Feb 142012
 

Rounding out multiple days of screenings and parties in its ninth annual appearance, organizers for CineKink NYC/2012 announced the recipients of awards in a range of categories during the film festival’s closing celebrations held on Sunday, February 12, 2012

“The overall quality of the films was consistently high this year,” noted Lisa Vandever, CineKink co-founder and director, as she presented the awards. “Congratulations not just to the winners tonight, but to all of the works for being part of such a stellar line-up!”

Audience Choice Awards were given to “Stage Brother” (Richard Buonagurio) for Best Documentary Feature, with “Cabaret Desire” (Erika Lust) and “Sweet Prudence & The Erotic Adventure of Bigfoot” (William Burke) tying for Best Narrative Feature. The CineKink Choice awards were determined by audience ballot just following each eligible film’s screening during the festival.

CineKink Audience Choice Winners 2012
Brittany Adams, Richard Buonagurio and Ryan Balas of Stage Brother, with Sweet Prudence & The Erotic Adventure of Bigfoot director William Burke.

In the shorts competition, juried festival awards went to “A Day in the Country” (Pella Kagerman & Hugo Lilja) for Best Dramatic Short, “Craigslist Dating” (Ryan Hunter) and “Tooshie Smooshie” (Jessica King) tied for Best Comedy Short, “Smut Capital of America” (Michael Stabile) for Best Documentary Short, “What Makes Us Queer?” (Courtney Trouble & Tina Horn) for Best Experimental Short and “Transexual Dominatrix” for Best Music Video. Honorable Best Mention awards were presented to “Pedal to Pleasure” (Poppy Cox & Anne Fidler) and “Skallamann” (Maria Block).

Determining the shorts awards, CineKink jurors this year included sex-blogger MissyStark, along with Devon Tincknell, an Austin-based event producer and editor of the sex-culture blog F*Bomb, and Bill Woods, a film festival programmer and curator of the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives.

The third annual CineKink “Bring It!” award, determined by audience ballot during a presentation of excerpts showcasing current adult cinema, went to “Live Sex Show” (Courtney Trouble).

The CineKink Tribute, recognizing extraordinary depictions of kink and sex-positivity in mainstream film and television, was presented to “3” (Tom Tykwer/Strand Releasing) for its “affirming stance that what works in love and sex need not fall within society’s standard definitions.” Honorable mentions for the CineKink Tribute went to the film “A Dangerous Method” (David Cronenberg/Sony Pictures Classics), to the television series’ “Free Agents” (NBC) and “New Girl” (Fox), and to talk shows “Anderson” (Warner Brothers) and “The Doctors” (CBS). Works eligible for consideration this year were those released or aired in the United States from January 1 until December 31, 2011.

Making its ninth annual run February 7-12, 2012, CineKink NYC featured a specially selected program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. Billing itself as “the kinky film festival,” the event is dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television. With offerings drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, works presented at CineKink NYC ranged from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between. Selections from CineKink NYC will be featured in a traveling version of the festival, slated to appear in various cities throughout the coming year.

Sponsors of CineKink NYC/2012 included Crystal Delights, KinkyMedical.net, Leather Archives & Museum , National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and njoy, along with Open Love NY, Pleasure Salon and Poly Cocktails.

Photo credit Stacie Joy. More event pics are here!

Feb 132012
 

We’re very pleased to announce the award winners for CineKink 2012!

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature
CABARET DESIRE
Erika Lust
-tie-
SWEET PRUDENCE & THE EROTIC ADVENTURE OF BIGFOOT
William Burke

Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature
STAGE BROTHER
Richard Buonagurio

BEST SHORTS

Best Dramatic Short
A DAY IN THE COUNTRY
Pella Kågerman & Hugo Lilja

Best Comedy Short
CRAIGSLIST DATING
Ryan Hunter
-tie-
TOOSHIE SMOOSHIE
Jessica King

Best Documentary Short
SMUT CAPITAL OF AMERICA
Michael Stabile

Best Experimental Short
WHAT MAKES US QUEER?
Tina Horn & Courtney Trouble

Best Music Video
TRANSEXUAL DOMINATRIX
Shawna Virago

Honorable Best Mention
PEDAL TO PLEASURE
Poppy Cox & Anne Fidler

Honorable Best Mention
SKALLAMAN
Maria Block

BRING IT! ADULT CINEMA SHOWCASE

Bring It! Award
LIVE SEX SHOW
Courtney Trouble

Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to ALL of the CineKink 2012 filmmakers. It’s an honor to share your works with our audience!

Nov 162010
 

Winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature at CineKink NYC/2010, S&M Judge will be the centerpiece for the opening night of CineKink: Chicago, running November 19-20 at the Leather Archives and Museum.

