Who knew vanilla friends could take you to the kinkiest things? That’s exactly what happened to me. An old colleague of mine sent me a text asking if I wanted to go to an amateur porn film festival because out of all of the friends she knew, I was the first one to come to mind. Well, she got that one right! I am a big fan of porn, having been an avid watcher of many genres for years now. Once she sent me the link for the festival and I was able to read a bit more about it, I was hooked! HUMP! Is the brainchild of Dan Savage; sex educator, LBGTQ champion, and general badass. This is the first year that HUMP! is on the road, bringing the festival across the United States. Los Angeles was just one stop of many, but we welcomed HUMP! with open arms.
I was curious as to who would attend a porn film festival. I had images in my head of a dark theater full of heavy breathing men. I was delightfully surprised to find several (not many) women in the audience. There were a lot of couples and the male gay presence was in force, which I mostly attribute to Dan Savage’s involvement. The crowd was friendly and jovial as we waited for the films to start.
The festival opened with a pre-recorded word from Dan Savage and also an outline of the rules for the evening. Not only were no cell phones allowed, but we were told that our phone would be confiscated if it was seen out at any time during the films. This was mostly to protect the actors in the films. I also really enjoyed the rule of “don’t be an asshole.” They encouraged you to keep any personal opinions to yourself since you would most likely be insulting someone in the audience. I actually wished the rules for the HUMP! festival could be the rules for every movie I see at a theatre from here on out.
To prove that each film was made specifically with the HUMP! festival in mind, they encouraged filmmakers to include either an accordion or “Make America Great Again” hat. The latter included a disclaimer that they chose this item before the election when no one thought you know who would win…sorry. However, we were not disappointed with the use of that hate within the films. It actually made it slightly more hilarious watching a man having sex with another man while wearing it or someone using it as a used condom receptacle.
The films were each just five minutes in length which proved to be beneficial in some cases as there were a few in there that included things that personally revolted me. Don’t worry, while it sounds like I am passing judgment on some of the films (I am), the rules prior to the movies included a statement that said, “You may even see things you’d never want to see.” I was in good company. Also, I just prescribed to the “their kink is not my kink and that’s ok” mentality as a small bout of nausea came and went during a particularly epic scene involving a stick of butter.
BDSM was represented in HUMP! though not to it’s best and brightest, at least in my opinion. There was a particularly kinky game of scrabble, puppy play, and humorous film called “It’s Fucking Complicated” which highlighted the difficulty of outlining each individual’s kinks to a new partner. There was a hilarious “nature” video documenting the life and habits of the gimp. The gimp of course was a person wearing a full body leather or pleather suit, their arms and legs tied so that they had some difficulty maneuvering around. At one point a film came on which lasted around thirty seconds, long enough to showcase a “Cock-a-pult”. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a device placed on an erect penis in which something can be catapulted from the tip. It was highly effective and also offered a welcome break from a couple of back–to-back, intense films.
There were a series of awards given for different films including “Best Sex”, “Best Kink”, and “Best Humor”. But no matter what film came and went, the audience gave a rousing round of applause, whistles, and cheers. I would be curious to see what this festival is like in other parts of the country. I hope it’s as well received. There are still many stops left on the tour. At the time of this writing, HUMP! is heading to Chicago, Washington DC, and Dallas with a dozen or so thereafter. Tickets are still available and I highly recommend it for those wanting something very out of the ordinary!
anniebear is a submissive living with her partner Dexx in Los Angeles. She enjoys writing, modeling for friends, animal rescue, and teaching herself how to cook. You can catch her on Fetlife or Facebook.