CineKink '08)

Swingtown: The First Season
Oh, the swinging seventies! We're still waiting for news that this engagingly sex-positive ABC(!) series will be back for another round--yep, we're masochists--but in the meantime, here's the first, glorious season all in one place.

The Notorious Bettie Page
We were all sad to learn of the passing of Bettie Page. This homage, directed by Mary Harron and starring Gretchen Mol, is a moving and tender portrait of the infamous pin-up star and the people who both created and consumed the imagery for which she's known best. (Winner, CineKink Tribute, CineKink '06)

Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook for Independent Filmmakers
You wouldn't step into a dungeon without knowing how not to flog somebody in the kidneys--well, at least you shouldn't. Similarly, don't set forth on the path of the film festival circuit without having some clue of what you're doing. Here's that and more, all jammed into one handy, travel-ready tome.

So, there's a good start! We're going to keep this brief since, well, we've still got some shopping of our own to do, but more rummaging can be found in our CineKink @ Amazon section--with past festival selections available here!

Don't mind the mess--we're still moving things around. And get shopping!

Taking it to Washington...CineKink: DC!!

Make plans to join us and tell all of your friends... CineKink has packed up the car and is heading to the nation's capitol with two nights of double-headers!

Celebrating and exploring a wide diversity of sexuality, the films and videos in these sex-positive and kink-friendly showcases range from documentary to drama, camp comedy to hot porn, mildy spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between.

And, then...we party!

On Friday, November 21 at 8:00 pm, the program is "Give & Take," a kinky collection of short films and videos that probe, prod and play with the dynamics of sexual power and release, control and submission.

And on Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 PM, "Mix, Match & Mingle" is a round-up of two-somes, three-somes, four-somes and more-somes, featuring short works that look at the delights - and some dilemmas - of moving beyond monogamy.

Taking place at The Crucible (1816 Half Street SW, Washington, DC), tickets for each screening are $10/advance and $15/door; tickets for each screening plus after-party are $30/advance and $40/door.

Advance tickets are available at via The Crucible.

For more information and the full program line-up, visit here!

A slight reprieve

As noted in last week's CineKink update, we'd been so transfixed in an election-related fog the past several weeks that we lost sight of the fact that our final deadline for submissions was rapidly approaching.

So, to accommodate everyone who might be in a similar frame of mind, anyone who might wish to buy a little extra time, the LAST call for entries to CineKink NYC has been extended, with a new "final-final" (really!) deadline set for Saturday, November 29th. (Really!)

For more information and to download an entry form, go right here.

And do it soon now!

Are you ready to submit?

CineKink NYC - "the really alternative film festival" - is seeking films and videos, of any length and genre, that explore and celebrate the wide diversity of sexuality. Dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, we're looking to blur some boundaries and will be considering offerings drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, with works ranging from documentary to drama, camp comedy to hot porn, mildly spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between.

Cutting across orientations, topics covered at CineKink have included - but are by no means limited to - BDSM, leather and fetish, swinging, non-monogamy and polyamory, roleplay and gender bending. Or, frankly, given the current moral climate, as long as it involves consenting adults, just about anything celebrating sex as a right of self expression is fair game. (Far be it from us to define "kink" - if you think your work might make sense in this context, please send it along!)

Scheduled for its sixth annual appearance February 24-March 1, 2009, the specially-curated CineKink NYC will also feature a short film competition, audience choice awards, presentations, parties and a gala kick-off, with a national screening tour to follow.

Discounted, early-bird entries have a post-marked deadline of October 15th, while the standard deadline is November 15th.

For more information and to download an entry form, visit http://www.cinekink.com/entries.

Yes, again, please - we will take another!

Even though it was first released in 1997, Preaching to the Perverted was an obvious choice to open the first-ever CineKink NYC back in 2003, where it took home one of our first-ever Audience Choice Awards.

From British director Stuart Urban, the movie follows a fresh-faced infiltrator who is dispatched by moral crusaders in Parliament to gather evidence against fetish clubs in the United Kingdom, where many of the saucier activities are illegal. Thrust into a shiny latex world of clubs and parties, he instead - of course! - becomes infatuated with Tanya Cheex, leader of the fetish scene on both sides of the Atlantic. While he wants her to calm down, become "normal" and avoid going to jail, she wants to pervert him. Who will win? We can only say "hmmm..."

While it's one of the few wholeheartedly S/M-positive films created to date and a favorite recommendation, until now only a trimmed-up R-rated version has been available on DVD in the US.



But brilliant news! Featuring interview extras by film critic Alonso Duralde with the beyond-sexy star of the movie, Guinevere Turner, there's a new version out that is touted as unrated and looks to have a likely-key three minutes returned to its running time.

Starting today, freshly available on DVD... Preaching To The Perverted: Guinevere Turner Signature Edition!

Come tryst with us!

CineKink's Tawdry Summer Tryst!

Tuesday, August 5th - 8 pm
The Red Room @ KGB Complex
85 E. 4th Street (@ 2nd Ave)

It's our fifth anniversary and we'll be mixing it up at The Red Room to celebrate! Cozy up to a new best friend, sink back into air-conditioned comfort and heat up with CineKink's anniversary revisit with a few of our favorite, recent hook-ups ...

