Commingling at HUMP: Festival Newbies and Veterans Savor Sexuality on Screen
I attended the opening premiere of the fall session of HUMP! Festival at On the Boards in Seattle. Attending with a friend, I was able to enjoy the first day as a guest and returned the next day as press to ask the festival attendees their thoughts about the experience before and after the films.
We took the ferry and then the bus (yay for public transportation!). Upon arrival, we mingled, got in line for the bar, and sat in the lobby chatting about the excellent playlist, the overall vibe, and any preconceived notions (of which there were few). Once the doors to the theater opened, we meandered in, a perk of arriving early and secured seats that would allow for the optimal middle-of-the-theater view. We tried to answer the trivia questions as they popped up on the screen, the preshow displaying information about the sponsors as well as information for submitting a film to HUMP! for next year.
We giggled to each other, reading the descriptions of the films and admiring the stylish community that had come out to watch porn with us. The theater rapidly filled with people and anticipation. This location’s host, Betty Wetter, came out shimmering and shimmying to perform a song and explain what was to—ahem—cum.
Still from “A Quick Fix”
Courtesy of Index Media
Before we began, anyone with five dollars could partake in the shot parade. A tasty shot of Jack Daniels provided liquid courage before the lights went off and the trailers began.
The “trailers” for the films reiterated the ask, with Daddy Dildo, Poppy, and Lubie requesting that we turn off our phones and leave the show if we needed to use them out of respect to the filmmakers and actors.
The first film immediately confirmed that this was no regular screening. We laughed, gasped, cheered, and clapped en masse as the films demonstrated a wild and wide variety of sex, kink, gender, and sexual expression, as well as mobility differences and body types. The head-tilting vulnerability blew my mind and the expressive nature of humans experiencing pleasure filled our ears.
Q: What did you enjoy now that you’ve seen the films? Especially compared to previous years.
A: “The various gender presentations, how it has evolved. Really funny films: SockSlut and Flick the Bean.” – R, 5th year festival attendee
The films themselves were fantastic, but the best part was the ability to debrief with a friend or companion afterwards. Walking back to the bus station and in hushed voices on the bus and ferry we shared our thoughts, feelings, and preferences with the films as a launching point to a new layer of intimacy.
“HUMP! Fest is best shared with friends.” – E, 2nd year attendee and D, the friend who was “dragged” along.
The next day I knew what to expect, but with 22 different erotic films, it felt like I was just as shocked, just as amused, just as impressed the second time—but with the consciousness in mind to see how the crowd was reacting too.
In pre- and post-show interviews, I was able to gauge the variety of reasons that people attend and return year after year to HUMP! The community of like-minded, or at the very least like-spirited, attendees was an unexpected boon to attending the festival. Very often, shame is attributed to sexual or sensual experiences, and they are relegated to private and unspeakable acts. There are very few places where you can watch new and original porn like you would a new movie, but Seattle is certainly the place to be for said experience.
Q: “What makes you keep coming back to HUMP?”
A: “Besides the porn, the community aspect and seeing what others are into—people are just as freaky as me…plus the creativity (for better or for worse)” – I and C, 10-year HUMP! attendees.
Sexual desires are so personal, so Dan Savage’s effort to include something for everybody was appreciated (though there was a comment about this year featuring more p-in-v sex than previous years). I felt that a wide range was still achieved, and I walked away with a newfound appreciation for bespoke porn that tried to break, or adhere to, with great commitment and humor, the mold that we as a society has come to expect in the 18+ realm of the internet.
“Came in with no expectations; the inclusive sex was very appreciated and the humor, especially as a foil to the intense passion or something, that pushes my edge.” – First year attendee
Still from “Flick the Bean”
Courtesy of Index Media
