Organizers and supporters of an annual adult film festival were trying to promote freedom of sexual expression.
But after zoning hurdles, organizers of the film festival Pornotopia had to change their plan.

Regularly held at The Guild in Nob Hill, the event was moved to the Sunshine Theater downtown this year. Event creators Matie Fricker and Molly Adler said they discovered that due to building codes they would not be able to hold the event at the Sunshine. At a press conference Saturday, Fricker said the city’s zoning code has forced them to change the format of the festival.
Fricker and Adler said they aim to change the way people think about adult films. They said they want to bring these films and topics out of a shameful light.

“Mainstream porn fosters a culture of shame and unrealistic ideas about sex and our bodies,” Fricker said. “Pornotopia features films promoting a positive, educational and empowering erotic experience.”

The city’s Code Enforcement Department did not return phone calls about the zoning exemption. But Code Enforcement Manager Matthew Conrad told The Albuquerque Journal that the city is investigating the legality of the event. The Journal also reported that city officials gave Pornotopia organizers a map of possible event sites.

Fricker said a double standard is present when it comes to movies that contain nudity. She said the movie Jackass 3-D, playing downtown about a block from where the event was to be held, contained male nudity.

“If they can do it, why can’t we?” Fricker said.
Darin Foster, a lawyer and a supporter, said he doesn’t think city officials are personally stopping the event, that they are simply obliged to follow the code. He said an exemption for the event seems reasonable.

“The law doesn’t even need to be changed; the exemption is all they need,” Foster said.
While Foster said he is a lawyer and has knowledge of some of the issues, he said he is not a representative of the organization. He said the ACLU has assisted the festival’s organizers.

Fricker said they decided to double check an exemption request because they had problems in the past. She said they knew they would need an exemption from the zoning code in order to show adult content at the festival, but no one involved seemed worried.
Fricker said the openness of

sexuality and adult themes causes people to become uncomfortable. She said the problem for most people is that the festival is not hidden from the mainstream.

“If we were in dark alleys and ashamed, we wouldn’t have a problem,” Fricker said.
Fricker said the city identified appropriately zoned areas for the festival, but none of them are conducive with hosting a film festival.
Fricker said she and Adler along with their supporters are organizing a letter-writing campaign in order for their voices to be heard. They said they reorganized this year’s Pornotopia, which will include guest speakers and skits, to focus on free speech.

“We are going to have a rocking good time and we are not going quietly into the night,” Fricker said.

Adler said the zoning codes are overly complicated and confusing for events like these. She said part of the problem is that the zoning rules are so complicated, the city has problems enforcing them.
“I feel that the city doesn’t know their own rules,” Adler said.