CineKink Announces 2020 Award Winners at Annual Kinky Film Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CineKink Announces Award Winners at Annual Kinky Film Festival

NEW YORK, NY; December 9. 2020 – Rounding out multiple days of screenings in a rescheduled, virtual edition of its annual event, organizers for CineKink 2020 announced festival awards in a closing celebration on Sunday, December 6.

“We’re so very grateful that we were finally able to present these works to our audience,” said 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 this year’s outstanding line-up!”

The festival’s CineKink Artist Spotlight award, designed to recognize outstanding artistry over a body of work, was given to Shine Louise Houston, whose erotic films, including this season’s The Camera & I, Tickle Takedown, and Writing in Bed, have been featured at CineKink since 2008. In addition, Houston’s creation and curation of the streaming platform PinkLabel.TV, has opened up resources for independent adult filmmakers and festivals, allowing them to bring their works to a global audience.

Audience Choice Awards for CineKink 2020 were presented to Volunteers Wanted (director Ron Rex) for Best Narrative Feature, with Thee Debauchery Ball (director David Weathersby) winning for Best Documentary Feature.

In the shorts competition, juried festival awards went to The MILF Next Door (Sadie Lune) tied with Side Order (Ashley Mosher) for Best Dramatic Short, Spellbound (Ulrike Kaffei) for Best Experimental Short, The Rep (Douglas Knox) for Best Comedy Short, The Fathers’ Project (Leo Herrara) for Best Documentary Short and Best Digital Series, and Butt Fantasia (Mohit Jaswalm) for Best Musical Short.

Honorable Best Mention awards were presented to The Multiverse in a Mouthf*ck (Jorge The Obscene), Polyamory The Musical (Inka Winter), Put Your Feet Up (Peter Horgan) and Walking a Fine Line (Meti Oker).

Determining the shorts awards, CineKink jurors this year included Thor Stockman, creator of The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculous: S/M at The Movies, Viviane Tang, co-founder of The Pleasure Salon, and Bill Woods, a film festival programmer and curator of the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives.

The annual CineKink “Bring It!” award, determined by audience vote during a presentation of excerpts showcasing current adult cinema, went to Restless, directed by Urvashi, a previous three-time winner of the award.

The CineKink Tribute, recognizing extraordinary depictions of kink and sex-positivity in mainstream film and television, was tabled until another time, as CineKink organizers confessed they could no longer recall which works were released or aired in the United States from January 1 until December 31, 2019, key criteria for eligibility, and which came out in 2020. “Pandemic brain is real,” noted Vandever. “But we’ll figure it out and let you all know later!”

Originally scheduled for March, CineKink, with the assistance of its streaming partner, PinkLabel.TV, made its 17th annual run December 2-6, presenting a virtual program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. Billing itself as “the kinky film festival,” with offerings drawn from both the independent film world and the adult, works featured at CineKink range from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between.

Along with PinkLabel.TV, sponsors and partners of CineKink NYC/2020 included njoy and Pendulum NYC, along with Athena Productions, Film Festival Secrets, #Open and Robel Films.

Covid-19 permitting, selections from CineKink 2020 will be featured in a traveling version of the festival, slated to appear in various cities throughout the next year. Dates for the next edition of the festival have not yet been determined.

For more information, visit http://cinekink.com

For a link to this press release:

Photos and graphics:
A range of publicity stills from the CineKink 2020 award-winning films and selected event photos: https://cinekink.dphoto.com

Additional Materials:
http://cinekink.com/news-and-press/press-materials

Contact: Lisa Vandever
Phone: 917-609-5928
Email: press2020 * at * cinekink.com
Web: http://www.cinekink.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cineKink

ABOUT CINEKINK NYC
Billing itself as “the kinky film festival,” CineKink returned for its 17th annual appearance December 2-6. 2020. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of kink-positive depictions in film and television, works featured at CineKink range from documentary to drama, camp comedy to artsy experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between.

For more information, visit http://cinekink.com

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CINEKINK NYC/2020 – DETAILED AWARD INFORMATION

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 2020 award winners are:

CineKink Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature:
Volunteers Wanted
Shot at the Pornfilmfestival Berlin, this mix of documentary and drama, where all participants play themselves, follows Kali, a performer and sex worker, as she arrives in the city to attend the event. There she takes part in shoots with performers such as Jiz Lee, and develops a crush on Finn Peaks, a non-binary sex worker self-described as a “glitter fag.” Getting lost in Berlin’s nightlife, the couple shares stories about their work and the place it sets them within society, and the difficulties of their personal relationships in a time when romantic love needs to be redefined. (Directed by Ron Rex, 2019, Spain, 71 minutes. Stars Kali Sudhra, Jiz Lee and Finn Peaks.)

