NEW YORK CITY—CineKink NYC returns for its twelfth annual appearance on Tuesday, February 24, bringing with it a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. In addition to screenings, plans for the festival also include a short film competition, presentations, audience choice awards, a fund-raising kick-off gala and a concluding afterglow party.
Billing itself as "the kinky film festival," the event will run February 24-March 1, 2015. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, works presented at CineKink NYC will range from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between.
"With so much attention on kink in the mainstream, and the release of Fifty Shades, it’s exciting to be back with such a rich and diverse festival line-up," said Lisa Vandever, co-founder and director of CineKink. "We've been keeping it kinky for twelve years now, and we’ll have offerings that will appeal both to those who’ve been with us since the start, and to those who have just recently been inspired to explore."
The CineKink NYC festivities begin Tuesday, February 24, at 8pm, with a fundraising kick-off extravaganza to be held at Taj (48 W. 21st Street, NYC), a pansexual celebration that, in addition to music and sexy performances, offers several cinematic gems up on the screen.
The festival then moves to Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue, NYC) from Wednesday, February 25 through Saturday, February 28, with several different film and video programs scheduled for each day.
A DIY filmmaking workshop, an awards celebration and an AfterGlow play party complete the festival's run on Sunday, March 1.
Wednesday
Among the headliners, first up on Wednesday, February 25 at 7pm, the festival's CineKink Season Opener screening of Inside Her Sex, a thought-provoking, boundary-pushing film, explores female sexuality and shame through the eyes and experiences of three women. Then, at 9pm, contestants pantomime sexual encounters with imaginary partners in a raucous documentary, Air Sex: The Movie, which follows The Air Sex championship tour around the country.
Thursday
On Thursday, February 26 at 7pm, Back Issues: The Hustler Magazine Story is a definitive look at the personalities that created what might be the most offensive magazine of all time. Then, at 9:00 PM, a double-feature, Love Hard and Body of God, celebrates the exploration of limits...be those of mind, body and/or soul.
Friday
On Friday, February 27 at 7:15pm, Lust Stories is a hot set of lust-filled, female-centric shorts. And at 9:30pm, A Tribute to Club 90 brings together four denizens of NYC’s "Golden Era of Porn" - Veronica Hart, Candida Royalle, Annie Sprinkle and Veronica Vera - for a rare public reunion and frank reminiscing.
Saturday
Kicking off Saturday, March 1 at 1pm, will be High Shine: 15 Years of International MS Bootblack, pays tribute to the many woman-identified bootblacks of the leather community, and the traditions and practices that sustain them.
At 3pm, in Age of Consent, the story of the Hoist, London’s first and only gay sex/fetish bar, coincides with the history of AIDS, gay gentrification and the ongoing struggle to decriminalize homosexual activity, including BDSM, in the United Kingdom.
At 5pm, an annual porn showcase, Bring It! features a dazzling array of talent from today's adult cinema, each representing a wide range of genres and visual styles, all stepping up with a hot sampling of their recent endeavors.
At 7:15pm, a collection of kinky shorts, More Than 50, moves beyond gradations of gray to celebrate a wide gamut of bondage, discipline, dominance, submission and sadomasochism.
And at 9:30pm, the festival's closing competition film, Marriage 2.0 looks at the possibilities and pitfalls of an open relationship, following one couple on their search to balance personal freedom with emotional and sexual bliss.
Sunday
For those who may have been inspired to take a go at creating their own erotic cinema, a workshop, From Fantasy to Film: Intro to Making Your Own Porn, will take place from 2 to 5pm.
CineKink NYC concludes the evening of Sunday, March 1 at 7pm, with a CineKink Awards Celebration, including presentation of the annual festival awards, to be followed at 9pm by the CineKink AfterGlow party, one last chance to mingle with like-minded festival-goers and enjoy a few additional screenings, this time in a relaxed play party setting.
The locations for all three Sunday events is Bowery Bliss, a club located in the Lower East Side; exact address will be provided to all ticket holders.
For more information, visit cinekink.com.
Tickets and passes may be purchased here. Tickets to screenings are $10; $8/seniors & students.
A limited number of CineKink All-Access Passes, covering admission to all screening programs/panels, plus all parties, are available in advance for $85; $60 for students/seniors; $45 for CineKinksters & Friends w/Benefits (CineKink member supporters).
Sponsors for CineKink NYC/2015 include Bowery Bliss, KinkyMedical.net and njoy, along with Dom Sub Friends, Leather Archives & Museum, The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, Pleasure Salon, Purple Passion and The Eulenspiegel Society.