TEAT BEAT OF SEX (Signe Baumane)
Three animated lectures on sex.

SALT (Campbell Farquhar)
A shared passion for food - and other things.

HIGHWAY AMAZON (Ronnie Cramer)
A meet up with bodybuilder Christine Fetzer, who earns her living traveling the country and wrestling men on hotel room beds.

IN YER ROOM (Bobby McNasty)
Ol' Blue Eyes never sang it quite like this.

THE PARTY (Jessica Rotondi)
A guy drags his girlfriend to a craigslist "Make-out Party," but soon discovers it wasn't quite what he expected.

HIGH INFIDELITY (David Hansen)
The filmmaker examines his own ideas about sex and love by venturing into the world of swingers, where partners are interchangeable and have virtually nothing to hide.

and

THE GOOD GIRL (Erika Lust)
Alex is a high-powered exec who thinks about sex a lot, but rarely acts upon her desires and never takes the initiative. Until now, that is.

Cocktails to follow, downstairs at KGB Bar.

More info and advance tickets - highly recommended - are here!

Basking in the afterglow

Sincere thanks to everyone who came out for CineKink: San Francisco! It's always nice to sell out a show, but even moreso when the crowd is so enthusiastic and involved.

It was also a treat having so much talent in the house, with Midori taking time out of her busy Rope Dojo weekend to make an appearance after Silken Sleeves, and filmmakers Westland Armitage, Tanya Bezreh, Steve Gatlin, Michelle Johnson and Madison Young joining us for some compelling post-screening discussions.

And we'll be headed home with more wonderful new blurbs for the collection!

CineKink: The thinking person's traveling erotic film fest - Violet Blue, Open Source Sex
I’m so very excited that CineKink is this weekend here in San Francisco — and the refined, indy, edgy traveling eroto-porn film fest might be coming to a major city near you. If it does, don't miss it.

Rated X-static - Michael Fox, SF Weekly
An orgy of celebration more than titillation, the six programs shine a flattering light on real people and real sex, with an endearing splash of art and humor.

CineKink: More Flavor - Flavorpill
Whether you're crazy for leather, proudly polyamorous, or you just like to watch, CineKink's popular, perverse film series educates while it titillates.

Thanks again to Joel Shepard, Calvin Souther and everyone else at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. See you next year!

Sweet!

While we generally prefer to think of Sundance as the PG-13 rated CineKink, we're always a sucker for the sight of our name in print, plus an opportunity to wax rhapasodic about our favorite subject... kinky cinema!

Have Highbrow Porn, Will Travel
Violet Blue investigates CineKink, the X-rated Sundance - SF Gate
... they do make good porn; it's just not terribly easy to find amid all the noise and hype, online and off -- let alone the kind of erotic cinema that film fans would dig (or get off to). That's where Lisa Vandever comes in. A producer and consultant with more than fifteen years' experience in film and television, Vandever founded the nationally touring, sexually explicit (and very popular) film festival CineKink in 2002. The festival selects, awards and tours sex-positive, edgy and, especially, arousing film and television selections from mainstream porn to indies, Hollywood and beyond.

Read more...

Thanks, Violet!

California here we come...

We look forward to hooking up with old friends and meeting some new, as we venture west this week for...

CineKink: San Francisco!
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission Street, SF

July 10-12, 2008

Thursday, July 10th - 7:00 pm
SILKEN SLEEVES
Director Maria Beatty has created an evocative journey through four seasons of domination and submission, one in which fetish icon Midori, by turns playful and cruel, captures and binds the delicate Mayan, whose struggles avail her nothing in the presence of such rope-wielding expertise. (Winner - Audience Choice Award for Best Experimental Feature/CineKink 2008) Plays with the short, A DOG'S TALE, a black-and-white reverie on control and submission, longing and desire.
Midori will be on hand for a post-screening discussion.


Thursday, July 10th - 9:00 pm
SUSAN FOR NOW
A first-person account of a woman reclaiming her sexual freedom after a ten-year period of self-imposed celibacy, this documentary follows filmmaker Robin Franzi's personal quest through the sex-positive community in Seattle and into the world of sadomasochism. A vivid and unflinching exploration, the film also provides insights into the hearts and minds of articulate individuals from every walk of life, and how they practice BDSM in a consensual and responsible manner. Plays with the shorts F/F, a look at the Folsom Street Fair, and THE GAY LEATHERMAN, a romp through the streets (and dungeons) of Oslo, Norway.

Friday, July 11th - 7:00 pm
"Mix, Match & Mingle"
Two-somes, three-somes, four-somes and more-somes, this round-up of shorts looks at the delights - and some dilemmas - of moving beyond monogamy. With subjects ranging from a sumptuous orgy to the initial forays of a couple exploring the swing world to a few libidinous gerbils, the program includes: PLEASURE ME, PAC MOUSE, SALT, THREE IN THE MORNING, THE PARTY, DREAM TANGO, THE BIG BLUE, WRITERS & ROCKSTARS, WASH ME CLEAN, HIGH INFIDELITY and WILDEST DREAMS.

