Farewell, Pioneer...

Somehow escaping notice in our post-election haze was the closing of the Pioneer Theater, a venerable Lower East Side institution and home to our monthly CineKink screening series for a brief but happy duration.

Reportedly another victim of rising real estate costs in the neighborhood, the theater held its final screening on Halloween night and a send-off gathering last Friday. While we didn't make it to the last shindig, we're proud to have a prominent presence in the Pioneer's round-up of testimonials, an inscription left by one of our movie-goers, Maritess, posted here verbatim since we're not sure how long it will last anywhere else:

Saw "Annie Sprinkle's Amazing World of Orgasm" in the "Cine-kink" festival with other "cutting edge" films like..."My Pussy is Magic" (WTF?) and other questionably artistic films. Thank God for the Pioneer Theater, this was Sprinkle's NYC movie premiere, which is surprising because it was such a great film, made in 2004.

A few of the artists in the festival (except for Annie Sprinkle--boo!) held a Q and A afterwards, which was amusing because the audience was clearly stimulated, people shifting in seats, couples making out.While in this state, I thanked GOD for the surprising lack of super-creepy guys watching this flick alone, the audience was comprised of intellectual pervs like me, with a facade of decorum and sophistication, masking public porno watching with academic curiosity.

Although it is a tiny theater, the seats were in great shape, cushy, clean, so unlike what I would expect a clearly non profit independent theater to be like.

The staff is soooo nice, laid back and friendly. Even the concession stand looks friendly, ,mostly because it is not the cookie cutter concession stands of the corporate movie cineplexes. Hooray for independent film houses!

Hooray--and adieu!