‘Deep Throat’ Celebrates 50th Anniversary With Return To Cinema

An iconic zeitgeist of the sexual revolution and the first adult film to debut in mainstream theatrical cinema, breaking box office records in 1972, filmmaker Gerard Damiano Sr.’s controversial film Deep Throat (still considered to be the most profitable film of all time)  will have a global event cinema experience celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of the film (with 4k restoration) with in-person filmmaker Q&A’s! Cinema locations to still be announced from around the globe include the following cities: Berlin, Bologna, Seattle, Los Angeles, Kreuzberg, Miami, Chicago, Montreal, Amsterdam, Rome, London, Tokyo, Paris, Pittsburgh, and many more.

Unsatisfied and unfulfilled, a young woman (Linda Lovelace) derives little pleasure from sex. She feels a lot of “little tingles” but wants “Bells Ringing! Dams Bursting! and Bombs going off!” Her roommate (Dolly Sharp) sends her to an unconventional therapist (Harry Reems), who discovers the root of her problem. Her clitoris is deep down in her throat! The solution: a technique known as Deep Throat. Once cured, she devotes herself to helping others to find the sexual satisfaction that she so desired.

 This light, campy comedy was one of the first full-length feature films to include hard-core sex and became an instant phenomenon. Made in 1972 for a mere $25,000, it was reported to have made over $600,000,000. It came to define what was known as “Porno Chic,” reaching mainstream audiences.

It was prosecuted on both local and federal levels resulting in many high-profile cases reaching all the way to the Supreme Court. “Deep Throat” became a household word and lent its name to the Watergate informant who brought down then-President Richard Nixon. It enjoys a cult status today. Deep Throat has been referenced in all forms of popular culture, from late-night monologues to feature films. It has inspired songs, books, movies, musicals, and even a rock opera. The acclaimed documentary Inside Deep Throat sought to tell the true story, while Lovelace, which starred Amanda Seyfried, offered a fictionalized version. Burt Reynolds famously styled himself after Gerard Damiano Sr. for his appearance as porn director Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights.

Damiano Films will tour the globe this year, beginning in New York, followed by Bologna at the end of June, timed to the exact 50^th Anniversary with…

• June 10th Roxy Cinema Tribeca 16mm screening with a post-screening panel discussion comprised of notable Porn Stars from the era and historians. Very elegant venue attached to the Roxy Hotel. A Sneak Peek of the restored version will be shown to promote the event on June 12th. 
• June 12th the Slipper Room 3 screenings of the 4K restored version of the film over the course of the evening with VIP ticketing and a burlesque show as well as a DJ. World-renowned venue. 
• During the month of June Museum of Sex is a month-long run of their   Porno Chic to sex positivity exhibit. Memorabilia from the film, along with select items from the private collection of Gerard Damiano Sr, will be on display.
• Also, at the end of the month of June, Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival a weeklong festival from June 25th thru July 3rd in Bologna, Italy; Il Cinema Ritrovato is a festival dedicated to the history of cinema, screening classics, retrospectives, and showcasing the latest restored films from labs and archives around the world. 

All event screenings for this pop-culture phenom timed to the film’s 50^th anniversary for the first time in decades will offer Q&As with the filmmaker’s son Gerard Damiano Jr., a filmmaker in his own right, and daughter Christar  – who can offer illuminating context to the film that helped to create the Adult Film Industry. Damiano Films holds the rights to their father’s most important feature films. A documentary on “Deep Throat” director Gerard Damiano Sr., helmed by Damiano Jr., is currently in the works.