SAN FRANCISCO—The 2020 San Francisco Porn Film Festival is coming to town—well, virtually, so actually every town—August 20-22, and Pink and White Productions has announced the official selections for the inaugural event. Originally planned as an in-person theatrical event spanning two days, the inaugural festival has been transformed into a virtual livestream powered by the company’s own streaming platform PinkLabel.tv.
A call for films received more than 250 submissions from filmmakers from over two dozen countries.
“We had a luxury problem,” said festival director Shine Louise Houston. “We ended up adding an extra day of programs and two weeks of special pre-show presentations.”
In the end, 90 films have been selected to screen at the online festival, which also includes post-screening Q&As, a director chat, and filmmaker meet-and-greet.
Two feature-length films open and close a series of curated short film programs. Opening the festival on Thursday August 20, is the mockumentary The Sad Girls of the Mountains, introduced by the short documentary Smut Capital of America, which recounts San Francisco’s history as the epicenter of adult film 50 years ago. The festival’s closing feature film is Volunteers Wanted: or How to Live, Love, and Fuck at the Berlin PornFilmFest, a love letter to the culture found within adult film festivals and a nod to the festival from which the San Francisco Porn Film Festival drew its inspiration and moniker. The closing film is introduced by Mes Chéris, a docu-porn collaboration featuring Black trans male porn star Bat Boi.
Two guest-curated programs include a Latin American short adult film program curated by Brazilian filmmaker and scholar Érica Sarmet with selections from Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and México, and a United Kingdom short adult film program curated by Max Disgrace of the London Porn Film Festival with films spanning the 1990s to today.
Three curated short film programs focus on humor, experimentation, and beauty as depicted within independent adult film. Unsurprisingly, many films address topics of sheltering-in-place amidst COVID-19. Widely represented are films by and showcasing people whose bodies and desires are not often depicted in commercial pornography, including filmmakers of color, disability, and older performers. The films originate from two dozen countries, in addition to several films by creators in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tickets go on sale August 6. The pre-show starts August 6, opening show August 20 and closing show on August 22. A repeat of select programs will run on August 23 for those who may have missed the live shows.
Early-bird ticket purchasers may enjoy two full weeks of specially presented films rotating daily.
San Francisco Porn Film Festival’s virtual premiere is powered by Pink and White Productions' indie adult film streaming platform PinkLabel.tv.
For the full list of Official Selections, visit SFPornFilmFestival.com.
Those interested may follow the festival on Twitter at @SFPornFilmFest and Instagram at @sfp.filmfest.
