My CineKink Picks

Last night was the kick off party for the sixth annual CineKink Film Festival. The venue for the party was Kush, on Chrystie street, and I didn’t take pictures or tweet because I was busy talking to real live human beings. Crazy, I know. OK – its true that I was talking about twitter and blogging with some of them so that makes it a little less like I’m an awesome social butterfly, but whatever.

You can check out the festival schedule in its entirety here, but I thought I’d also dish about the films that I’m excited to see this week. Films are screening at the Anthology Film Archives on Second Street at Second Avenue, tickets at $8 if you buy in advance and I believe they are $10 at the door. There are also festival passes still available.

Here are the films I’m most looking forward to seeing, though I’m planning on being at most of the screenings.

Wednesday, February 25th
The opening film, at 6:45 pm, is a doc called Sex Positive, about the early years of AIDS and HIV/AIDS activism told through the story of Richard Berkowitz – it looks really fascinating. I always love to learn about and be reminded of the history of sexuality rights and health activism. The film is preceded by a short called AIDS Conference Cocksuckers, which is by a friendly and weird bearded man named Charlie Lum. I first met Charlie a year and change ago at the Berlin Porn Film Festival – a little bizarre that I had to travel so far to meet this quirky New Yorker. He’ll be at the screening for sure, so say hi if you see him – he’s a delight to talk to, and his films are viscerally intense and kind of peculiar. AIDS Conference Cocksuckers is having its premiere at CineKink; Charlie made it with this festival in mind.

Thursday, February 27th
The Lipstick and Crinolines shorts program at 9 pm is what interests me the most on the second night of the festival. Some of the shorts to look out for are Miss Jezebel’s Feathers, an experimental short featuring the lovely burlesque performer Jezebel Express, who by the way was the stylist for the Sex Blogger Calendar. Dorian: A Picture is a short doc about a drag performer, directed by Joe E. Jeffries, who I interviewed for Naked City last summer (I would link to the interview but the Village Voice has disappeared the entire site). There’s also a film showing the inner workings of Miss Vera‘s Finishing School for Boys Who Want to Be Girls: Pritch and Panch Do… The Cinderfella Experience at Miss Vera’s Finishing School.

Friday, February 27th
On Friday I’m most interested in the 9 pm program, Wanton Female Desire. I’m most looking forward to seeing my friend Jennifer Lyon Bell‘s film Matinee, which I’ve watched her work on for the past few years and is finally done and gorgeous. Other awesomeness includes one of the scenes of Erika Lust’s Barcelona Sex Project, Signe Baumane‘s animated shorts The Teat Beat of Sex, and an excerpt of Maria Beatty’s Strap On Hotel.

Saturday, February 28th
I have to go ahead and recommend the 4.30 pm program most enthusiastically, because it includes my comedic short Dacia’s Love Machine. There are also two other films in this program, Marta’s Sex Tape and Orange Peel.

The 12.30 program has two docs about BDSM that are really worth checking out. Kinky is about BDSM and Black Americans; structurally the film gets a little repetitive, but the content is great – I screened this for my human sexuality class at Rutgers and my students loved it. BDSM: It’s Not What You Think is a beautifully and painstakingly put together film that’s totally worth your time – and also should be shown to college students and curious onlookers in general.

Saturday is the most jam-packed day of screenings – really if you check out any of them you’ll be all set. Good stuff indeed!

Sunday, March 1st is hangover and socialize day, on which there is an awards event and then the afterglow party.

Right now I don’t feel like I have proper sleep anywhere in my near future, but that’s ok because I’ll be full of NYC pervert culture. Yay for that!