This month marks the 17th annual edition of the Pornfilmfestival Berlin, an indie film extravaganza that approaches its topic – pornography – with an emphasis on feminist and queer perspectives and a tendency to showcase the more artistic forms within the genre. A spiritual home for all things pornographic, the festival explores the intricate nuances and artful reification of sex and sexuality on screen.
For five days, it will explore the medium’s nooks and crannies while upending taboos and encouraging a progressive and positive dialogue. Leave your hang-ups at the door!
For five days, it will explore the medium’s nooks and crannies while upending taboos and encouraging a progressive and positive dialogue.
This year, there is a rich splendour of offerings, including a 4K restoration of Gerard Damiano’s iconic Deep Throat for this 50-year anniversary. The festival opens with homegrown talent in Berlin filmmaker Toni Karat’s NARCISSISM – The Auto-Erotic Images, a project that documents 32 Berliners as they discuss gender, narcissism and self-love.
There is also a retrospective on the actor Fred Halsted, whose work has the distinction of being the only gay pornographic work represented in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art: he is a true legend, able to straddle arthouse and hardcore.
Don’t miss the closing night, with a screening of the lavishly horny The Listener, a tribute to the whodunnit murder mysteries of yesteryear by Erika Lust Films. Elsewhere, interesting new terrain will be explored in the festival’s sci-fi section; other highlights include a screening of the excellent new Lydia Lunch picture The War is Never Over, Pratibha Parmar’s seminal documentary My Name is Andrea and a plethora of workshops and discussions.
- Pornfilmfestival Moviemento, Babylon Kreuzberg, Oct 25-30
Check the latest Kino highlights in our weekly roundup: What’s on at Berlin cinemas this week?
