Kathleen McInnis, ShortFest Guest Programmer, ensured a saucy good time with her introduction to the “Sex in the Cinema” program, overflowing with innuendos. Everyone was in the mood by the time the lights went down.
Tacho González’ bouncy tuned “My Uncle Paco” (“Mi tío Paco”) was the perfect way to begin. The titular uncle teaches his nephew that a cute kid can get away with anything, including smackin’ the booties of bikinied babes on the beach. Things get out of hand (pun intended), and middle-aged soccer sugar daddies take action.
Héctor Falcón Villa’s racy “All About It” (“Con Lujo de Detalle”) (read my review here) lives little to the imagination. But that’s alright, because it was all a dream.
Birgitte Stærmose’s “Sophie” traverses dangerous territory. A wife asks her husband a question to which she really doesn’t want to know the answer (hooker: yes/no?), and hubbie grudgingly admits the truth. Attempting to take it in stride, Sophie pulls him into a live nudie show only to have it blow up in her face. Even strong couples can be fractured by disturbing news from a past life.
Scott Patch’s “Last Night” flies through a woman’s series of one night stands, as she rattles off her needy, well-worn morning-after speech. Lead Kathleen Rose Perkins wrote the story as a monologue, and Patch appreciated it for both its humor and ultimate heartbreak.
Patch has worked in TV production, but this allowed him a chance to pursue his weekend passion in film. Both he and his father portray silent encounters along with a handful of other friends, so the only real cost was a couple hundred for tape stock.
Paco Farias directs TV actors Sharon Lawrence, Tom Irwin and Carlos Gómez in “Fool Me Once,” a tale about an affair’s foolishly creative cover up. The credits said the flick was based on a Roald “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory” Dahl story, though IMDb does not confirm this. Curious.
Randall Ehrmann’s “I'm No Stud” was a huge crowd hit. As two daughters celebrate their wedding weekend with a little pre-ceremony foolin’ around, their parents are forced to listen through the walls. As the father attempts to leave the room to break it up, his wife tackles him, providing the illusion that they are having the most fun. Ah, hilarity ensues.
Ehrmann said the inspiration came as he was awaiting the birth of his first daughter. “We’re all gonna grow up and be our own people, and I hope to encourage my daughter to do the same,” he said.
Yvette Thomas’ “The Lost One” was by far the most tragically dramatic of the evening, and though saved for last as the most moving film, there was an odd hiccup between it and the previous comic flicks. In the film, a misguided girl attempts to seek comfort through sexual encounters with strangers. A terrible tragedy haunts her every move, though her affection is always mistaken for outright lust.