SAN FRANCISCO — From Sept. 17–22, Good Vibes presented the sixth annual Indie Erotic Film Festival, which presented an alternative to mainstream porn with erotic cinema that was funny, romantic, hardcore, no sex, gay, straight, lesbian, queer and kinky.
According to Good Vibes, the event saw an incredible turnout and community support, making it clear that people appreciated sex-positive cinema.
With a lineup of thematic screenings, panels and features leading up to the shorts competition at the Castro Theatre, IXFF celebrated the spectrum of sexuality in a uniquely San Francisco tradition.
IXFF kicked off on Sept. 17 with Susie Bright presenting her retro clip show “How to Read a Dirty Movie” at the Victoria Theatre. “The first serious erotic film industry critic, Susie regaled the audience with fascinating anecdotes and comic quips in between obscure clips that illustrated the evolution of the porn industry,” the company said.
Other events included the Night of Lust: Explicit Erotic Shorts by Erika Lust at Roxie Cinema, featuring porn with an artistic and heterosexual focus; A Celebration of Sleaze! Gay porn panel, clip show, and screening of “Smut Capital of America” examining the cinematic, aesthetic and erotic visions of the top gay porn producers in the world from porn powerhouses Naked Sword, Titan, Treasure Island, Falcon and Raging Stallion; and “Pink & White Delight:” an Evening with Shine Louise Houston celebrating queer pornographer Shine Louise Houston with a clip show and Q&A.
On Sept. 22, indie film queen and drag celebrity, Peaches Christ and Good Vibration’s own staff sexologist Dr. Carol Queen presented the international short film competition featuring films from New Zealand, Mexico, France, North America and beyond, all in seven minutes or less. In between the films the panel of drag queens Hugz Bunny and Lady Bear are brought comic relief while Dr. Carol Queen called out the short films' sexological significance.
The finale began upstairs at the Barbary Coast themed pre-party in the Castro Theatre mezzanine where cocktails, corseted women and sultry songs from a jazz band set the mood, and prizes from various industry partners built excitement.
IXFF Producer Camilla Lombard says, “Good Vibrations is proud to present the spectrum of sexuality in a fun and sex positive way that really connects us with our community. We are grateful to our co-presenters, Toyfriend and Fun Factory, and all of our sponsors and partners for making it possible to create a forum to celebrate and explore the significance of erotic cinema today.”
Sponsors for IXFF included: Toyfriend, Fun Factory, LELO, XBIZ, Jimmyjane, Vixen Creations, Doc Johnson, SF Bay Guardian, East Bay Express, Bay Area Reporter, Curve Magazine, Me Bath & Body, Leather etc., Eros, Twin Peaks Tavern, Lexington Club, SF Mix Bar, The Sausage Factory, Sliquid, Sir Richards, Evolution Fresh Juice, Hot Cookie, Del Arco Tequila, Dark Garden, and Good Vibrations' sister company, the award-winning video producers Good Releasing.
