njjen3953
4th Level Orange Feather
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2001
- Messages
- 2,858
- Points
- 0
Dear friends,
This is the moment I have been waiting for! My film, BEYOND VANILLA, which I
started making almost 4 years ago, is finally getting into movie theaters after touring the festival circuit for the past year. Strand Releasing is distributing it and the opening is going to be in New York City at the Quad Cinema on 13th Street on Friday, May 16th.
We are of course very excited about this, as very few documentaries ever get a theatrical release at all. Theater owners around the country are watching the box office numbers from this initial run before deciding whether or not to show it in their theaters, so I'm asking and begging (and hell, I'll even bribe you if I have to) to lend your support in this.
Please tell your friends and aquaintances in and around New York about the film and ask them to go see it. Since we don't have a big advertising budget, we are totally depending on word of mouth!! I am confident that most people will enjoy the film, even though some images may be a bit graphic for some people. Overall, audiences have been very enthusiastic after seeing the film and in our current political climate, I think it is also of vital importance that films like this are seen.
I truly am thankful and appreciative of your support and I hope to see you at the theater! I'll be around for the opening weekend to meet and greet audience members. Feel free to send this out to your entire mailing lists. I have added some general info on the film at the bottom of this mail.
Wishing you love, peace and all the good stuff in life,
Claes Lilja
www.beyondvanilla.net
"Much as the title suggests, Beyond Vanilla explores the kinkier aspects of sex on the other side of vanilla. With interviews, demonstrations and a good dose of how-to instructions, this documentary covers the gamut of fetishes and SM practices. From bondage, flogging and fisting to knife play, fire and golden showers, director Claes Lilja (pronounced class lil-yah) takes you on an unforgettable journey to the wilder side of sex. Sharing fantasies, experiences and pleasures, the over 100 people interviewed in the film help blur boundaries and shed new light on sexuality and sexual practices. For the curious, the voyeur, or the enthusiast, this is a fascinating
journey into the world of high performance sexual athletes, where the boundaries
of gay, straight, bi or transgender seem almost irrelevant. Lilja's subjects are
academics, doctors, lawyers, pornographers, porn stars, sex workers and fulfilled, freelance hedonists who offer an insider's view of how to embrace extreme fantasies. Open your mind and the rest will follow...
Starring adult film celebrities such as Cole Tucker, Chi Chi La Rue, Nina Hartley, Chloe and Carol Queen, this film has screened to great acclaim at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Image & Nation Film Festival in Montreal, the Silver Lake Film Festival in Los Angeles and the New York SM Film Festival among others."
Some quotes:
"Guaranteed to make almost anybody squirm with delight, disgust or disbelief,
Beyond Vanilla takes you to exactly where it says on the tin. For the curious, the voyeur, or the enthusiast, this is a fascinating journey into the world of high performance sexual athletes, where the boundaries of gay,
straight, bi or trans seem almost irrelevant." -- www.outtakes.net
"If National Geographic got together with the producers of This Old House and made a movie about BDSM (Bondage/Dominance/Sadism/Masochism) it would probably look something like this. Even though I'm a bit on the vanilla side, I was totally intrigued with the over 100 interviews and graphic demonstrations of such lovely pastimes as fisting, knife play, flogging, and breath control. The tone is fun, informational, and titillating, what more could you want late on a Saturday night, except maybe a fist up your rectum."
(Brian Brait ) --The Portland Mercury
"…a candid, good-humored and very hot documentary bringing together a wide
range of S/M practitioners and experts to share their fantasies and experiences."--Arizona Power Exchange
"With something for everyone from bondage and fisting to electro-torture, director Claes Lilja goes where your mother hoped you'd never dare. This is an entertaining how-to-guide for fetish and SM sex, with advice from 100 devotees. Not recommended for those of a sensitive disposition. Beyond Vanilla was one of the fastest selling tickets at our festival. The film explores practices once seen as taboo but gives a remarkably balanced and non-judgemental exploration of the world of sex in the fast lane."