Friday, July 11th - 9:00 pm
"Give & Take"
Assume the position! A kinky collection of shorts that probe, prod and play with the dynamics of sexual power and release, control and submission. Somehow incorporating one man's fixation with lemons, the intimate thoughts of a woman newly exploring her kink, a couple struggling to the keep the passion alive and a fantastical S/M musical comedy, the program includes: IN YER ROOM, LEMON SQUEEZY, NEUROTICA, COMING OUT SPANKO, ANONYMITY, NAMAHA MAN, MARRIED WITH CHILDREN and WHO'S THE TOP?

Saturday, July 12th - 7:00 pm
TRIPLE X SELECTS: THE BEST OF LEZSPLOITATION
An international feast of lezsploitation from the 1960s and '70s in all of its notoriously twisted glory. Accented by music reflecting the era and featuring a wacked-out scientific commentary, Michelle Johnson has compiled selections from over twenty films, bringing together and re-appropriating Swedish wildcats, Italian lesbionic nuns, frisky inmates in South American prisons, Euro vampires - and a vast assortment of other Sapphic grindhouse frolics. Plays with the smutty short DIRTY WORDS: THE LETTER C, along with PILLOW GIRL and HIGHWAY AMAZON.

Saturday, July 12th - 9:00 pm
"The Best of CineKink / 2008"
A special screening of hot shorts deemed the very best of CineKink. The jury-selected awards were determined during the latest run of CineKink NYC, which took place February 26-March 2, 2008. Program includes: TEAT BEAT OF SEX, OFFICE MOBIUS, SALT, COMING OUT SPANKO, CROSSING, SOMETHING ABOUT NADIA and WHO'S THE TOP?

If you're feeling overwhelmed by indecision in the face of so much kinky potential, the lovely Violet Blue has already made her selections.

Our recommendation? Just go with it all!

























(Midori & Mayan, Silken Sleeves)

Boom-chucka-oy!

What do you get when you mix madcap Jewish humor with the Superstars of Seventies porn?

Find out when CineKink proudly sponsors a Kinky Jews presentation of A Touch of Genie, director Joe Sarno's long-lost tribute to a boyhood spent at raucous Lower East Side comedies (and an adulthood spent writing and directing some of the finest adult films to ever grace a grindhouse screen).

From the After Hours Cinema description of their recently restored classic: "Poor Melvin! His meddling mother is making him nutz. His only relief is the covert afternoons he spends at New York's notorious Times Square porn theaters. One day, Melvin discovers a genie in a bottle. What does he wish? To become his favorite porno superstars and indulge in wild sexual adventures with the sexiest women in sex film."

Starring Doug Stone as Melvin Finkelfarb and Ultramax - the First Lady of New York Porn! - as his yiddishe mama, along with over-the-top performances by porno greats Harry Reems, Tina Russell and Eric Edwards!

A Touch of Genie

Thursday June 5, 2008

Bar Opens: 9:00 PM
Film Begins: 10:00 PM

Q&A with Doug Stone following the film

Location: KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St. at 2nd Ave., NYC

Admission: $18, with advanced RSVP, $20 at the door
(Two drink vouchers included with admission)

RSVP/More Info: contact @ kinkyjews dot com

Comedy, pathos and lots of naked, dangly bits!

A stand-out at the recent Tribeca Film Festival, we've got our eyes on The Auteur, the sweet and raucous story of Arturo Domingo, the one-time leading director of art-porn cinema (Five Easy Nieces, Requiem for a Wet Dream, Full Metal Jack-Off), who finds himself at an all-time low in both career and romance.

The movie is a perfect fit for CineKink and we'll naturally be looking to include it in our next fest. But that's still a ways off - approximately 291 days as of right now, but who's counting? - and we'd love for it to find the audience it deserves in the meantime.

And you can help! Currently in the running for a slot in From Here to Awesome, a new festival that strives to cut through a lot of distribution mumbo-jumbo and make films more widely and directly available, you can take a gander at the submission trailer for The Auteur below and then make your desires known right here:



(It plays a much larger role in the actual movie, but watch for a few cameo appearances of the Clinton Street Theater, past and possibly future home to CineKink: PDX!)

Viva returns!

For those fortunates living in the NYC-metro area, another chance to take in Viva, as it opens for a run at Cinema Village on Friday.

Winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature at CineKink 2008, Viva is a gorgeously stylized film that draws on classic exploitation cinema for its look, characters and story-line, giving us the sordid story of a bored housewife who gets swept up in the sexual revolution - nudists, swingers, hippies, orgies and lesbians - oh, my!



The film's multi-hyphenated director and star, the lovely and delightful Anna Biller, will be on hand during weekend screenings, along with her charming co-star Jared Sanford.

Tickets are available here!

CineKink NYC Photo Round-Up

Lest we take as long with getting these photos out as we spent on finally putting together our wedding album, herewith a few images from CineKink NYC 2008!

