HUMP! Redefines Community with Humans’ Most Basic Instinct
Hump! Festival redefines what it means to build community.
On The Boards hosted the “pervs” of Seattle for part two of its 20th anniversary year. Submissions from all over the world to our backyards were carefully curated down to a selection of erotic short films that have a little bit of everything for everybody. And at least one thing that expands your mind to possibilities previously unthought of.
Community and acceptance were not just in the films themselves, but in the culture created by the staff at Hump! A playlist of sexual liberation anthems welcomed you from the lobby. Everyone was up for a friendly chat. The preshow contained sexy trivia provided by one of the sponsors Sex Trivia Seattle. Betty Wetter, the host for Hump! at On the Boards, came out in a dazzling outfit that revealed a very emblematic depiction of things to come (penises).
Still from “Cain”
Courtesy of Index Media
Aside from priming us for the raunchy time we were to expect, Betty Wetter also set the expectations for behavior, encouraging people not to be assholes to the people who had shared the vulnerability of both their bodies and their art with us, and not to be assholes out in the world. “Assholes belong on the screen!” gained applause and cheers from the crowd before the films began.
The films were clearly meant to showcase a wide variety of sex and kink as well as sexual orientation and expressions. It was meant for everybody and all bodies. From the beginning we were informed to look out for the special additions that Hump Fest suggested people include in their films so we would know it was made specifically for the festival. This list included tube socks, swim caps, and sharpies. Film submissions also came with the possibility of winning the audience’s vote for Best Sex, Best Kink, Best Humor, Most Creative, and Best in Show with a reward of $10,000.
Sex, kink, humor, and creativity were prominent themes in each of the films to varying degrees. When thinking about human sexual expression, it’s no surprise that those were the categories best suited for the content—free from the judgements pornography usually receives. Humans are messy mammals who have yet to figure out asexual reproduction, so the shame that is perpetuated on the concept of fun, hot sex, with a consenting adult is rather nonsensical.
The films weren’t just art meant to entertain; they were confessions—admissions of fantasies that, instead of bringing embarrassment, brought cheers and applause to a theater full of people. Each film served as a quick glimpse into the human psyche. It can be scary to confront the desires that for some reason or another you haven’t admitted aloud to yourself or a lover. But I assure you Hump! will either blow your thoughts out of the water or show you what level you’re on at least.
But most importantly it will show you that the people sitting around you aren’t scandalized. Even for the videos that had trigger warnings, most people watched with open curiosity, comforted by the knowledge that they could leave or that all the films were under five minutes.
Still from “Our First Porno”
Courtesy of Index Media