CineKink Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature:
Thee Debauchery Ball
An engaging, documentary look at Chicago’s Afro-Futuristic, BDSM and fetish-themed house music party, Thee Debauchery Ball, explores how the event has reshaped the city’s Black social scene and challenged narratives of Black sexuality. The documentary tells the personal story of the founder, Khari B. William, along with the DJs and the participants who look upon this event as a bastion of freedom and an escape from preconceived notions. (Directed by David Weathersby, 2019, USA, 71 minutes. Features Khari B, William “Big Will” Dunn, Abena Kawana, Dhe-Di Willoughby, Chanel Beebe, Craig Alexander, Josh Ishmon, Summer Coleman, Danielle Sanders, Michael Tekhen Strode, Ray Bee, Cee Bee, Pia Easley and L. Talibah McDonald.)

CINEKINK BEST – JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORTS
CineKink Best awards, which go to short works in competition during the festival, were determined by jury ranking, with additional deliberation by the festival director. The 2020 award winners are:

CineKink Best Dramatic Short – (tie):
The MILF Next Door
When the Girl Next Door visits her pregnant neighbor the MILF she expects a chat and a smoke, but this afternoon she initiates an unexpected seduction. (Directed by and stars Sadie Lune, with Dion DeRossi, 2019, Germany, 28 minutes.)

CineKink Best Dramatic Short – (tie):
Side Order
A young woman’s planned tryst with a friendly couple explores the blurred boundaries of intimacy, friendship and status. (Directed by Ashley Mosher, 2019, USA, 12 minutes. Stars Sonya Davis, Beth Thompson and Christopher Hirsh.)

CineKink Best Comedy Short:
The Rep
Richie Deadwood, the biggest agent in the adult film industry, scrambles to get his biggest client to sign the biggest contract the industry has ever seen. But she’s hanging it up over one little thing…. (Directed by Douglas Knox, 2019, USA, 25 minutes. Stars Sean Robinson, Rachel Alig, Bri Ana Wagner, Sarah Moliski, Michael Caprarella, Kevin Scott Allen, Nina Hartley and Evan Stone.)

CineKink Best Documentary Short + Best Digital Series:
The Fathers’ Project
A sci-fi short docu-series that imagines the world if AIDS never happened and a generation had lived to change the world. In this episode, a look at the Leather and BDSM communities, and how they might have evolved. (Directed by Leo Herrara, 2019, USA, 11 minutes.)

CineKink Best Experimental Short:
Spellbound
Colorfully visualizes the emotional journey of a Shibari session.
(Directed by Ulrike Kaffei, 2019, Germany, 9 minutes. Stars Marika Leila Roux (aka Gorgone) and Gestalta.)

CineKink Best Musical Short
Butt Fantasia
With the help of a magic hat, an old man contemplates the good and bad times that his butt has experienced. (Directed by Mohit Jaswalm, 2018, USA, 6 minutes. Stars Bruce Patzke.)

CineKink Honorable Best Mentions:

The MultiVerse in a MouthF*ck
A metaphysical trip of self-awareness, from the seven principles of Hermeticism to the seven keys to master our lives. (Directed by Jorge The Obscene, 2019, Chile, 21 minutes. Stars Jorge The Obscene, Rafael Medina, Sultan of Filth, Schoko Channel, Tristan Rehbold, Jo Pollux, Medad Rangay, Kate Hole, Nicky Miller, Candy Flip, Mad Kate, and Gio Black Peter.)

Polyamory: The Musical
Polyamory explained in a catchy tune.
Directed by Inka Winter, 2019, USA, 5 minutes.

Put Your Feet Up
A man discusses his unique fetish with a woman he met on Craigslist. (Directed by Peter Horgan, 2019, USA, 21 minutes. Stars Joshua Koopman and Cara Gerardi.)

Walking A Fine Line
Follows the film’s creator and protagonist as she enlists a sex worker with the wish to be guided towards new thrills, challenges and boundaries. (Directed by Meti Oker, 2019, Switzerland, 4 minutes. Features abcde Flash and Matís d´Arc.)

“BRING IT!” – ADULT INDUSTRY SHOWCASE AWARD / 2019
The CineKink “Bring It!” award is determined by audience ballot during a presentation of short works and excerpts showcasing adult cinema.

Restless
It’s late and Rogue is still awake. She tosses and turns. She goes to the bathroom. She re-fluffs her pillow. The clock just ticks on. Finally, though, her fingers stray over her form, her eyes close and she begins to surrender to fantasy… finding herself on a table of white surrounded by utter darkness. (Directed by three-time previous BRING IT! Champion, Urvashi, 2019, USA, 11 minutes. Stars Rogue and many, many hands.)