First up, from photographic phenom Stacie Joy, some shots of the CineKink Kick-Off Gala.


Lux Alptraum and Molly Crabapple


JZ Bich, Dizzy Swank, Cherry Bomb, Ignacio Rivera

Here's more of the set - or visit filmmaker Leah Meyerhoff's blog for another vantage.

And a few candids from around the festival taken by Viviane for Viviane's Sex Carnival:



Boymeat and Lolita Wolf


Cory Silverberg, Jamye Waxman & Candida Royalle

And back to Stacie Joy, for still more of the CineKink scene:


Tanya Bezreh and Rachel Kramer Bussel


CineKink's "Women Behind the Lens" panel

Including proof positive for the parents back home, no neglect - our birthday was celebrated indeed!


Lisa Vandever's birthday!

The Porn Police @ SXSW !

As part of SXSW, CineKink’s co-founder and director, Lisa Vandever, will moderate a panel about the various regulations on sexually explicit content and how they may apply to all types of media producers.

THE PORN POLICE: KNOW THE RULES
Saturday, March 8 - 5-6 pm

It may seem like sex is everywhere in film, television and online, but sexual portrayals are surprisingly restricted - and getting more so everyday. Already draconian federal regulations on the depiction of sexually explicit conduct were recently expanded and signed into law by President Bush, and now apply to an even wider class of media makers. Not just pornographers, but anyone creating and working with explicit imagery of even simulated sexual conduct - bloggers, webmasters, narrative filmmakers, documentarians - needs to know the rules and the risks.
This session will touch upon:
* Overview of 18 U.S.C. 2257 & 2257A record-keeping requirements for actual and simulated sexually explicit material
* New wrinkles introduced by online access/distribution of materials
* Resources for additional information and advocacy support

Panelists:
Violet Blue
Tony Comstock
Alan Levy, Esq.
Joe Swanberg

If you're around, come on by!

And the award goes to...

As promised - though slightly delayed by the lingering and distracting effects of our Afterglow - a variety of CineKink NYC awards were announced at our awards celebration on Sunday night!

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS - "CineKink Choice"
CineKink Choice awards, which go to feature-length works in competition during the festival, were determined by audience balloting at the close of each eligible work's screening. The 2008 award winners are:

CineKink Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature:
"Call Me Troy" (Scott Bloom, 2007, USA, 100 minutes)

CineKink Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature:
"Viva" (Anna Biller, 2006, USA, 120 minutes)

CineKink Choice Award for Best Experimental Feature:
"Silken Sleeves" (Maria Beatty, 2006, USA, 50 minutes)

CineKink Choice Award - Honorable Mention:
"Triple X Selects: The Best of Lezsploitation"
(Michelle Johnson, 2007, USA, 48 minutes)


JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORTS - "CineKink Best"
CineKink Best awards, which go to short works in competition during the festival, were determined by jury deliberation and ranking. The 2008 award winners are:

CineKink Best Narrative Short:
"Who's the Top?" (Jennie Livingston, 2005, USA, 22 minutes)

CineKink Best Documentary Short:
"Coming Out Spanko" (Tanya Bezreh, 2008, USA, 15 minutes)

CineKink Best Animated Short:
"Teat Beat of Sex" (Signe Baumane, 2007, USA, 4 minutes)

CineKink Best Experimental Short:
"Closer" (Aitor Echeverria, 2007, Spain, 7 minutes)
-tie-
"Salt" (Campbell Farquhar, 2006, New Zealand, 3 minutes)

Honorable Mention/Best Experimental Short:
"Crossing" (HP Comings, 2007, USA, 19 minutes)

CineKink Honorable Best Mentions:
"Office Mobius" (Seung Hyung Lee & Seungil Hwang, 2007, USA, 5 minutes)
"Something About Nadia" (Erika Lust, 2007, Spain, 21 minutes)
"Wash Me Clean" (Michael Immerman, 2008, USA, 30 minutes)

This year's jury included Thor Stockman, creator and presenter of the popular film clip program "S/M at the Movies," Viviane, ring-leader of the sex blog, "Viviane's Sex Carnival, and Bill Woods, a film festival programmer and curator of the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives.


SPECIAL FESTIVAL AWARD FOR ARTISTIC INNOVATION - "CineKink Select"
"Schwarzwald" (Richard Kimmel, 2007, USA, 59 minutes)


FESTIVAL AWARD FOR EXTRAORDINARY DEPICTION OF KINK & SEX IN MAINSTREAM FILM & TELEVISION - "CineKink Tribute"
Recognizing extraordinary depiction of kink and sex in mainstream film and television, the annual CineKink Tribute was presented to:

"Shortbus" (2006, USA, 106 minutes)
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Screenwriter: John Cameron Mitchell
Cast: Sook-Yin Lee, Paul Dawson, Lindsay Beamish, PJ DeBoy, Raphael Barker, Jay Brannan, Peter Stickles and Justin Bond.
Producers: Howard Gertler, John Cameron Mitchell and Tim Perell
Executive Producer: Wouter Barendrecht and Alexis Fish
Distributor: ThinkFilm

CineKink Tribute Honorable Mentions (aka The CineKink Nod):
"Lust, Caution" (Focus Features)
"The Oprah Winfrey Show - 237 Reasons to Have Sex"
"Zoo" (ThinkFilm)

Many thanks and congratulations to this year's CineKink award winners - and to all of our uber-talented filmmakers!

