CHICAGO, Illinois—After a wildly successful inaugural year, including a 10-film series at the Leather Archives & Museum and a 5-film series at FACETS, the Leather Archives & Museum is thrilled to announce the continuation of Fetish Film Forum, a monthy screening series about sex, relationships, and art. Now happening every month in the year with double features in October and December, 2024 Fetish Film Forum is stacked with fourteen extraordinary films spanning numerous countries and decades with a focus on fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM.
To name just a few of the pleasures that await, we'll partake in January Giallo with ultra-queer thriller Knife+Heart; pal around with the ever-flirtatious Elvira: Mistress of the Dark for Halfway to Halloween; experience the Chicago premiere of underground marvel The Orgy of the Damned; celebrate Pride Month with the radical depiction of a Christian saint in Derek Jarman's Sebastiane; spend Madonna's birthday weekend beholding her searing performance in Body of Evidence; enjoy twice the sweet suffering in October with a double feature of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II; and cherish a holiday double feature of Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns exploring the kinky sensibilities of Tim Burton.
Full synopsis and ticketing can be found on the LA&M's website here: leatherarchives.org/events/2024-fetish-film-forum .
2024 FETISH FILM FORUM
Screenings January-December, 2024
Fetish. Kink. Leather. BDSM.
Celebrate all forms of consensual intimacy.
Perspectives on fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM are as numerous as the people in these communities, and the fourteen films in this series explore various points of view on the sexual practice and art of fetish and kink, bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism. Cinema is a fetish for the moving image, a form of roleplay for the actors, and an experience of voyeurism for the viewer, and Fetish Film Forum celebrates the power of film to realize humanity's innermost desires.
All screenings will be introduced by local film programmer John McDevitt, and they'll be joined by numerous guest co-presenters and pop-up vendors throughout the year.
Screenings are January-December, 2024, held the 3rd Saturday of the month at 7pm at the Leather Archives & Museum (6418 N Greenview Ave, Chicago, IL), and post-screening discussions are included with all screenings. Single Tickets can be purchased in advance through the LA&M's website and cost $10 per screening, or $8 for LA&M Members & Students. Double Feature Tickets (October or December) cost $15 for General Public, or $12 for LA&M Members & Students. A Season Pass to see all fourteen films costs $100 for General Public, or $80 for LA&M Members & Students. General Public Tickets include a 30-day membership to the LA&M.
This series was programmed by John McDevitt in cooperation with the Leather Archives & Museum. John is a lifelong cinephile who currently works as Community Engagement Manager at FACETS, the non-profit film organization in Chicago's Lincoln Park.
SERIES FILMS
Knife+Heart (2018) - Saturday, January 20 @ 7pm
Directed by Yann Gonzalez, France/Mexico/Switzerland, 102 mins
Co-Presented by Cinematic Void
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989) - Saturday, February 10 @ 7pm
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 101 mins
Geographies of Public Sex - Saturday, March 16 @ 7pm
Contemporary Shorts Program, Various Directors
Co-Presented by Henry Hanson of Full Spectrum Features
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) - Saturday, April 20 @ 7pm
Directed by James Signorelli, USA, 96 mins
Co-Presented by Abhorrent Cinema
The Orgy of the Damned (2023) - Saturday, May 18 @ 7pm
Directed by Norbert Pfaffenbichler, Austria, 82 mins
Co-Presented by Raul Benitez of Chicago International Film Festival
Sebastiane (1976) - Saturday, June 15 @ 7pm
Directed by Derek Jarman & Paul Humfress, United Kingdom, 85 mins
Co-Presented by Pride Film Fest
The Duke of Burgundy (2014) - Saturday, July 20 @ 7pm
Directed by Peter Strickland, United Kingdom, 104 mins
Body of Evidence (1993) - Saturday, August 17 @ 7pm
Directed by Uli Edel, USA/Germany, 99 mins
Co-Presented by Foul Monkeys Podcast
The Night Porter (1974) - Saturday, September 21 @ 7pm
Directed by Liliana Cavani, Italy, 118 mins
Hellraiser (1987) - Saturday, October 19 @ 7pm
Directed by Clive Barker, United Kingdom/USA, 93 mins
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) - Saturday, October 19 @ 9:15pm
Directed by Tony Randel, United Kingdom/USA, 93 mins
Co-Presented by Brian Kirst of Big Gay Horror Fan
Tokyo Decadence (1992) - Saturday, November 16 @ 7pm
Directed by Ryū Murakami, Japan, 112 mins
Co-Presented by Oscarbate
Edward Scissorhands (1990) - Saturday, December 21 @ 7pm
Directed by Tim Burton, USA, 105 mins
Batman Returns (1992) - Saturday, December 21 @ 9:15pm
Directed by Tim Burton, USA, 126 mins
Co-Presented by Gerber/Hart Library & Archives
Memberships at the LA&M
General admission tickets include a 30-day LA&M membership. Become an annual member of the Leather Archives & Museum today to receive discounts on tickets, free admission to the museum, and more. Sign up today athttps://leatherarchives.org/support/become-a-member.
About the LA&M
The Leather Archives & Museum was founded by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase in 1991 as a community archive, library, and museum of leather, kink, fetish, and BDSM history and culture. The LA&M's mission is to make leather, kink, fetish, and BDSM accessible through research, preservation, education, and community engagement.
Health & Safety
By purchasing a ticket to a screening at the Leather Archives & Museum, you are accepting the inherent risk of public film viewing in the midst of COVID-19. The LA&M follows the City of Chicago guidelines on COVID-19 prevention, and you are agreeing to adhere to any prevention policies that may be in place. You also understand that we reserve the right to refuse service in the event of non-compliance.
Building Accessibility
Please note the Leather Archives & Museum does not have an accessible entrance. You must be able to navigate stairs to enter the building and to move between floors inside. Please call us at 773-761-9200 with additional questions.
