Annual CineKink Film Festival Spotlights The World Of Kink—And More

NEW YORK CITY—The 14th edition of the annual CineKink Film Festival will be returning on Tuesday, March 14, 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" play party. Billing itself as "the kinky film festival," the event will run March 14-19, 2017. 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. "In light of everything going on in our country right now, it's personally been a bit of struggle producing this year's festival," said Lisa Vandever, co-founder and director of CineKink. "But in our current climate, it's vital that we claim our rights to free self-expression, and sexuality is such a key component of that—as is pleasure, and I know a lot of us could do with a bit of fun about now!" The CineKink NYC festivities begin Tuesday, March 14, at 8 PM, with a fundraising kick-off extravaganza to be held at M1-5 Lounge (52 Walker Street, NYC), a pansexual celebration that includes burlesque performances, sexy "sensation stations" for the kink-curious, a raffle of sex-positive swag, and some decadent morsels of cinematic mirth. The festival then moves to Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue, NYC) from Wednesday, March 15 through Saturday, March 18, with several different film and video programs scheduled for each day. An awards celebration and an AfterGlow play party complete the festival's run on Sunday, March 19. WEDNESDAY, March 15 Among the headliners, first up at 7:00 PM is the festival's CineKink season opener screening of Secretary, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the BDSM classic's original release. Then, at 9:30 PM, the documentary Horse-Being follows a 50-year-old former teacher as she trains with an American cowboy and roleplays as a horse. THURSDAY, March 16 Beginning at 7:00 PM, the shorts program More Than Two explores a range of minglings—polyamorous, non-monogamous, swinging or just "open"—that move beyond the traditional couples construct. Then, at 9:15 PM, Kink & Community offers a short film sampling of the many predilections that make up the world of kink, and the museum that strives to document them all. FRIDAY, March 17 Debuting at 7:00 PM, The Bedroom is a fun and playful roundelay of six erotic episodes, all set in one bedroom over six decades, tracing the changes in sexual mores over the years. And at 9:00 PM, as the nation readies itself for new political realities, Nasty Women is a collection of short films that stake a claim for female agency and the power of speaking one's desires. SATURDAY, March 18 Kicking off the Festival's final day, at 1:00 PM, Sex And The Silver Gays is a documentary look at the NYPrimeTimers, a New York-based group of gay senior citizens who actively participate in monthly sex parties. At 2:45 PM, Churchroad explores a subculture within Amsterdam nightlife that offers unprecedented sex and apparent absence of judgment, causing the documentary's filmmaker to confront his own personal boundaries. At 4:30 PM, CineKink's 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 7:30 PM, a collection of shorts, Surrender, touches upon the exquisite moments of letting go, of giving oneself over completely to another. Finally, at 9:30 PM, the festival's closing competition film, Snapshot, draws on suspense film classics such as Hitchcock's Rear Window and Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up, to follow Charlie, a freelance photographer and woman-about-town, as she pursues an older butch who's in search of romance. SUNDAY, March 19 CineKink NYC concludes on Sunday evening at 7:00 PM, with the Cinekink Awards Celebration, including presentation of the annual festival awards, to be followed at 9:00 PM 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 location for both Sunday events is Bowery Bliss, a club located on the Lower East Side; the exact address will be provided upon advance RSVP/purchase. For more information, visit CineKink.com. For a direct link to the programming and events, click here. Tickets and passes may be purchased here. Tickets to CineKink NYC screenings are $11; $8/seniors & students. Admission to the Kick Off Gala is a suggested donation of $20 door/$15 advance. Admission to the Awards Celebration is free with RSVP. Advance purchase admission to the AfterGlow party is $30/individual, $50/couple, $60/triad; no door sales. A limited number of CineKink All-Access Passes, covering admission to all screenings and parties, are available in advance for $85; $65 for students/seniors; $45 for CineKinksters & Friends w/Benefits (CineKink member supporters).