Winners Of CineKink's 14th Annual Kinky Film Festival Announced

NEW YORK CITY—CineKink NYC/2017 is over, and the event's promoters announced the award winners in several categories at the film festival's closing night party on Sunday, March 19. “We’ve all been feeling pretty demoralized since the election, but the works we were able to share during CineKink this year have been so reinvigorating," stated Lisa Vandever, CineKink co-founder and director. "Congratulations and thanks are in order, not just to the winners tonight, but to all of the filmmakers for contributing to such a stellar line-up!" Audience Choice Awards for CineKink 2017 were given to Snapshot (Shine Louis Houston) for Best Narrative Feature, with Sex and the Silver Gays (Charles Lum and Todd Verow) winning for Best Documentary Feature. In the shorts competition, juried festival awards went to The Erotic Dreams of the Chelsea Hotel (Tony Notarberardino and Cassandra Rosebeetle) for Best Dramatic Short, Like Totally Hot Couple Seeking Same (Marcel Simoneau and Kirsten Russell) for Best Comedy Short, Tabook (Dario van Vree) for Best Animated Short, and Folsom Street (Aron Kantor) for Best Musical Short. Honorable Best Mention awards were presented to Four Day Weekend (Nicole Jones), Trinity (Ms. Naughty) and The Hutong Vibe (Fan Popo). Determining the shorts awards, CineKink jurors this year included Viviane Tang, ring-leader of the sex blog Viviane's Sex Carnival, Bill Woods, a film festival programmer and curator of the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives, and F. Leonora Solomon, an erotica writer and editor. The annual CineKink "Bring It!" award, determined by audience ballot during a presentation of excerpts showcasing current adult cinema, went to Merger (Urvashi). The CineKink Tribute, recognizing extraordinary depictions of kink and sex-positivity in mainstream film and television, was presented to the feature film Deadpool (Director Tim Miller; 20th Century Fox), for its “general reminder that sex is fun and vital, even for super-heroes, and specifically for its introduction of ‘pegging’ to the mainstream silver screen.” Honorable mentions for the CineKink Tribute went to the television series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser (Nikki Glaser/Comedy Central) and Easy (Joe Swanberg/Netflix), and to the feature film 20th Century Women (Mike Mills/A24). Works eligible for consideration this year were those released or aired in the United States from January 1 until December 31, 2016. Making its 14th annual run March 14-19, 2017, CineKink NYC featured a specially selected program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. Billing itself as "the kinky film festival," the event is dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television. With offerings drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, works presented at CineKink NYC ranged from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit, and everything in between. Sponsors of CineKink NYC/2017 included Bowery Bliss and njoy, along with Purple Passion, plus Leather Archives and Museum, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and Pleasure Salon. Selections from CineKink NYC will be featured in a traveling version of the festival, slated to appear in various cities throughout the coming year. For more information, visit CineKink.com. The following provides more detail of the award winners: CineKink Choice - Audience Choice Awards CineKink Choice awards, which go to feature-length works in competition during the festival, were determined by audience balloting at the close of each eligible work's screening. The 2016 award winners are: CineKink Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature: Snapshot Drawing inspiration from film classics such as Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Antonioni’s Blow Up, follows freelance photographer and woman-about-town, Charlie, who has her sights set on Danny, an older butch in search of adventure and romance. Just as things are about to click between the two, Charlie accidentally snaps a photo of a murderer, and becomes his new target. With a killer hot on her trail, and a new relationship developing, will Charlie find love — or her own demise? (Directed by Shine Louise Houston, 2016, USA, 66 minutes. Stars Berreta James and Chocolate Chip.) CineKink Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature: Sex And The Silver Gays Amidst their flurry of elderly activities, the NYPrimeTimers members also actively participate in monthly sex parties. These octogenarian orgiasts invite us to their intimate gatherings, explicitly illustrate their carnal activities, and explain to us who they are, their own shared histories, and what it means to their lives to share joyful, consensual sexual celebrations together for a long as may be possible. A great lesson for us all! (Directed by Charles Lum & Todd Verow, 2016, USA, 70 minutes.) CineKink Best - Jury Award For Best Shorts CineKink Best awards, which go to short works in competition during the festival, were determined by jury deliberation and ranking. The 2017 award winners are: CineKink Best Dramatic Short: The Erotic Dreams Of The Chelsea Hotel An erotic journey in the legendary Chelsea Hotel, as a mysterious woman is led by a voyeuristic man through a series of sexual experiences involving several eccentric characters. (Directed by Tony Notarberardino & Cassandra Rosebeetle, 2016, USA, 30 minutes. Stars Cassandra Rosebeetle, Ariel Shafir and James Anthony Tropeano III.) CineKink Best Comedy Short: Like Totally Hot Couple Seeking Same Isabelle and Jean Luc are a normal, uptight, Parisian couple in search of a way to spice up their marriage. So they travel to the one place in the world known for its debauchery… Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (Directed by Marcel Simoneau & Kirsten Russell, 2015, USA, 17 minutes. Stars Celine Perra, Roger Contebardo, Marcel Simoneau and Kirsten Russell.) CineKink Best Documentary Short: By The People: 25 Years Of Community Archiving At Leather Archives & Museum Illustrates the rise of The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M), from a co-founder's Midwestern basement to the professional institution it is today…all thanks to the ongoing efforts of those within the communities that LA&M represents. Demonstrates how professional archiving and public display of alternative sex and culture materials are acts of activism, and a path toward ending the stigma and shame that many in mainstream society often seek to place on those with kinky inclinations. (Directed by Christina Court, 2016, USA, 39 minutes.) CineKink Best Animated Short: Tabook While browsing the bookstore, Gwen is unexpectedly drawn to a volume of kinky erotica. (Directed by Dario van Vree, 2016, The Netherlands, 3 minutes.) CineKink Best Musical Short: Folsom Street A kink and fetish-fueled dance explosion in celebration of the Folsom Street Fair. (Directed by Aron Kantor, 2015, USA, 6 minutes.) CineKink Honorable Best Mentions: Four Day Weekend A middle-aged couple, married for twenty-three years, takes a four-day break from each other. The aftermath leaves their relationship shaken and tested. (Directed by Nicole Jones, 2016, USA, 20 minutes. Stars Ben Koldyke and Nicole Jones.) Trinity "Sometimes in a relationship you need to shake things up a bit." (Directed by Ms. Naughty, 2017, USA, 6 minutes. Stars Lina Pembe, Parker Marx and Rooster.) The Hutong Vibe Two women meet in a B&B along a hutong, or alley, in Beijing. One of them acts unfriendly and bashful, the other is bold and flirty. What will happen when they get closer and closer? Part performance, part documentary, and purportedly the first feminist porn out of China. (Directed by Fan Popo, 2016, China, 19 minutes.) “Bring It!" - Adult Industry Showcase Award The annual CineKink "Bring It!" award is determined by audience ballot during a presentation of short works and excerpts showcasing adult cinema. Merger The excitement and tension of business deals can inspire the participants to engage in other, more physical ways. (Directed by Urvashi, 2016, USA, 16 minutes. Stars Angel and Heidi Cruz.) Cinekink Tribute - Recognition Of Sex-Positivity In Mainstream Film/TV Annual festival award for Extraordinary Depiction of Kink and Sex-Positivity in Mainstream Film/Television. Works eligible for consideration this year were those released or aired in the United States from January 1 through December 31, 2016. CineKink Tribute/2017: Deadpool (Director Tim Miller; 20th Century Fox) Honorable Mentions: Not Safe With Nikki Glaser (Creator Nikki Glaser; Comedy Central) Easy (Creator Joe Swanberg; Netflix) 20th Century Women (Writer/director Mike Mills; A24) Pictured: A scene from Trinity.