Brian Robinson, Programmer, London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
This is the moment I have been waiting for! My film, BEYOND VANILLA, which I
started making almost 4 years ago, is finally getting into movie theaters after touring the festival circuit for the past year. Strand Releasing is distributing it and the opening is going to be in New York City at the Quad Cinema on 13th Street on Friday, May 16th.
We are of course very excited about this, as very few documentaries ever get a theatrical release at all. Theater owners around the country are watching the box office numbers from this initial run before deciding whether or not to show it in their theaters, so I'm asking and begging (and hell, I'll even bribe you if I have to) to lend your support in this.
Please tell your friends and aquaintances in and around New York about the film and ask them to go see it. Since we don't have a big advertising budget, we are totally depending on word of mouth!! I am confident that most people will enjoy the film, even though some images may be a bit graphic for some people. Overall, audiences have been very enthusiastic after seeing the film and in our current political climate, I think it is also of vital importance that films like this are seen.
I truly am thankful and appreciative of your support and I hope to see you at the theater! I'll be around for the opening weekend to meet and greet audience members. Feel free to send this out to your entire mailing lists. I have added some general info on the film at the bottom of this mail.
Wishing you love, peace and all the good stuff in life,
Claes Lilja
www.beyondvanilla.net
"Much as the title suggests, Beyond Vanilla explores the kinkier aspects of sex on the other side of vanilla. With interviews, demonstrations and a good dose of how-to instructions, this documentary covers the gamut of fetishes and SM practices. From bondage, flogging and fisting to knife play, fire and golden showers, director Claes Lilja (pronounced class lil-yah) takes you on an unforgettable journey to the wilder side of sex. Sharing fantasies, experiences and pleasures, the over 100 people interviewed in the film help blur boundaries and shed new light on sexuality and sexual practices. For the curious, the voyeur, or the enthusiast, this is a fascinating
journey into the world of high performance sexual athletes, where the boundaries
of gay, straight, bi or transgender seem almost irrelevant. Lilja's subjects are
academics, doctors, lawyers, pornographers, porn stars, sex workers and fulfilled, freelance hedonists who offer an insider's view of how to embrace extreme fantasies. Open your mind and the rest will follow...
Starring adult film celebrities such as Cole Tucker, Chi Chi La Rue, Nina Hartley, Chloe and Carol Queen, this film has screened to great acclaim at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Image & Nation Film Festival in Montreal, the Silver Lake Film Festival in Los Angeles and the New York SM Film Festival among others."
Some quotes:
"Guaranteed to make almost anybody squirm with delight, disgust or disbelief,
Beyond Vanilla takes you to exactly where it says on the tin. For the curious, the voyeur, or the enthusiast, this is a fascinating journey into the world of high performance sexual athletes, where the boundaries of gay,
straight, bi or trans seem almost irrelevant." -- www.outtakes.net
"If National Geographic got together with the producers of This Old House and made a movie about BDSM (Bondage/Dominance/Sadism/Masochism) it would probably look something like this. Even though I'm a bit on the vanilla side, I was totally intrigued with the over 100 interviews and graphic demonstrations of such lovely pastimes as fisting, knife play, flogging, and breath control. The tone is fun, informational, and titillating, what more could you want late on a Saturday night, except maybe a fist up your rectum."
(Brian Brait ) --The Portland Mercury
"…a candid, good-humored and very hot documentary bringing together a wide
range of S/M practitioners and experts to share their fantasies and experiences."--Arizona Power Exchange
"With something for everyone from bondage and fisting to electro-torture, director Claes Lilja goes where your mother hoped you'd never dare. This is an entertaining how-to-guide for fetish and SM sex, with advice from 100 devotees. Not recommended for those of a sensitive disposition. Beyond Vanilla was one of the fastest selling tickets at our festival. The film explores practices once seen as taboo but gives a remarkably balanced and non-judgemental exploration of the world of sex in the fast lane."
Brian Robinson, Programmer, London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
