The films are about sex and sensuality, but the aim is to stimulate the mind as well as the body.
An erotic film festival scheduled to take place shortly after Valentine’s Day is giving Ottawa an alternative way of celebrating the holiday.
Lee Demarbre, president and founder of the Ottawa-based Odessa Filmworks, is presenting Painted Lips and Lolly Licks, a collection of erotic films from around the world, at Barrymore Music Hall on Feb. 16.
The festival includes an hour of short films followed by a short feature film called Not Another Porn Movie.
Tickets are $5 and Demarbre says he expects a full house.
“We have every different side of sex you can think of: gay, straight, animated. . . ” Demarbre says.
He says people should not be turned off by erotic films.
Erotica got a bad name ever since pornography became a widespread phenomenon, he adds.
Finding suitable films that were not “straight porn” wasn’t easy.
But after relentless searching – mainly by combing through other film festivals and quizzing other film enthusiasts – he says he finally got hold of a reasonable collection.
“Porn killed eroticism,” Demarbre says. “Everyone has different definitions of sex. It’s not all about clean-shaven actors,” who often star in pornographic movies.
Ian Driscoll, a filmmaker and writer for Odessa and the festival’s promoter, says pornography is repetitive and leaves much to be desired.
“Erotica is not so in your face,” he explains.
He says that pornography tends to only feature unrealistically beautiful actors, but erotica is about all things that are sexy in everyday life.
Driscoll explains that “normal people” generally do not get their share of the limelight when it comes to pornography.
The festival got its name from Sasha Grey, an American adult film star who appeared on Demarbre’s radio show, The Drunken Master Review. When the time came, she was more than willing to help out, he says.
Demarbre, also known as the Drunken Master, is on Carleton University's CKCU-FM every Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m.
His co-hosts, the Master’s “dream team,” are also his good friends. They include Driscoll, known on the show as Colonel Trautman, Marc (Adrian Tripod) Charron and Josh (Duel Nutter) Grace.
From the Oscars to Rambo, from reviews to rumours, the show covers everything related to movies.
“I don’t like dwelling on the negative side of cinema,” he says.
“I want to talk about the good things, like Rambo.”
Grace, the funny-man of the show, says, “I know my movies but (Demarbre and Driscoll) go and see every movie.”
Grace starred in and helped with music and sound effects for a number of Odessa films.
Some of the independent films Odessa Filmworks has produced include Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter and the Harry Knuckles series.
Its latest film, The Dead Sleep Easy, about a Mexican wrestler redeeming himself after working for the mob, debuts in Ottawa at the ByTowne Cinema on Rideau Street on Feb. 22.