Lolita & Boymeat Watch "2 Girls, 1 Cup"

We're slowly emerging from our immediate post-CineKink NYC coma, which seemed to descend upon us sometime shortly following the wrap of another fabulous - seriously! - AfterGlow!

A bit more coffee, then stay tuned for news on all of the 2008 CineKink award winners, we promise. But meantime, feel free to amuse withself with just one of the year's festival trailers, the ever-popular Lolita & Boymeat Watch "2 Girls, 1 Cup":

Activism, exploration and a girl-girl double-header!

Really, what else is there?

Up at CineKink tonight, first at 7 pm, from CineKink award-winner Scott Bloom ("Original Pride" Audience Choice, CineKink/2005), it's the New York premiere of CALL ME TROY, an inspirational and moving tribute to gay activist and spiritual leader, Reverend Troy Perry. Perhaps best known as the founder of the Metropolitan Community Church - the first church to recognize the spiritual needs of the gay community - Perry has long been on the front lines in leading the charge for equality and protections for all. And, a proud leatherman, he's also been an unwavering proponent for the God-given right to embrace and explore our sexuality - just exactly as we are.

More info and tickets!




Friday/9:15
At 9:15 PM, SUSAN FOR NOW is a first-person account of a woman reclaiming her sexual freedom after a ten-year period of self-imposed celibacy. Following the filmmaker's personal quest through the sex-positive community in Seattle and into the world of sadomasochism, the film also provides insights into the hearts and minds of articulate and sincere individuals from every walk of life, and how they practice BDSM in a consensual and responsible manner. Also playing is THE LEATHERMAN, in which Norwegian S/M activist Svein Skeid takes to the streets (and dungeons) of Oslo, and the world premiere of F/F, a visit to Folsom Street and beyond with three-time-CineKink alum, Charles Lum!

More info and tickets!



Friday/11:15
And at 11:15 PM, it's SEX MANNEQUIN and SUPERFREAK, a shape-shifting, body-swapping double-header of girl-girl adventures. First up, from Maria Beatty, a mannequin comes alive to the stroke and kiss of her mistress, ready to passionately serve - and to take - in a variety of kinky ways. And then, from Shine L. Houston, the lascivious spirit of a certain funk singer crashes a girl-girl party, inhabiting the bodies of its participants and creating much erotic mayhem.

More info and tickets!

Hey, kids, it's exploitation night!

We're just getting started - still plenty of time to jump on board – and tonight at CineKink it’s a hot double-bill of steamy exploitation!

First up on Thursday, at 7:00 pm, it's TRIPLE X SELECTS: THE BEST OF LEZSPLOITATION, an international feast of lesbian-exploitation highlights from the 1960s and '70s, presented in all of their notoriously twisted glory. Accented by music reflecting the era and featuring a wacked-out scientific commentary, a compilation of selections from over twenty films brings together and re-appropriates Swedish wildcats, Italian lesbionic nuns, frisky inmates in South American prisons, Euro vampires - and a vast assortment of other Sapphic grindhouse frolics. Plays with the kinky shorts PILLOW GIRL and HIGHWAY AMAZON, along with the world premiere of three-time-CineKink alum T. Arthur Cottam's DIRTY WORDS: THE LETTER C!

More info and tickets: right here!

Then, at 9 PM, it's VIVA, the sordid tale of a bored housewife who gets swept up in the sexual revolution, a highly stylized film that draws on classic exploitation cinema for its look, characters and story-line. Saturated to the hilt with vibrant color and exquisitely detailed in its depiction of the period and the genre, it follows the adventures of Barbi who, abandoned by her perfect Ken-doll husband, is dragged out on the town and into trouble by her "women's lib"-spouting girlfriend. An innocent in a sea of wolves, Barbi becomes "Viva" and quickly learns a lot more than she ever thought she wanted to know about the wild 1970s - nudists, swingers, hippies, orgies and lesbians - oh, my!

More info and tickets - and check out that trailer!

CineKink kicks off... Tuesday!

Put on your shiny finery and come help us kick off the fifth annual CineKink NYC in proper style!

A pansexual celebration of epic proportions, in addition to music, performances, free cocktails and a kinky fundraising raffle, our opening night gala will feature screenings of these special cinematic wonders:

SCHWARZWALD
A rich, modern tapestry combining elements of Druidic ritual with the passionate, leather-clad goings-on that transpire at NYC's annual Black Party, Schwarzwald follows the travails of the Black Prince as he is pursued through the woods and kidnapped by the nefarious underlings of the conniving Black Queen. Starring Buck Angel, the world famous female-to-male transsexual porn star, along with a cast of literal thousands, this is a sumptuous visual feast. And, featuring a continuous mix of music, truly the movie you can dance to! (Or not - remember, "whatever you're into!")











plus!
TEAM QUEEN
The best of New York burlesque in a gender-bending, fire-breathing, tassel-twirling, post-punk rock 'n roll prom!









and

A DOG'S TALE
Sensuous and layered, a black-and-white reverie on control and submission, longing and desire.









