HUMP! is an annual film festival founded by Dan Savage in 2005.[1] HUMP! describes itself as "the world's best amateur porn film festival."[1] The festival—which premiered in Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon—showcases home-movie erotica, amateur sex cinema, and locally produced pornography,[2] all of which must be five minutes or less.[1] Films are rated by the audience, and awards are given.[1]
HUMP! expanded to 14 additional cities in 2014, starting with sold-out shows at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.[1] As of 2023, HUMP!'s annual tour includes more than fifty cities across the United States, Canada, and Europe.[1] Each year the festival kicks off in Seattle and Portland before beginning its global tour.[1]
In its early years, Dan Savage would destroy the single DVD containing the films, ensuring performers' privacy was preserved forever.[1] In 2023, however, HUMP! launched a streaming library of past entries to allow for "timeless appreciation of [the] festival's creative brilliance."[1]
HUMP! encourages filmmakers to produce entries specifically for HUMP! itself, however, the recognition has become so significant that several films which had premiered at HUMP! have been re-released and achieved significant commercial success, most notably among them the gay feature "Lawnboy" and Gloria Brame's short mockumentary, "How To Get A Leg Up In Porn."[3]
In popular culture
At the 25th Sundance Film Festival, the independent film Humpday featured characters creating a submission for the HUMP! film festival. The story of two straight men making a gay erotic film for the HUMP! opened to strongly positive reviews.[4][5][6][7]
^O'Hehir, Andrew (2009-01-17). "Dude + dude = porno!". Movies. Salon. Beyond the Multiplex. Archived from the original on 2009-01-19. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
