San Francisco PornFilmFestival Announces Lineup and Fundraiser

SAN FRANCISCO—Festival organizers have announced the official slate for the 2023 San Francisco PornFilmFestival, running August 16 to 27, with online programming and in-person events broadcasting live from the Brava Theater August 18 to 19 powered by streaming adult platform PinkLabel.TV. The festival is a multi-generational celebration of the porn industry's history and a look forward to the innovations of today's adult moviemakers. A collection of 69 titles present a wide assortment of movies exploring sexuality, spanning experimental to documentary. Attendees can also look forward to in-person and virtual screenings, socials and director chats. This year’s festival features a line-up of movies premiering this year, as well as a look back at classic LGBTQ movies. This year also sees a trend coming out after the initial wave of pandemic isolation: group sex scenes. The festival closes with Big/Bang, a curation of who’s-who in contemporary porn-making around the world, exploring how they "push the genre" and expand the cinematic landscape of sexuality. Coinciding with the official selections announcement, organizers have launched the festival’s annual fundraiser, offering VIP and pre-sale tickets, limited edition t-shirts, PinkLabel.TV gift cards, and sponsorship packages. The fundraiser allows the international moviemaking community and its fans to play a role in supporting the event by helping to secure theatrical and virtual production expenses and, importantly, ensure artist payment. Festivities begin online on Wednesday, August 16 as Fore/Play kicks off a special 24-hour selection of movies screening on-demand, showcasing international productions including "Auto/Visual" and "Jerks" from Greece, Narcissism from Germany, and "House of Woland" from Australia, while "Documenting a Hot Summer Weekend" and "The Dinner Party" represent contemporary Bay Area porn producers. On Thursday, August 17, artists will come together at 11:00 a.m. Pacific, streaming online in the Meet/Greet moviemaker chat. Then at 7:00 p.m., the festival’s opening movie presents an early 2000s San Francisco homegrown dyke work, Sugar High Glitter City. Directors Jack Strano and Shar Rednour from SIR Productions will appear in conversation with scholar Lynn Comella. The landmark movie will be preceded by an excerpt from Houston’s 2000s queer porn cult classic The Crash Pad. This program is a must-see for fans of dyke and queer porn, and anyone curious about the history of an important yet often overlooked period in queer movie history. On Friday, August 18, the festival gets physical with two shorts programs broadcasting live and in-person from the Brava Theater. Fucking/Fun screens joyful and hardcore shorts at 4:00 p.m. Local artists include "Hanky" director Ramses Rodstein and "Transit" co-creator Jiz Lee in attendance. Then at 7:00 p.m., the narrative and explicit porn program continues with Sex/Scene. Local highlights include "CrashPad Quickies: Knotty Rell and Zuri Love" by director Ava LaPrima and "No Man Like Me" by trans creator Jaq Quicksilver. International selections include Australian "Into-You-I-See-Me," exploring interabled intimacy, and the United Kingdom’s "Pointe to Please," displaying the artistic parallels of ballet and pole dancing. Saturday, August 19 takes audiences back into the theater with Art/Smut at 4:00 p.m., presenting shorts with an explicit and experimental focus. Works include "Big Sur Gay Porn," in which cult director Tom DeSimone revisits the production of a lost gay flick and resurrects youthful adventures on the California coast, while a thermal camera reveals new ways of seeing queer pleasure and desire in "Melting Point." The festival comes to a grand finale at 7:00 p.m. in Big/Bang, showcasing sex scenes by some of the biggest movers and shakers in the queer and ethical adult scene: "Midnight Tryst" by Forplay Films (Los Angeles), "Beer and Loving With Las Bangers" by HardWerk Pictures (Berlin), "Rites of Spring" by Four Chambers (London), "Babygurl's Big Birthday Bang" by Aorta Films (New York) and "CrashPad’s End of Year Special" (San Francisco). The global ensemble of movies celebrates joyful sex and bodies, and represents the latest in contemporary adult moviemaking. Pop’s Bar serves as the festival’s in-person mixer after the shows. To rewatch any program, catch the Re/Play offering festival programs and Q&As on-demand through August 27. Follow the festival on Twitter and Instagram. Direct inquiries to [email protected].