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.
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.
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 is a beautiful and moving account of the conflict many face in balancing their sexual desires with societal views of what is ‘normal’—and with outmoded legal restrictions that are still on the books in many communities,” said Lisa Vandever, co-founder and director of CineKink. “We’re very proud to give the film its US premiere and present it to our audiences.”
S&M Judge will screen on Wednesday, February 17, 6:45 pm at Anthology Film Archives, where the majority of the festival screenings are also unfolding.
CineKink NYC kicks off the previous evening, Tuesday, February 16, with a gala fundraising party, and runs through Sunday, February 21, concluding with an awards ceremony and an AfterGlow closing party.
More info on all that–and advance tickets–coming soon!
Update: Tickets are available here! A donation of 25% from all advance ticket sales will go to support NCSF.
* An amazing line up of nationally-known presenters, including sex educators, BDSM masters, top-notch Tantra teachers, relationship experts, and award-winning authors, activists, and community leaders * Over 60 unique, dynamic workshops on identity, sex, relationships, swinging, polyamory, BDSM, Tantra, spirituality, and lots more * Special events including a banquet dinner featuring the fabulous The Wet Spots, nightly parties, incredible vendors and, of course, a huge, fully equipped dungeon and other intimate play spaces.
All taking place in the comfort and luxury of a beautiful host hotel located in the heart of downtown Washington, DC – and we’d like to give you the chance to be in the thick of it!
To qualify to win, you must:
* Never have previously attended a Dark Odyssey event
* Be a current CineKink Updates subscriber (if you’re not one, you can sign up right here! )
* Send an email to cinekink2010 at cinekink dot com, with “I was a DO virgin!” in the subject line.
* Include preferred email address and/or phone # and/or Twitter name for us to contact you via, should you be a winner.
All entries must be received by 11 pm (et) of Friday, January 29th.
UPDATE: deadline extended until 11 pm (et) of SATURDAY, January 30th!
Winner will be selected at random and receive TWO tickets to the event. Travel, hotel, meals and any other expenses are not included.
Clearly an argument for a ToiBocks or a locking bag from For Your Nymphomation. Meantime, here’s to happy visions of sugar plums–or whatever else you’d like dancing in your head!
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