Seattle Erotica Cinema Society

Mission

The Seattle Erotica Cinema Society hosts the annual film festival SECS FEST. Now in its fifth year, SECS FEST is a sex-positive international film festival celebrating the artistry of erotic cinema while inspiring diverse communities to engage in adult conversations about sex.

Description

The Seattle Erotica Cinema Society (SECS) aims to bring world-class erotic cinema to Seattle audiences throughout the year and in an annual festival including short films, features, documentary, and archival films. With attention to selecting films that are inclusive of authentic adult sexual expression, the films will show a diversity of representations: race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, kink, body-type and standards of beauty, age, and ability. And it is through the exhibition of authentic sexualities alongside opportunities for audiences to participate in discussions and post-screening Q&A sessions that the festival can act as a catalyst for honest, non-judgmental conversations and the spreading of sex-positive values.

In some ways, SECS FEST is just another film festival, but what makes it unique is the experience of watching explicit films with an audience as observed by Kalee Quiñones. "Sitting in a room of people watching pornography is not something I ever thought I'd have the privilege of doing in the modern world. When I came to my first SECS screening, I didn't know what to expect. The films made me laugh, made me horny, made me think. I left the theater feeling a new sense of freedom and acceptance for myself. Other people like sex too, and we don't have to hide it from each other."

SECS FEST is also a venue for filmmakers creating films with adult subject matter. Many excellent films that focus on telling honest stories of sex workers or personal stories of sexual growth, for example, are not accepted to more mainstream North American festivals simply due to sexual content. We are proud to have the courage to bring these over-looked films to audiences.

With the COVID-19 Coronavius pandemic, SECS Fest 2020 was transformed into a virtual festival. In 2022, SECS Fest returned to the Grand Illusion Cinema as an in-person film festival. Our mission is very centered on bringing films about relationships and sexuality to audiences, but we will need your support to continue our work. The Grand Illusions' building is up for sale, meaning we will eventually need to find a new home for our future festivals and monthly programs. So please allow us to continue to find the most exciting and thought provoking erotic cinema to bring to Seattle audiences by supporting our Give BIG fundraiser.

Please Give Big today!

Recognition

The Seattle Erotica Cinema society is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike.

About Shunpike
Shunpike is the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington State with the services, resources, and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.