SAN FRANCISCO—The inaugural San Francisco PornFilmFestival, presented by Pink and White Productions was hailed as a success by its organizers as the event closed its final day of online screenings on Sunday via PinkLabel.TV.
The event, which ran Aug.19-23, was originally planned as two-day in-person theatrical event that then became five-day virtual attraction presenting 90 films, including two features, five short film programs, plus Q&As and filmmaker talks, followed by a full day of recorded programs on-demand for those who may have missed a live event—or just wanted to watch again. Supported by a crowdfunding campaign which raised over $11,000 in donations, the five-day festival saw a combined 1,500 attendees.
Highlights included the opening satirical feature, The Sad Girls of the Mountains, introduced by Mike Stabile's short documentary Smut Capital of America, which recounted San Francisco’s history as the epicenter of adult film 50 years ago. The closing film Volunteers Wanted paid homage to the ethos of adult film festivals, shot at the PornFilmFestival Berlin. It was introduced by Mes Chéris, a powerful newly released docu-porn whose physical festival premiere had been interrupted by the coronavirus.
Two guest-curated programs showcased films from the United Kingdom and Latin America. More than 30 filmmakers joined the programs' broadcasted Q&As to discuss their films and respond to Festival Director Shine Louise Houston's favorite question: "So, what'd you shoot on?"
"Thank you for coming to the very first San Francisco PornFilmFestival—in the middle of a fucking pandemic, and California is literally on fire! I can smell the smoke—so thanks everybody for watching and participating. And thanks especially to all the filmmakers who let us share their work, share their babies!" Houston said on closing night.
"I want to thank everybody who tuned in and thank how patient ya'll have been when we've had technical issues, alongside this being the first time we've done a festival and this being the first time we've done a whole live-streamed festival, it is during a pandemic!" said company web developer Kriss Lowrance. "So that means we're all working together remotely ... which means you're doing 'dead-drops' essentially of the hard drives with all the files, gently setting it down and backing away and everything."
In their announcement, event organizers gave their thanks to all who submitted their work, purchased a ticket and supported the festival. "We couldn’t have done it without you," they wrote.
The San Francisco PornFilmFestival aims to return in fall 2021 for a tentative in-person theater experience at the Brava Theater in San Francisco's Mission District. Regardless of the state of the world at that time, organizers plan to retain an online component, allowing for a more accessible experience for a global network of artists and audiences.
Meanwhile, Pink and White Productions will use its new festival broadcasting platform to host other adult film festivals that were also interrupted by COVID-19. Among these are the Seattle Erotic Cinema Society Festival (SECS Fest) Sept. 11-13 (tickets now on sale at SECSFest.org) and New York's "Kinky Film Fest" CineKink Nov. 12-15.
Those who missed the festival may find some of the official selections streaming on-demand or free with a PinkLabel.TV membership.
