CineKink Selects 'Cabaret Desire' to Open 9th Annual Film Festival

NEW YORK, NY— CineKink NYC returns for its ninth annual appearance on Tuesday, February 7th, bringing with it a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. In addition to screenings, plans for the festival also include a short film competition, presentations, audience choice awards, a fundraising kick-off extravaganza to be held on Tuesday at Katwalk (2 W. 35th Street), a pansexual celebration that, in addition to music and sexy performances, offers several cinematic gems up on the screen, and a concluding afterglow party. The "Season Opener" selection for the festival is the US premiere of Cabaret Desire. Directed by Erika Lust, whose short works have won numerous awards at CineKink over the years, Cabaret Desire weaves together several erotic vignettes, each introduced by a "poetry courtesan" at a bohemian gathering where readings, dance and music create a sensual vibe. Set against a sumptuous Barcelona backdrop, Cabaret Desire was inspired by the real-life Poetry Brothel, based in New York, and features some of its performers in setting each story into motion, tracing a journey through four tales of intimacy, love, passion and sex. A young woman grows tired of sexual labels and throws off having to choose. A poet recounts the unconventional escapades of his mysterious mother. At the brink of 30, a woman looks at how her life has converged from the fantasies of her youth. The participants of a heated, short-lived tryst nervously anticipate their reunion an entire year later. "It's a genuine delight to have Cabaret Desire open up this year's festival and season," said Lisa Vandever, co-founder and director of CineKink. "Erika Lust is an amazing director, whose explicitly erotic work demonstrates a real cinematic sensibility. Gorgeous filmmaking, engaging performances and a great sense of story—her films really exemplify everything that CineKink exists to encourage." Cabaret Desire will screen on Wednesday, February 8, 7:00 pm at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue, NYC, where the majority of the festival screenings are also unfolding. On Thursday, February 9 at 7:00 PM, it's (A)Sexual, a documentary look at what it's like to be without sexual desire in a society that is otherwise obsessed. Then, at 9:10 PM, Kink & Kinship is a program of short works that celebrate the special sense of community a shared kink tends to engender. On Friday, February 10 at 6:30 PM, the lives of several people are turned upside down when they meet Cecile, a character who symbolizes Desire. At 9:00 PM, Couplings is a sexy collection of shorts about two-somes, three-some and more-somes. And in Sexually Frank, at 10:40 PM, a group of long-time friends finds that sex is no less befuddling now than it was during puberty. Kicking off Saturday, February 11 at 12:30 PM, many hijinks ensue in Sweet Prudence & The Erotic Adventure Of Bigfoot, when the mythical beast is spotted at a remote nudist resort. At 2:45 PM, a special industry showcase, Bring It!, features a dazzling array of talent from today's adult cinema, all stepping up with a hot sampling of their recent creative endeavors. At 5:00 PM, Stage Brother follows the quest of a young woman who dreams of making it in the world of adult entertainment. At 7:15 PM, in Sirwiñakuy, two Bolivian strangers participate in their own kinky version of a sirwiñakuy, an indigenous tradition where a man brings home a trial "wife." And, closing out the festival's regular screening schedule at 9:45 PM, the romantic drama 3 tells the story of Hanna and Simon who, on the brink of their 20th anniversary, separately become enamored with the same younger man. CineKink NYC concludes the evening of Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 PM, with an Awards Celebration, including encore screenings of jury-selected best shorts from the week and presentation of the annual festival awards, to be followed at 9:00 PM by the CineKink Afterglow Party, one last chance to mingle with like-minded festival-goers and enjoy a few additional screenings, this time in a relaxed play party setting. The locations for both events will be announced at a later date. For more information and advance tickets, visit www.cinekink.com. Advance tickets and passes may be purchased at this link.