CineKink is gearing up for our 2024 season... and we'd love to consider your work for the festivities!

Dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, we are seeking projects that explore and celebrate the wide diversity of sexuality for our NYC-based festival and virtual encores, and a national screening series to follow.

We’re looking to blur some boundaries and will consider offerings of any length and genre drawn from both the independent film world and the adult, with works ranging from documentary to drama, camp comedy to artsy experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit — and everything in between. Basically, as long as it involves consenting adults, just about anything celebrating sex as a right of self-expression is fair game.

(Far be it from us to define “kink” — if you think your work might make sense in this context, do send it along. Nonetheless, please read ALL guidelines before submitting, and make sure your work fits with our sex-focused niche!!)

In addition to our annual NYC festival run, presently planned for August 1-4, 2024, with virtual encores to follow, we also award and showcase CineKink works as below:

Features (over 40 minutes):
All submitted feature works selected for competition at CineKink NYC will be eligible to receive an Audience Choice award, as determined by audience balloting.

Shorts (40 minutes and under):
CineKink will present awards to short films and videos identified by our jury as "best" in a variety of categories during the course of the festival. These shorts will be included in the festival's touring showcase to represent the "Best of CineKink" for the year following their award.

Excerpts (5-25 minutes)
CineKink will present awards to excerpted work identified by our audience as their favorite during a special “Bring It!” adult entertainment competition during the festival. Other excerpts may also be eligible, as determined by the festival director, to be included in the best shorts competition. All excerpts programmed for CineKink NYC will be considered eligible for inclusion in the touring showcase and will be selected for that on a case-by-case basis, as determined by the festival director.

Original Digital Series (up to 60 minutes total)
CineKink may present awards to original digital series/episodes identified by our jury as “best” in a variety of categories. These series will be considered for inclusion in the festival’s touring showcase to represent the “Best of CineKink” for the year following their award. All series/episodes programmed for CineKink NYC will be considered eligible for inclusion in the touring showcase and will be selected for that on a case-by-case basis, as determined by the festival director.

ELIGIBLE WORKS

Please read ALL rules and guidelines before submitting, and make sure your work fits with our sex-focused niche!! If it’s not clear from your synopsis that it does, please include a comment with your submission as to how it might be a match for us. It is your responsibility to determine whether your work might be appropriate for the festival, and your submission fee is not refundable.

All genres will be considered for inclusion in the festival and there is currently no restriction on production completion dates, as long as your submission is a finished work.

We do not require premiere status for your work to be considered, but we request that you refrain from any public NYC screenings in the month leading up to and including the CineKink festival dates.

Feature works are those longer than 40 minutes; shorts are those works 40 minutes and under.

We will consider original digital series for inclusion in the festival, with up to three episodes totaling less than 60 minutes counting as a single submission.

We also accept 5-20 minute excerpts of longer works, both for general programming and for inclusion in our special "Bring It!" competition showcasing adult entertainment.

By submitting your work to CineKink NYC, you grant CineKink permission to showcase that work in the manner described above, including any applicable tour appearances.

ENTRY FEES AND DEADLINES
Deadlines are for midnight ET. That’s the time by which you need to send your screener, payment and other materials, and complete your submission.

Payment of entry fee is NOT required from filmmakers whose work has previously screened at CineKink; limit of three entries per filmmaker, submitted by our “regular” deadline (February 9th). If you're eligible for this, you will receive a waiver code via an email that will be sent to all alumni.

We are also happy to consider extending discounts to works that have been featured at a "like-minded," sex-focused festival (ie Berlin PFF, SFPFF, SECSfest, etc). Please contact us for further details.

WHAT TO SUBMIT
A completed entry application and an entry fee must accompany each feature, short, excerpt and/or series submitted.

If you aren't uploading your screener via FilmFreeway, it may be submitted online, via a link to a streaming copy (i.e. VHX, Vimeo, or YouTube). Please note any necessary password and update us if it changes.

If you're submitting an excerpt, you may send us the entire work, but indicate start/end times for us to consider.

If you're submitting a series, you may include up to three episodes per entry.

In addition to your entry, please include a log-line description of your work, and a brief synopsis if available. A publicity still or two from the project is also welcome. Please hold off on sending any additional materials at this time.

SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION
Programming decisions are made by the festival director after review by any selection committees/designees. We expect that all film selections will be determined by June 7, 2024 and we will notify all filmmakers, via e-mail, of which films and videos have been selected. A full schedule of the festival, including exact screening times, will be sent out shortly thereafter.

To ensure timely notification, please keep us updated with your current email address, and add the domain “cinekink.com” to any spam filters.

Once a work has been selected, it may not be withdrawn. We will, however, consider exceptions for instances where inclusion in CineKink NYC may adversely affect a work’s premiere status at another festival. If this is or becomes a possibility, please let us know as soon as possible so we can work with you to avert a potential conflict.

EXHIBITION FORMATS
If accepted, the exhibition version of your work, will need to be received on our end by July 1, 2024.

Specs for exhibition files are as follows:
Digital H.264 ; 1920 x 1080 (16:9 or pillar-boxed 4:3)

All exhibition files must incorporate captioning, either as a burn-in (preferred) or as a separate .srt file; or at the very minimum, a transcript of your dialog should be provided. (If you need help w/this, please reach out. There are several platforms that enable you to create such a file quite easily and affordably. You do not need to go to great effort or expense!)

We will send additional formatting and delivery instructions with our selection notifications.

PUBLICITY & MARKETING
All films selected for CineKink NYC may be briefly excerpted for publicity purposes. CineKink reserves the right to promote any work to print, broadcast or internet media as required to market the festival and our organization.

SCREENING FEES
While CineKink does not pay screening fees for submitted work that is programmed during the festival, we do pay royalties for tour appearances where possible. Our primary focus is on producing the best possible vehicle for kink-friendly works and promoting them as widely as possible.

SUBMISSION AGREEMENT
By entering your film or video for consideration, you attest that you are legally authorized to submit the work to CineKink and that all necessary releases, licenses and records have been obtained with respect thereto. You shall indemnify and hold CineKink harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening rescheduling or cancellation, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered. CineKink reserves the right to remove a work from festival consideration and/or programming for any reason or for no reason and shall not be liable for any refund or claims of any kind arising out of such removal. If your work is accepted, you expressly grant CineKink the non-exclusive right and license to exhibit and utilize your film/video as described in these festival rules.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Ryan Balas

    Love the new venue and the Q&A was super fun. What a playful and vital raw rock n roll energy film fest! Happy to be back in person in NYC. Thanks for the support!

    August 2023
  • Photo Of The Day

    Obviously this is such a fun and unique festival, and Lisa is super nice and committed to the festival!

    August 2023
  • An amazing and fun experience. Our lead actress and writer, Jeni Robins, attended Cinekink and it was everything we hoped it would be when it comes unique experiences. Lisa was a wonderful host and we hope to come back again soon. This is a festival you will always remember and never forget!

    August 2023
  • Was much honored to be selected for this fantastic festival :)
    Communication was great and I wish I could have been there !

    August 2023
  • Great festival! Thanks a lot for the Best Dramatic short award! Although the festival was online the year that my film participated, it had great communication and Lisa was an amazing festival director.

    July 2022