Foodies have restaurants. Readers have book clubs. Cinema fans have movie nights. Cyclists have… well, our entire city. Even Labradoodle enthusiasts have regular meetups. But where does one go and what does one do when the interest is sex? Until very recently the procreation of our species depended on sex; It’s no accident that it feels good. Really good. I don’t know the stats on who’s doing it, in what manner and how often, but strangely enough it’s still a very hush-hush subject and therefore sex adventurists must go underground to find their people. I teeter on the edge of curiosity, so when I heard that syndicated sex columnist, Dan Savage (of Savage Love), was bringing his Seattle-based Amateur Porn Film Festival, Hump! 5, to Portland for the first time I was thrilled. To the average Josephine this might seem like nothing more than a glut of smut, but I’ll have you know that Dan Savage is not only a hilarious and knowledgeable sex adviser, he’s also a devoted father, gay rights activist, open adoption advocate, This American Life contributor, and best-selling author. I proudly support his professional endeavors. Sex happens to be his line of work. I happen to be interested in sex. Thanks to a friend who scored me a ticket, last night I went to Cinema 21 to see Portland’s first Amateur Porn Film Festival.
Before the show Savage said a few words. He was adamant about no heckling and talked about how brave it is to yell in a dark movie theatre at people on-screen for doing something much braver than any of us will ever do (something like that). When it came to cell phone use he was downright threatening (“If it is in your hand we will take it away and you will never see it again... because these people want to be porn stars for a weekend not a lifetime”). This actually made for a supportive and safe environment. Except for content it was much like any other indie film festival. Only better.
Hump! 5 was a well-balanced smorgasbord of amateur pornos mostly shot in the Northwest. Each film was one to five minutes in length and fell into my three general categories: Comedy, Erotica, Disturbia. The call for submissions included extra credit for films that captured local landmarks such as the Made In Oregon sign, Voodoo Doughnut, and that crazy sculpture across from Powell’s which Savage referred to as “The Devil’s Testicle.” Filmmakers were encouraged, but not required to use extra credit props such as a pink slip, Mormon clothes, and a food product I’d never seen or heard of before called Aplets and Cotlets. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed, gaped or gasped so hard. One must be super-duper sugar snooper comfy with sex and all its slimy carnage. I found it uproariously funny, often disgusting and sometimes too painful to watch. I realized in retelling it to my husband that I’m not clever enough to make the work seem anything but 100% raunchy, but I can confidently say that the majority of films were highly creative, original and definitely worth the price of admission. A complete list of entries can be found here under …The Smut That Made The Cut. If this kind of thing floats your boat or even if you’re only mildly curious like me, I recommend keeping an eye out for next year’s Hump! 6. Be sure to get your tickets early. It’ll sell out faster next time.
