Cinekink Las Vegas Day Two – Let the Films Begin

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)

On the Red Carpet... Modern Love is Automatic

During the CineKink NYC/2010 festivities, Ivy Liegh chats with cast and crew of Modern Love is Automatic, including director Zach Clark, actresses Maggie Ross and Melodie Sisk, and cinematographer Daryl Pittman.





The stylized film, which won a CineKink Select Award for Creative Vision, asks some burning questions: Will Lorraine’s secret life as a dominatrix be revealed? And will Adrian sell enough mattresses to be featured in the big coupon spread? In pursuing their hidden desires and misguided dreams, both girls find their paths crossing in ways they never expected.

On the Red Carpet... Balloons

During the CineKink NYC/2010 festivities, director Charles Nukolls takes a few moments to discuss his film, Balloons, with Ivy Liegh.

Winner of the jury-selected Best Short Documentary award at CineKink, the piece looks at a unique use for what you might not think of as a sex toy.

On the Red Carpet... Coverage

Director Jef Taylor discusses his short film, Coverage, during the CineKink NYC/2010 festivities.



In the film, which won a CineKink Honorable Best Mention Award, the events and subsequent media coverage of September 11th, 2001 create a sexual obsession that threatens to destroy a relationship,

On the Red Carpet... Anti-Samaritan Hotline

During the CineKink NYC/2010 festivities, Ivy Liegh chats with director A. Tad Chamberlain about his film, Anti-Samaritan Hotline.



The film, which won a CineKink Select Award for Creative Vision, is a "comedy about death, despair, suicide and sado-masochism."

On the Red Carpet... My Sexuality: A Sensory Experience

During the CineKink NYC/2010 festivities, Ivy Liegh chats a bit with director Felicia Giouzelis about her film, My Sexuality: A Sensory Experience.

Winner of the 2010 CineKink Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary, the work 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.

Amazon pulls Graphic Sexual Horror due to "explicit content"

The directors of Graphic Sexual Horror which tied for the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary at CineKink 2009, recently noted on their website that Amazon had removed the film from its online storefront, where it had made the site's "Top 10" list of both documentary and independent films downloaded for the days it was available.

If you'd like to help, they ask that supporters write to Amazon and let them know of your interest in purchasing the film. And, with a potential DVD release planned for the summer, communicate your interest by adding the title to your Netflix queue.

Best of NYC!

A lovely gift greeted our return from Berlin this week... the realization that we'd been selected by the Village Voice for their annual "Best of NYC" issue!



We're naturally very honored that the publication has distinguished us as being the city's Best Way to Watch Smutty Movies:

If you're wary of catching an Xtube virus and are looking for cleaner digs than whatever's left of Times Square's naughty picture joints, CineKink NYC is there for you. Each February, this festival provides the means for you to ditch the laptop and the privacy of your own home, and enjoy kinky film the way it's meant to be enjoyed—in the company of strangers, of course.

Of course! (Though if you'd like to bring a friend along, that's perfectly fine, too.)

Read along here for the rest of the accolades...

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.

'Sex Positive' in NYC - this weekend!

The CineKink award-winning documentary Sex Positive, a compelling history of safer sex and profile of activist Richard Berkowitz, who helped pioneer the concept, opens this weekend in NYC at The Quad. A special Q&A featuring Richard and the film's director, Daryl Wein, will be held after the 7:45 & 9:45 screenings on Friday through Sunday.

Dates have also been announced for LA and San Francisco, but a good turn-out this weekend will help the film get booked into other cities.

A must-see!

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...

Hey, where's our tribute?!

Or where's your nomination, rather, which we're currently accepting for the CineKink Tribute, an annual award that honors outstanding depictions of kink and sex-positivity in mainstream film and television.

Last year's CineKink Tribute was presented to the film Shortbus-- which was directed by our long-time nemesis, John Cameron Mitchell, and distributed by ThinkFilm--for its "frank, funny and human look at the inextricable role sexuality plays in our day-to-day lives and the many flavors it can exhibit."