Featured performers for the evening include:

Dizzy Swank - putting the burly in burlesque !!!
JZ Bich – gender queer diva !!!
Ignacio Rivera – artist & activist !!!
Cherry Bomb – the queen of cream !!!
Jessica Delfino - ribald chanteuse !!!


Plus, a special raffle to benefit the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom!

Prizes include:
* An exclusive Schwarzald-edition ticket package to the Black Party!

* Complimentary weekend registration for Dark Odyssey's upcoming WinterFire!


Tuesday, February 26th - 8:00 pm

Location:
Taj, 48 West 21st Street, NYC

Admission:
$20 door/$15 advance; students/seniors $12, advance only.

More info & tickets are here!

The Sissies ride again!

Nearing the end of our count-down of CineKink trailers redux, we'd be most remiss to overlook these petticoated crowd-pleasers!



From CineKink NYC 2006, again our many thanks to on-screen phenoms - Sissy Carol, Sissy Stephanie and Sissy Terri - and to the editorial genius, Steve Ovenden, for bringing our tender creative visions into such vivid existence.

And perhaps at CineKink NYC 2008, a chance to see the Sissies again - but this time as celebrities in our midst?

Happy Valentine's Day, you hora!

As we continue to count down the trailers to CineKink NYC 2008, this entry, You, Hora!, is from "the wedding year" series of 2005. Also referred to by our sometimes better half as "the year you kinda just phoned in the trailers."

Hey, you try to plan a wedding and a film festival to fall within six weeks of each other!

We are on!

We'll check in again with even more detail on this year's wham bam program schedule for Cinekink NYC, but here's an overview to get you salivating:

Tuesday, February 26
8:00 pm - Kick-Off Gala & Opening Night Screening

Wednesday, February 27
7:00 pm - Shortbus Tribute Screening
9:00 pm - New York Stories

Thursday, February 28
7:00 pm - Triple X Selects: The Best of Leszploitation
9:00 pm - Viva

Friday, February 29
7:00 pm - Call Me Troy
9:15 pm - Susan for Now
11:15 pm - Sex Mannequin & Superfreak

Saturday, March 1
1:00 pm - Lust, Animation!
3:00 pm - Chick Flicks
5:00 pm - Women Behind the Lens
7:00 pm - Mix, Match & Mingle
9:00 pm - Give & Take
11:00 pm - The Three Trials

Sunday, March 2
1:00 pm - Annie Sprinkle's Herstory of Porn
3:00 pm - Sunday How-To Sex-O-Rama
5:00 pm - Silken Sleeves

6:30 pm - Awards Celebration
8:30 pm - AfterGlow!

Overwhelmed by indecision in the face of so many kinky cinematic possibilties? Give yourself over to our CineKink NYC All-Access Pass and prepare to submit completely!

Don't we deserve the truth?!?

In honor of Super Duper Tuesday, today's selection from the CineKink trailer archives dates back to those heady, hopeful days of 2004...



Vote early and vote often!

Counting down with the classics

As we count down the days until the premiere of CineKink NYC Trailer 2008, we thought we'd dip into the archives and share a few classics. Starting with the beginning...



Where'd that pudding-wrangler get to?!?

Are you ready?

More info - and much more - coming soon!

WGA three-way!!

Trolling around YouTube on strictly CineKink-programming-related business, we once again found ourselves distracted and set off our course, this time with the latest from our friends at the WGA.

Herewith, Episode #34 of Speechless Hollywood, this one featuring our long-time crush-object, Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary, CineKink Tribute/2003), cooling her heels with a couple of other young lovelies, presented solely in the interest of worker solidarity:



Who knew it would end like that?!

Hey, Chicago!

Come out and join us this week as the Leather Archives & Museum presents CineKink: Chicago, running November 29th -December 1st with a three-night stand of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality.

Presented by the Leather Archives & Museum, works presented will range from documentary to drama, mildly spicy to quite provocative - and everything in between:

November 29 - 7 pm/Vice & Consent (w/The Line Between)
November 29 - 9 pm/Going Under
November 30 - 7 pm/Power Plays
November 30 - 9 pm/Passion Plays
December 1 - *6 pm/Liberty in Restraint
December 1 - *8 pm/The Best of CineKink

For more information, the full festival line-up and advance tickets/passes, go here!

The last-call last call

Like many of you, we were a little startled to awaken to the fact that it's already mid-November. Thusly, to accommodate the usual assortment of well-meaning procrastinators, those of us who might wish to buy a little extra time, the last call for entries to CineKink NYC has been extended, with a new final/final (really!) deadline set for Monday, November 26th. (Really!)

