VR: It started as a one-woman venture, but in the process I have been blessed with having the most brilliant team around me helping with aspects I couldn’t have possibly managed alone.

On board with me are Winter James and Victoria Gugenheim (festival producer and operations manager respectively), Maud Madlyn, Nora Mehheni, Master Peter, Hal Sinden, Lidia Ravviso (the Festival’s judging panel), Aizen Kaguya (film consultant), Chris Tyler (promotional visuals), and Simon Ricardo (music composer for our trailer).

And we are now proud partners with Uncensored Festival and London Fetish Weekend.

What has the timescale been for this first event, from inception to realisation?

 VR: Inception was over a year now, but the project was put aside until this March. The realisation took less than two months – a phenomenal (and if you ask me, insane) amount of time. It surely goes to demonstrate what one can pull off if one works on something that one is deeply passionate about. Sleep is overrated anyway.

My team and I will be planning the 2020 straight after this year’s festival is over, so expect a plethora of films and performances and hopefully expanding into more venues. First birth is always the hardest!

How did you go about sourcing and selecting festival content? How many submissions did you choose the final programme from, and how many filmmakers are represented in it?

VR: After an initial hurdle with FilmFreeway that unfortunately did not accept the festival’s listing as public, I resorted to reaching out to every person I could think of and whose work and insights I respected and asked them whether they have submissions or recommendations for me.

From the initial scare that I would end up with no films, to having received over 100 submissions (and having watched thousands of films while hunting for visual and content gold), it has been a most intense journey.

And we are thrilled to be now presenting more than 50 films from over 30 filmmakers from across the world, including Bafta award winner executive producers Martyn Chalk and Gillian Mosely.

What trophies will your seven award winners be receiving, and how were the awards and the whole project funded?

VR: The winners will each receive a custom-made award prize. We were grateful to have received some funding through a campaign we are running, but apart from that amount, the whole festival has been self-funded with no sponsors.

We’d love to change that for our 2020 comeback. So ethical kinksters and kinky companies, do get in touch! 

SATURDAY JUNE 15

8pm: PERFORMANCES tba £10

9pm: SHORTS 3 £10
Your Body Is Not A Temple by Bonnie Baker, Bonnie Bakeneko & Sam Hain ((UK, 7:08)
Followed by Q&A with Bonnie Bakeneko and Bonnie Baker
Fetish Vs. Material by Alex Caroppi & Benedetta Martino (Brazil, 1:09)
Pony Play by Martin Chalk & Gillian Mosely (UK, 4:07)
Gushing Bride by Aaron Hawks (USA, 8:46)
Bloodbath Red by Sean Higgins (Australia, 1:00)
Learning Hebrew – Excerpt by Louis Joon (UK, 1:30)
Shame by Sasha Krohn (UK/Germany, 4:40)
Mr Fitzpatrick by Iain Marcks (USA, 9:46)
Gold Fetish by Rosalina Merrohue (USA, 0:41)
Vitamin D by Abhishek Samariya (Australia, 2:09)
Shine by Jessica Rispal (France, 3:40)
M is For Melon by Luis Solarat (UK, 1:59)
The Gaper by Lauren Jane Williams (UK, 10:43)
Followed by Q&A with Lauren Jane Williams (director of The Gaper)
More tba

AARON HAWKS’s Domestic Dispute (Sunday)

SUNDAY JUNE 16

7pm: SHORTS 4 : INSIDE BDSM SPECIAL £10
Poison In My Heart by Louis Fleischhauer (Germany, 9:47)
Inside Performance #1 by Frederic Fontenoy (France 6:20)
Domestic Dispute & Don’t Say A Word by Aaron Hawks (USA, 14:56)
Valkyrie by Lyndsey Lupe (UK, 7:48)
M.Y. by Jessica Rispal (France, 9:42)
Akt I by Feris Tergo (UK, 2:59)
Akt II by Feris Tergo (UK, 5:16)
More tba

8pm: AMAURY GRISEL SHORTS SPECIAL £10
Bald, Love & Blood by Amaury Grisel (France, 7:16)
Constellation by Amaury Grisel (France, 2:26)
Fausten – Punishment by Amaury Grisel (France, 6:03)
Fuck My Face Slowly by Amaury Grisel (France, 3:52)
La Gravite Ephemere by Amaury Grisel (France, 8:39)
Muray Dead – Damage by Amaury Grisel (France, 3:47)
Tu E(s) La Fille by Amaury Grisel (France, 11:23)

AMAURY GRISEL’s Bald, Love & Blood (Sunday)

9pm: AWARDS CEREMONY & AFTER-PARTY
Entry is free with ticket receipt from any of the shows. Awards will be made in the following categories:
Best Director
Best Cinematography
Best Short Film
Best Performer
Best Documentary
Best Video Art
Best Kink Moment

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