Meanwhile, honorable mentions (aka the CineKink Nod) went to Focus Feature's Lust, Caution, to ThinkFilm's documentary release Zoo and to the syndicated series, The Oprah Winfrey Show. (Yes, that Oprah...for the episode "237 Reasons to Have Sex"!) (You thought there were only 236?)

A wide range of works--will it be Tyra?--are eligible for consideration, as long as they were released for US distribution (theatrical, broadcast and/or cable) at any time in 2008. Winners will be announced in conjunction with CineKink NYC, which is coming up February 24-March 1, 2009.

So, who's gonna take it home this year? Let us know!

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!

Remembering Bettie

"I want to be remembered," she said, "as I was when I was young and in my golden times. . . . I want to be remembered as the woman who changed people's perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form."

We're sad to note that Bettie Page has passed away, reportedly never regaining consciousness after the heart attack she suffered late last week.

Quoted as above in today's LA Times obituary, Bettie reportedly refused to allow herself to be photographed in her later years, so the iconic images she created in the 1950s are what we have to remember her by. A brief slideshow of just a few of these--including her Christmas-themed appearance as one of the first Playboy Playmates--accompanies a memoriam which her business agent has posted to her Bettie's website. And with an "estimated 20,000 4-by-5-inch black-and-white glossy photographs taken by amateur shutterbugs from 1949 to 1957," the internet is blessed with an abundance of tributes and remembrances (see uncredited photo, below).



Another homage, the film The Notorious Bettie Page, winner of the 2006 CineKink Tribute award, 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 best known. Below, its director and star, Mary Harron and Gretchen Mol, discuss the inspiration and legacy of Bettie Page and the impact she's had on our perception of sexuality:

Thinking of Bettie

We're sending our best thoughts out to Bettie Page, who suffered a heart attack yesterday and is currently being hospitalized in intensive care.



Along with sunnily gracing the imaginations of millions over the years, the iconic 1950s pin-up star was also subject of the film The Notorious Bettie Page, which was awarded a CineKink Tribute in 2006.

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!

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!

Too hot for Dallas!

The perennial crowd-pleaser and CineKink award winner, Filthy Food, has run into another flap of controversy, this time at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival.

According to director T. Arthur Cottam, the trailer for the film was prevented from being posted to the event's website for fear of offending AFI Dallas sponsors and the already printed cover for Day 3 of the festival's newspaper was ordered destroyed and replaced because it prominently featured an image (above!) from the film. (A bootleg copy of the original cover has been posted to the Dirty Little Shorts Yahoo Group.)

But an interview with T. - and a red carpet photo with a giant banana - did make its way into Day 11 of the AFI Dallas Daily News and touches upon controversies past and present. From the intro:

A nectarine, a banana, cookie dough – all banned. All forbidden to be shown onscreen at a film festival in Italy because they apparently would end civil society as we know it (or at least, as the Italians know it). That is the talent of T. Arthur Cottam and his film, FILTHY FOOD, in a nutshell. By the sheer weight of his presentation, he made some fruit and some dough naughty. More than naughty – disgusting, even.

Judge for yourself. You can watch the trailer, below. Or visit Atom Films to watch the smutty masterpiece in its glorious entirety!

Mom would be so proud ... 2008

Last year when we reported on these awards, it was our mother's birthday. And this year, appropriately enough, we're actually home visiting her - in our mind, the proto-uber feminist.

So, while we're still working on making the world a place where a woman’s right to determine and enjoy her own sexual pleasure is a taken-for-granted aspect of daily life, we take a few more big steps forward with the recently announced "2008 Feminist Porn Awards" presented by the folks at Good for Her:

Smutty Schoolteacher of the Year:
Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to Oral Sex Part 1 Cunnilingus and Part 2 Fellatio | Tristan Taormino; Vivid Ed

Hottest Dyke Film:
Crash Pad Series Volume 1 | Shine Louise Houston; Pink and White Productions Blowfish Video
(Alum CineKink 2008)

Sexiest Straight Film:
My Sex Therapist.com: The First Sessions | Kelly Holland; Chick Media