Cutting across orientations, topics covered at CineKink have included - but are by no means limited to - BDSM, leather and fetish, swinging, non-monogamy and polyamory, roleplay and gender bending. Or, frankly, given the current moralistic climate, as long as it involves consenting adults, just about anything celebrating sex as a right of self-expression is welcome for consideration. (Far be it from us to define "kink" - if you think your work might make sense in this context, please send it along!)

Scheduled for its fifth annual appearance February 26-March 2, 2008, the specially curated CineKink NYC will also feature a short film competition, audience choice awards, presentations, parties and a gala kick-off, with a national screening tour to follow.

For more information and to download an entry form, check in here!

Tonight...phew... it's CineKink: PDX!!

We're sorry to report we've been a bit distracted by a medical emergency on the old family homefront, as our arrival back in Portland was greeted - literally! - by a hard tumble on the part of CineKinkster's paternal unit. But one successful hip surgery and the start of some intensive physical therapy later, the show will go on! Thusly...

...please join us as CineKink: PDX makes its brazen appearance tonight - running Thursday thru Saturday, November 1-3 with a three-night stand of films and videos that explore and celebrate a wide diversity of sexuality.

A touring version of our "really alternative film festival" held annually in New York, works presented will range from documentary to drama, mildly spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between.

November 1 - 7 pm/Vice & Consent (w/The Line Between)
November 1 - 9 pm/Webcam Girls (w/Dick Ho: Asian Male Pornstar)
November 2 - 7 pm/Power Plays
November 2 - 9 pm/Passion Plays
November 2 - 11 pm/Pornology New York
November 3 - 7 pm/Going Under
November 3 - 9 pm/The Best of CineKink

Taking place at the Clinton Street Theater, tickets are $6 per show, door only.

For more information and the full festival line-up, go here!

Bite the Apple!

As part of New York Leather Weekend, CineKink presents a fundraiser for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom ....

Friday, October 5th – 9 pm

CineKink, "the really alternative film festival," presents a special screening of film and video shorts from New York directors for a celebration of kinky Gotham. Dark and gritty, sleek and sophisticated, seamy and ... well, come and take a bite for yourself!!

On My Knees
Directed by Kim Wood, 2003, USA, 13 minutes.
Culled from the secret diaries of Hannah Cullwick, a Victorian fetishist and “maid-of-all-work,” a life of unabashed deviance is traced.

DragonLily
Directed by Napoleon Lake, 2005, USA, 21 minutes. On a stroll around Greenwich Village, DragonLily discovers Steven Speliotis' book Asia Bondage and is transported to her own explicit fantasy world of intricate bondage.

The Black Glove
Directed by Maria Beatty, 1996, USA, 30 minutes.The flame of the candle that illuminates and torments, reveals the wondrous form of the willing slave, whose haunting, wide eyes and full, parted lips recall the classic silent screen goddesses.

Meat
Directed by Joe Gallant, 2005, USA, 7 minutes.
A meditation on love in the crosshairs, the post-mod tectonic power-shift so visible in contemporary relationships.

Plus, for the first-time ever altogether!
CineKink Trailer Redux
Directed by Lisa Vandever, 2003-06, USA, 10 minutes.Since its start in 2003, CineKink has featured various NYC scene illuminaries in the trailer that runs before each festival program. With titles including Gay Cowboys Eating Pudding, CineKink Veterans for Truth, You Horah! and Sissies Gone Wild! - who do you know?!?

For more info!

CineKink-at-a-Glance

We've had so much going on in our New York calendar lately, it's been hard for everyone (especially us!) to keep on top of where we are when. And October's looking especially hectic...

Friday, October 5th - 9 pm
CineKink's "Bite the Apple!" @ New York Leather Weekend

Saturday, October 6th - noon
CineKink scopes the scene at NYC's Poly Pride Day Picnic
(and, energy permitting, Poly Pride dance that evening)

Sunday, October 7th - 2 pm
CineKink @ New York Leather Weekend's Street Fair

Tuesday, October 9th - 7 pm
CineKink @ Pioneer - LIBERTY IN RESTRAINT

Thursday, October 11th - 8 pm
NEW! Save the date for a special CineKink appearance by The Wet Spots!
More info coming soon...

CineKink @ Midnight... tonight!

Back by popular demand after its recent sold-out screening, the Pioneer Theater and CineKink team up to bring you these special midnight encores - Friday and Saturday night - of Pornology New York.

Don't miss out this time!

Submit to CineKink!

CineKink is seeking films and videos, of any length and genre, that explore and celebrate the wide diversity of sexuality. We're looking to blur some boundaries and will be considering offerings drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, explicit or not, with works ranging from documentary to drama, camp comedy to hot porn - and everything in between.

Cutting across orientations, topics covered at CineKink have included — but are by no means limited to — BDSM, leather and fetish, swinging, non-monogamy and polyamory, roleplay and gender bending. Or, frankly, given the current moralistic climate, as long as it involves consenting adults, just about anything celebrating sex as a right of self expression. (Far be it from us to define “kink” — if you think your work might make sense in this context, please send it along!)

