YNOT – Good Vibrations, the iconic San Francisco Bay Area retailer that takes pride in providing accurate information about sexuality and toys for grownups, has issued a call for entries for its Sixth Annual Independent Erotic Film Festival (IXFF). The event will feature five nights of diverse, sexy cinema culminating Sept. 22 in the international short film competition and party at the historic Castro Theatre.
The IXFF seeks short-film submissions from filmmakers worldwide. “Erotic” need not mean explicit sex, organizers advised: Films may be funny, serious, explicit, without sex, gay, straight, queer, kinky, romantic, documentary, animation, music videos or anything else creative minds can envision. Each submission must be seven minutes or shorter in length. Entry deadline is June 30, and no fee is required. See the website GV-IXFF.org for details.
The winner will be determined by audience votes, and the grand prize includes a $1,500 cash award plus, as the festival organizers noted, “the honor of winning in the most sexually sophisticated city in the world.”
Recently named “Best Place to See Your (Talented and Attractive) Neighbors Naked” during San Francisco Weekly’s 2011 “Best Of” reader poll, the Good Vibrations Indie Erotic Film Festival celebrates sex positivity with a healthy dose of humor and ample fun. Previous finalists included an erotic satire called The Filth Element, an animated short about sex in a pool hall, a POV piece about a dildo and a music video about horny pregnant women.
Saucy indie film queen and drag celebrity Peaches Christ and Good Vibrations staff sexologist Dr. Carol Queen will co-host the IXFF celebration. The night of decadence is expected to begin with a pre-party in the mezzanine, where filmgoers will warm up with live music, cocktails, hors d’ouevres, burlesque performances and sexy giveaways. On the main stage, finalists from around the world will screen what they think is sexy and compete for the audience choice award and $1,500.
Since the rise of porn on home video in the 1980s, it has become extremely rare to find adult cinema in movie theatres. Beyond the novelty of watching sexy films in public, the IXFF celebrates the broad spectrum of human sexuality in a fun, party atmosphere that expresses Good Vibrations’ sex-positive premise.
The festivities kick off on Sept. 17 with diverse programming including highlights like Susie Bright’s How to Read a Dirty Movie, queer filmmaker Shine Louise Houston’s Pink and White retrospective, a “Celebration of Sleaze” gay at the short film competition at the Castro on Sept. 22. What began as a local festival for amateur filmmakers has evolved into a celebration of erotic cinema by a broad array of skilled independent filmmakers from around the world.
“Good Vibrations is the original sex-positive, female- and couples-friendly adult retailer, and our Indie Erotic Film Festival is a continuation of our 34-year-old sex-positive mission,” said IXFF Producer Camilla Lombard. “With the help of independent filmmakers from around the world, we broaden the definition of ‘sexy’ and challenge mainstream porn and media in a fun and meaningful way.”