Directed by Flemish filmmaker Erik Lamens and based on a celebrated Belgian incident, the film tells of a respected judge who, desperate to save his marriage, reluctantly gives in to fulfilling the masochistic desires his wife has been hiding from him for decades. Initially shocked at her revelation, his love helps him overcome his inhibitions, and they begin to enjoy a secret life in the city’s underground S/M scene. But when the two are caught up in a police sting, his arrest and trial cause a national scandal. While their activities have been purely consensual, the court views his participation as criminal, putting his job, reputation and family life in jeopardy.

S&M Judge will screen on Friday, November 19th, 8:00 pm, and will be followed by an opening reception made possible by the support of Shibaricon.

CineKink: Chicago will continue the next day, with matinee screenings beginning at 2 pm, and will conclude with ‘The Best of CineKink/2010,’ a program of the year’s award-winning shorts, scheduled for 8:30 pm on Saturday.

More info on the Chicago screenings is available here – or you can purchase advance tickets directly via EventBrite.

Nov 032010
 

Well, at least for a couple of days…

And you can join us as CineKink — “the kinky film festival” — brings its annual tour to Washington, DC on Friday-Saturday, November 12-13, 2010.

modern love is automatic

With screenings to be held at the The Crucible, CineKink: DC will offer a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide and exciting world of sexual diversity, with works ranging from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between. And each night will also feature a sizzling play-party that continues upon the, er, theme of the evening’s film and video selections.

FRIDAY
The festivities kick off at 8 PM with the Best of CineKink, featuring a mix of award-winning shorts deemed the year’s best during the festival’s latest annual run at CineKink NYC.

Afterwards, for those who desire, stick around for a sexy play party!

SATURDAY
On Saturday at 6 PM the film shorts program Yes, Mistress asks (and sometimes answers!) the question: “How may I be of service?”

At 8 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. Director Zack Clark, a DC-native, and actress Melodie Sisk, will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A about the film, which was shot locally.

And then, if you dare, join us for a BDSM play party!

Friday and Saturday, November 12-13

The Crucible
1816 Half Street SW
Washington, DC 20003

For more info and advance tickets!

May 152010
 

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Waxie Moon

After a day spent at the rooftop topless pool, yes, life out here in the desert is that rough, we excitedly piled into a cab and made out way to the Onyx Theatre, located in the Commercial Center, for the first day of screenings.

Lisa Vandever & Dr. Carol Queen arrive at Cinekink Las Vegas

Yesterday’s schedule was Waxie Moon, Bring It, and My Sexuality: A Sensory Experience. The best thing about an alternative film festival, besides the rather obvious – seeing amazingly fresh films that explore viewpoints outside the “norm” – is the ability to interact with the artists directly involved in making these works. Seeing a film and then hearing the back story -what ran through the actor’s mind, why the director filmed a scene in that manner, what led producers with no formal training to start making films – really helps you to look at what you’ve just seen greater understanding, bringing a new depth to the experience. If you have an insatiable intellectual curiosity, alternative film festivals are for you. So come on, Las Vegas, get your butts and brains down to the Onyx today because we have another day of amazing programming for you.

That said, I now have to gush about Waxie Moon. We first met Marc Kenison, in glorious Waxie regalia, glitter, lashes and a vintage suite everyone coveted, at the Erotic Heritage Museum for the wine & chocolate gala. But hearing him and director Wes Hurley talk about the film was truly one of the highlights of the day. Instead of talking about it, I’ll leave you with a Youtube clip of one of the many outstanding performances in the film.

After the film, Marc told us how he was uncomfortable that day, the stones made walking in high heels a challenge, the water was frigid and a random dog was tagging along making him nuts. And yet, once he saw the completed piece, how much he felt indebted to Wes for understanding the character even more than he himself did. Watch. And then search out Waxie’s other videos on Youtube and should you have the opportunity to see Waxie Moon, seize it.

Cinekink panel discussion at Onyx Theatre

A panel discussion, with Lisa Vandever, Jessica King, Julie Keck and Dr. Carol Queen, moderated by UNLV’s Dr. Lynn Comella, followed My Sexuality: A Sensory Experience, where we learned that this wonderful film which explored the sexual side of five very diverse women was a student project. Astonishing. Carol, by pointing out that the self esteem building experiences these women went through all focused on very traditional images of femininity, got me wondering what it would look like and what the women’s reactions would have been if in addition to learning pole dance and getting fitted for corsets, they’d been asked to butch it up.

And so begins another day. Albeit one that started two hours earlier then I would have liked. My Mac apparently prefers East Coast time and I jolted awake thinking it was 9:30 AM not the 6:30 it actually was. When she came back carrying our Starbucks venti bolds to discover my little timing error, Diva was not at all amused.

Today’s programming begins at 1PM and includes Yes, Mistress, a film shorts program that asks (and sometimes answers!) the question: “How may I be of service?” Swingers, S&M Judge and Best of Cinekink, a special screening of shorts deemed the year’s best. The jury-selected awards were determined during the latest run of CineKink NYC.

(Cross-posted on Tied Up Events)