The London Fetish Film Festival brings together film, art and discussion across a December weekend (14th-15th) all dedicated to fetish. The programme explores kink, BDSM and the fetish community with work curated from international makers with a whole range of perspectives and art practises.
We spoke to the organisers of the festival - Venus Raven and Tainted Saint - about fixation, the imaginatively erotic and representing the spectrum of fetish.
The London Festish Film Festival is made up of film screenings, art and talks all exploring fetish culture: kink, BDSM, erotic art and more. What does fetish mean to you?
To us, fetish is a pure fixation. It is a freedom in expression and human pleasure and fluid exploration. Fetish is innately creative and artistic… It is imaginative and bold. All very attractive things and not always conventional. We see fetish beyond the leather and latex and admire the detail and specificity in hyperfixation. Fetish, kink and BDSM are also, intrinsically, very VERY queer… and we LOVE that!
This is the fifth edition of the LFFF. Why did you begin LFFF and how has it grown and changed over the years?
LFFF was born out of founder Venus Raven’s admiration for film conjoined with a passion for fetish and and kink practices. It has always been about bringing the community together for a mutual appreciation of bdsm-based art and culture, acknowledging that fetish is very much rooted in but also beyond the club culture; it is in our blood to consume content and support creative expression which accepts these themes as a lifestyle and as a grounding of human nature in a society which is ever-censoring our desires as a community. LFFF has grown roots in supporting freedom of expression and deconstructing UK-base censorship issues.
Insight kink from Rebecca Rütten
The lineup of the LFFF is curated from an open call. Can you tell us a bit about that process? What are you looking for when you extend that open call into the community? Are there any pieces you have programmed this year that extended your own awareness of fetish culture?
We accept submissions through FilmFreeway (https://filmfreeway.com/LondonFetishFilmFestival) and are always on the hunt for gems. We also have an existing network of filmmakers who have regularly screened work with us and whom we have built a relationship with over the festival’s life. When we are going through our selection process, we LOVE discovering unexpected paraphilia activities. The strange, the subtle, the imaginatively erotic. There are always new, intriguing, queer and cultural lenses to look through during programming and 5 years in, our minds are still blown! This year, we have a strong selection of shorts which show us ‘inside sessions’ - very intimate, wholesome and experimental content which shows the connection, the giggles, the emotion and the healing with community that come with fetish culture.
What stigmas exist around fetish that need to be challenged? And what role can art and film play in this?
There is a need for education surrounding what can become ‘fashion’ in the mainstream and what a lifestyle practice of BDSM can be, especially in a world where social media is so instant and sexualised. It is important to acknowledge and discuss the deep rooted psychology in fetish way beyond the classic image of rubber and whips. Art and film can show us inside this without even being explicit, same with challenging censorship and showing how empowering fetish culture can be - art and film can access the human imagination, and stimulate erotic projection. We can communicate for the deconstruction of damaging stigmas through these mediums.
What if if I Told You To from Miha and Wax Wings
Unlocking taboos and freedom of expression are two key themes of the festival. What do you hope people - both those already immersed in the fetish community and those new to it - will take from the programme?
Hopefully, a very broad view of a very broad spectrum of an extremely diverse and creative community! Taking on board the seriousness of practicing extreme kinks vs. the comforting humour and beautiful vulnerability. The deep rooted emotional connections vs. the simply sexy and delicious compulsions of animal instinct. These juxtapositions and and open-minded-ness really highlight our community and whether you are just discovering it or it has been your home for years, we want to to go on a rollercoaster of a journey through the multiple realms of fetish being shocked, surprised, aroused or even inspired…. Though especially, EMPOWERED!
The Pleasure in Pain from Curtis Blair
Subspace from Matt Lambert
Fetish is a culture, but it’s also incredibly personal. The work in the festival comes from international filmmakers and artists of all different generations, meaning there are so many different perspectives represented. Why is that so important to you, and how do you curate the festival?
That is what is fascinating about it all, there are endless experiences and perspective from people all over the world across generations which is so gorgeous because it reveals fetish as a life-long experience, a community that you can be ‘new’ too at any time in your life and a practise you can invent your own ways in privately or not. The vastness of the spectrum of fetish is something we want to portray with pride over the years, all its curves, essences and interlocking beauties. There is no one way or one representation for the community, we are a fierce amalgamation of atoms. It is our aim to illustrate this as much as we can.
The London Festival Film Festival is taking place on the 14th & 15th December. Tickets are available here: https://www.unrestrictedview.co.uk/london-fetish-film-festival-2024/
Klimax from Bea Hoeller
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