Scheduled for its fifth annual appearance February 26-March 2, 2008, the specially-curated CineKink NYC will also feature a short film competition, audience choice awards, presentations, parties and a gala kick-off, with a national screening tour to follow.

Film and video submissions have an early, discounted deadline of October 15, 2007 and a final deadline of November 15, 2007.

For more information and to download an entry form, go here!

Tuesday...

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 7 pm

The Pioneer Theater and CineKink team up to present another evening of kinky movies, pizza and beer.



"Born in a Barn is a model documentary on the subject, a respectful study that pays homage to the subculture without sugarcoating or sensationalizing it."
- Gary Morris, Bright Lights Film Journal

"Anyone who harbors a private kink should see this film."
- Abby Ehmann, Eros Zine

BORN IN A BARN
(Audience Choice Award - Best Documentary/CineKink 2004)
An intimate and sometimes humorous look into the extraordinary erotic lives of four seemingly ordinary people. Delving deep into the world of ponyplay, the fast-growing fetish in which enthusiasts roleplay as human ponies and handlers, this documentary explores the complex motives that drive this particular passion and reveals how identity can be found in the pursuit of unconventional desire. (Directed by Elizabeth Elson, 2004, USA, 50 minutes.)

Plays with SHINE: CONFESSIONS OF A RUBBER FETISHIST, a funny, thought-provoking and unapologetic visit with Shine, who goes to work everyday, plays chess, likes to dress in rubber and craves being whipped by his friends. (Directed by Karine Baczynski, 2003, USA, 28 minutes; Best Documentary Short/CineKink 2003.)

Free pizza and beer reception follows for all ticket holders!

More info and tickets!

Pick me, pick me!

It's perhaps not the same level of trepidation that used to descend as the teams were divvied up for sixth-grade slaughter-ball, but we had a wonderful time at SXSW last year and we'd love to ensure our return in 2008. To that end, we've suggested a panel discussion for the festival, inclusion of which will be partially determined by the results of the SXSW Panel Picker, which is live and online now! (Pick me, pick me!)

Inspired by the cheerful oblivion to current and pending restrictions on sexual content demonstrated by most non-porn media makers, we've proposed:

The Porn Police: Know the Rules
Already draconian regulations on depictions of sexually explicit conduct were recently revised and now apply to an even wider class of media makers. Not just pornographers, but anyone creating and working with explicit imagery, bloggers, webmasters, narrative filmmakers, documentarians; need to know the rules and the risks.

Last year we noted SXSW's sex-positive inclusivity and the possibilities for this one again look promising. While you're in the picker giving us your vote, also give a nod to:

Violet Blue -
Sexual Privacy Online

Deb Levine -
Online Sex Advice

Cory Silverberg -
The Future of Sex in Interactive Narrative and When No Means 01001: Sexual Ethics and Interactivity

Elizabeth Wood -
Pink Ghetto Blasters: Destigmatizing Sex via Online Community Building

But don't forget to pick me, pick me!

Pain, passion and the old grey lady.

Catching up with an article by ST VanAirsdale in today's New York Times entitled "Passion for Film Spurs New Festivals, but Grueling Work Keeps Them Going," we find ourselves staring off at the wall and nodding in mute agreement. Running a film festival is haaaard. (Though, we must admit, not nearly as hard as the mind numbingly week-upon-week "temp" data entry gig we once endured.)

An interesting overview of how the festival circuit has come to replace traditional distribution for many independent filmmakers, the article also touches upon the reward that - for us, anyway - helps propel us forward, the pleasure of connecting a work with its perfect audience.

For low-budget filmmakers New York festivals allow them to get their passion projects in front of committed moviegoers, all at an average cost of $40 per submission. Genre directors once banished to larger fests’ midnight-movie ghettos have flourishing outlets like the NYC Horror Film Festival or the sexually themed CineKink. Foreign-language works reach viewers at Polish, Cuban, Korean, Brazilian and other specialized series.

Coming up on our fifth go-round in February - slogging away, working so diligently these many years - we've often claimed that we "eat their mid-night movies for breakfast." It's delightful to have the old grey lady finally take notice.

Get your wonk on!

Tonight's the coming out party for Sex in the Public Square, a new blog/social networking site put together by Elizabeth Wood and Chris Hall.

A little more "about" them:
We believe that sexuality is a fundamental component of human life, and that it cannot be excluded from "polite conversation" without losing an important element of democratic participation. We are working to expand the space available for discussions of all aspects of sexuality, and to build communities where respect and inclusion are the norm. We also believe that talk about sex needn't always be "serious" in order to be "appropriate" and we welcome playful conversations that focus on the fun of sex as well as serious conversations that focus on things like policy, safety, and identity.

Taking place tonight and featuring readings by such perennial favorites as Rachel Kramer Bussel, Lux Nightmare, Audacia Ray - and perhaps even a CineKink morsel or two - more info on the launch is here.

Joanna Angel wants you to submit! (Seriously, she does.)

The deadline to submit your works to CineKink-partner, the Los Angeles Erotica Film Fest, is coming up fast.

So, either do it for Joanna - or do it for us - but do it now!