Wet Dream Film Festivals

Poster for first the Wet Dream Film Festival (1970) in Amsterdam

At the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s, Amsterdam was somewhat of a countercultural capital. It was where Suck, The First European Sex Paper was published. Around this time two Wet Dream Film Festivals were organized. The first took place in the autumn of 1970, It had an international jury consisting of Germaine Greer, Jay Landesman, Richard Neville, Michael Zwerin, Didi Wadidi and Al Goldstein. The first prize went to Bodil Jensen in A Summer Day. The “Blast from the Past” award went to Jean Genet‘s film: Un chant d’amour. The Walt Disney Memorial Award went to Christie Eriksson‘s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Other prizes were awarded for Peter Flemming, Walter Burns and Falcon Stewart. The Second Wet Dream Film Festival was held in 1971 between October 20 and October 25, again organized by Jim Haynes. Festival jury included Germaine Greer, Al Goldstein, William Holtrop, Didi Wadidi, Anna Beke and Michael Zwerin plus new-comers Mama Cass, Roland Topor, Heathcote Williams, William Burroughs, Carlos Clarens, Tomi Ungerer, Betty Dodson, Marie-France and Miss Angel. Jens Frosen (“Quiet Days in Clichy”) documented the event. Lou Sher, president of Sherpix, who picked up “Adultery For Fun and Profit” at the first festival, put up $1,000 for the first prize this year plus a promise of U.S. theatrical distribution. Organizer Haynes told Variety: “What most people don’t understand about last year’s Wet Dream Festival is that we are not concerned with pornographic aspects primarily, but with the libertarian concept. It is an attack on paternalism because it asks why people can’t see any image they want.”

This post is dedicated to the work of Earl Kemp.

8 thoughts on “Wet Dream Film Festivals”

  1. Marije Janssen

    Wellicht is het interessant om te weten dat wij op 5 mei een terugblik doen naar de periode van de Wet Dreams Film Festivals in onze speciale avond over se sexuele revolutie met Willem de Ridder in Paradiso, Amsterdam. Dit in het kader van Pinched, waarin we zoeken naar andere geluiden op het gebied van liefde, sex en kunst.
    Na dit promotiepraatje, wil ik je complimenteren met je fantastische blog en wiki, met alle informatie over deze en nog zo veel meer onderwerpen die gaan over tegenbewegingen. Elke keer (her)ontdek ik zoveel moois.
    Dus dank!

    Lentegroet,
    Marije Janssen
    curator Pinched

  4. Dennis von Heesen

    I need the film: Christie Eriksson’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
    Does somebody know where i can get it? Thank you.

  5. Marije Janssen

    @ Rafaela, het is inderdaad een kleine wereld…ik heb jou namelijk weer ontdekt via dit blog 🙂

    @ Jahsonic, de planning is dat we via Fabchannel een live registratie gaan doen. Dit komt in het Pinched archief, zodat na 21 juni alle vooravonden en het festival terug te zien zijn.

    Groet!
    Marije

  7. fred

    hallo,
    ik las ergens dat william burroughs ook aanwezig was op het tweede wet dreams festival, en dat het in het foyer van American Hotel werd gehouden. Klopt dat?

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