Golden Beaver Award for Canadian Content:
Bren Ryder | www.gooddykeporn.com

Best Bi Scene:
Female Fantasies | Petra Joy; Strawberry Seductress Productions
(Alum CineKink 2008)

Most Tantalizing Trans Film:
Trans Entities: The Nasty Love of Papi' and Wil | Morty Diamond; Morty Diamond Productions

Hottest Kink Film:
Bondage Boob Tube | Madison Young; Blowfish Video
(Alum CineKink 2008)

Deliciously Diverse Cast:
Trans Entities: The Nasty Love of Papi' and Wil | Morty Diamond; Morty Diamond Productions

Sexiest Short:
Want | Loree Erickson; Femmegimp Productions
(Winner/Best Documentary Short CineKink 2006)

Indie Porn Pioneer:
Estelle Joseph; Stella Films Productions

Movie of the Year(!!):
Five Hot Stories for Her | Erika Lust; Lust Films
(Winner/Honorable Best Mention CineKink 2008 for Something About Nadia)



From what Erika recounts, upon bestowing the final award, the presenters said:
“Every so often, a film comes along that reinvents what is possible within porn. This year’s winner has taken stock subjects and turned them on their head, making women and their desires the focus of the film..."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves - though we wish we had!

Congratulations to Erika and all of this year's winners, with many thanks for forging ahead.

Tanged and sugasmed!

Welcome Daily Tangers! More info on what you're likely looking for - Viva! - can be found here, but do feel free to linger and, er, poke around a bit.

For everyone else... while it looks like we've gone a bit blog-AWOL the past week, we've at least been busy, hob-nobbing out in San Francisco with some of our favorite kink-wonks at the Leather Leadership Conference. And getting an introduction to both local cuisine and to Kink.com's new facilities at the SF Armory from the delightful Thomas Roche.

At journey's end - this particular journey anyway - we're excited to find that CineKink made the latest episode of the Daily Tang vlog, where you can also learn about a crackdown on porn in Indonesia and the latest talent at Fuckingmachines.com.

And, of course, we've been sugasmed again:

Sugasm #127
The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #128? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form. Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.

This Week’s Picks

My life as a Female
“His reply was instant: “You are a man”.”

Crisp
“I found my eyes unable to leave the curves of her ass, everything else out of focus.”

Ripping yourself a new one
“What’s the most ludicrous porn scene you ever saw?”

Mr. Sugasm Himself (one from the vaults)
How to Choose an Affiliate Program

Editor’s Choice
Cream and Sugar

More Sugasm
Join the Sugasm
See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.

Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
Feeling safe
How Butch is Butch and how Femme is Femme?
Of Art Nouveau & Sublime Curves
Say Hello to Nanna, Nonno.
The Secret of Polyamory
Why Flirting Doesn’t Work

Sex Work
New At Nuts4chic - The Story Of Justin, A Male Escort
No Tact

Erotic Writing and Experiences
Blow by blow (1)
Door Number Two
Fellatrices: Phantom Blowjob
Flight of Fantasy
Fun at glory hole
Gay Threesome
Good Friday
Is there a polite way to ask a girl…
Reawakening the Temptress…It Must Be Spring
So long
Sometimes it pays to love the one your with
Teasing…
Therapy
To Avoid Waste, One Must Be Profligate
An Unnecessary Journey

Sex Advice
Impertinent Question: Do You Role-Play in the Bedroom?

NSFW Pics, Videos & Audio
Half-Nekkid with New Pumps
Hardcore double penetration in gangbang
Hot Blonde from Petter Hegre
MC Nudes: Luciana, Nina, Susana Spears & Zoe
Peaches in lingerie
Spanked Naked in Semi-Public
Sum Myself Up in Six Words?

Sex Humor
Discovery of Coital “Safe House” Debunks Sex Research Findings

BDSM & Fetish
Catalina loves Kinky Tea Parties
Hypnosis, spanking and sex
My first master
Object of His Attention

Sex News, Reviews & Interviews
Of Ilsa and her ilk
Sabrina Fox Bound And Forced To Cum On Sex And Submission
The Whole Chicken’s Blatantly Self-Promoting Anniversary Contest