Last night I had the delight of being whirled into the glamour of the Good Vibrations IXFF- the Indie Erotic Film Festival that brings all sorts of sensual pleasures to the big screen in 7 minutes or less. Walking up to the Castro Theatre in my high femme finery, I was looking forward to what I'd see tonight, as I've enjoyed this film festival now for three years running and last year's was amazing! Originally only open to the Bay Area, it now boasts international entries from Mexico City, Mexico to London, England, and from Wellington, New Zealand to Paris, France- of course with a smattering of  San Francisco and New York City to spice it up. Seeing all the diversity is exciting, and I enjoy seeing how people interpret the term "erotic film".

The VIP party before the event is excellent. I love being upstairs at the Castro Theatre and chatting up all the filmmakers and stars, nibbling on some snacks from Hot Cookie and drinking cocktails courtesy of the Festival. This time there was a bordello-ish theme, and I enjoyed a "Root of All Evil" concoction of root beer and absinthe. Sounds weird, but tasted lovely! There was also a moustache photo booth (and I totally forgot to pick up my photo, damn!) and a Wheel of Sex Toys- I had to laugh, as I've been an affiliate of Good Vibes fro a while, and the first two toys I won I already had! It was ok, though, they dug around and I got a porn instead- a Jesse Jane production. There was a live band playing bluesy jazz music, much to my delight, and some burlesque performances that made the run up to the films a little more exciting. I was particularly happy to get a chance to say a sheepish hi to Dylan Ryan and have a chat with Jiz Lee, who introduced me to Bobbi Starr- we discussed pornography and the film festival as we waited for a good time to settle into our seats.

Around 8:00 PM people started to clear out upstairs, so I wandered down and found a seat right up front. I've enjoyed the commentary- again provided by Dr. Carol Queen, Peaches Christ, LadyBear and Hugz Bunny. One of the things I love about this festival is the welcoming nature of it- of amateur entries, of queer entries, of trans entries, of entries in other mediums. I'm never entirely sure what I'm getting myself into, and I think that's fabulous.

The first movie up was "Me or the Porn", a short involving an angry girlfriend demanding her partner make a choice- her, or his laptop full of quality smut. As it was the first entry in the festival, I'm sure you can guess who came out on top there! Swinging from comedy to a somewhat heartwrenching short was "Salam & Love", wherein two women have a hot fling in a cave, and it's only when they start to get dressed that you realize this isn't your normal secret rendezvous between lovers. Also tugging at my heartstrings a little was the animated short "Always, Only, Ever", featuring a wistful lover looking for his sweetheart in the bottom of a bottle.

"Tooth & Nail" was a rather startling entry featuring Dylan Ryan, writhing and struggling, sometimes in a straitjacket, sometimes just in her own head. And the 70s-like "Fight Flight or Fuck", a personal sex tape that they decided to share in this festival, had some great chemistry, though I found the questionable consent in the beginning initially unsettling. Erika Lust had submitted an entry, one I really enjoyed- "Room 33" created a hotel where you could leave a note on your door to get just the right kind of sexual experience for you, an idea I found clever and sexy. "Horsey", on the other hand, was a surreal introspection into how pleasure and sexual exploration can be healing and freeing... it's not about ponyplay, though, in case you were wondering!

There was plenty of comedy, too, many of which for some reason involved tennis (?). I'm not sure I can explain why, as I don't know myself, but it was a tennis-heavy erotic film competition! "Dildo Sport" was a cute and funny little clip I had seen before, while "30 Love" had an eroticism I quite enjoyed- a woman recording the sounds a stranger makes while he plays tennis, only to record herself masturbating to his grunts for a dvd she leaves on his workout bag. Stalkerish, of course, but hot in the fantasy world for sure! "Tales of Mere Existence" had two parts- I have to say my favourite was "What Would Penis Do?", an amusing explanation for the trouble that happens when the heart, brain, and penis are not all on the same page. "Burger Time" made me crack up (a woman having a burger stuffed into her mouth by a dominatrix type screaming "it's BURGER TIME BITCH!"), even while I was thinking about feederism and how this could have a totally different context for some people! I also fell in love with "Barbie's Washday" with its stop animation of what Barbie and Cindy do when their washing machine breaks... and what Ken finds when he comes to fix it.

But really, there was a clear winner this year, particularly because of the lack of good old hardcore sexin'. There was a lot of eroticism, but it was a cerebral year. I was not, therefore, surprised but quite pleased when the short "La Putiza" won, with it's amazingly crazy tale of gay lucha libre wrestlers battling it out. It was FANTASTIC, with plenty of penises to make the crowd cheer. Director Gerardo Delgado therefore won the   $1500 check- and I have no doubt that it went to the right person.

There's one thing for sure though... I left determined to shoot my own erotic short for next year. So watch out, IXFF- Kitty Stryker is coming for you!