CineKink event fearlessly promises look at touchy topics

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Featuring titles such as "Tooshie Smooshie" and "Sweet Prudence & The Erotic Adventure of Bigfoot," CineKink: Las Vegas could be accused of many things. Hiding its light under a bushel isn’t among them.

A three-day offshoot of the New York festival devoted to the positive depiction of sexuality, the screenings at theatre7, 1406 S. Third St., will feature drama, comedy, documentaries and shorts, all with varying degrees of show to go along with their tell.

"Some of them are not explicit at all, it’s just the topic," says Lisa Vandever, CineKink co-founder and director. "… And then we do mix in a little bit of what may be termed ‘porn,’ but stuff that I think is a little more interesting than your run-of-the-mill porn.

"Some of the stuff that’s narrative may have more explicit stuff than people are used to seeing, but it’s part of the story," she continues. "So it sort of enhances it."

Now in its third year, CineKink: Las Vegas opens at 7 p.m. today with "Cabaret Desire," a series of erotic vignettes introduced by a "poetry courtesan." The film is directed by Erika Lust, who’s known, Vandever says, for her "feminist porn – very popular with our audience."

Friday’s lineup kicks off at 7 p.m. with "Stage Brother," a documentary about Jennifer Buonagurio and her burgeoning porn career that’s guided by her brother Richard. That’s followed at 9 p.m. by the aforementioned "Sweet Prudence," a Canadian comedy in which Bigfoot wanders too close to a nudist resort. The evening wraps up at 11 p.m. with "Sirwinakuy" ("Living Together"), a Bolivian drama about a middle-aged man who brings home a young French woman as a trial wife.

"I try to work in as many orientations as I can," Vandever says of the wide-ranging content. "… I feel like we can all sort of learn from one another’s desires, even if we don’t always share them."

And on Saturday, CineKink ventures out into the light of day, with a 3 p.m. screening of the short-film collection "Kink & Kinship," followed by the free panel discussion "Sex & Las Vegas" at 5 p.m.

The festival wraps up at 7 p.m. with "The Best of CineKink/2012," a selection of award-winning shorts, including "Tooshie Smooshie," which tied for best comedy short in New York.

"People never know quite what they’re getting into" at the festival, Vandever says. "And then once they come, they’re, like, ‘Oh, OK. This is not as freaky as I thought it was going to be.’ "

Tickets for each screening are $10 at the door, or $8 in advance at cinekinkvegas12.eventbrite.com. An all-access pass to all screenings is $40, $30 for students and seniors. No one under 18 will be admitted.

For more information, visit cinekink.com, or call theatre7 at 568-9663.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.