Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Vanessa Sanchez / Daily Lobo Rosemary Robles protests the Pornotopia festival in front of the Guild Cinema at 3405 Central Ave. N.E. on Sunday.

Staff Report



The Guild Cinema will not be punished by the city for hosting a pornography festival over the weekend.

Albuquerque's Zoning Enforcement Office issued a notice of violation Monday to the theater after its three-day Pornotopia festival, said Bob White, city attorney.



"It's neither a citation or criminal complaint," he said. "This is what the city does on a first violation."

The Pornotopia festival began at 7 p.m. Friday with "Annie Sprinkle's Amazing World of Orgasms." It ended Sunday night with an encore showing of the 3-D film "Disco Dolls in Hot Skin."

The owners of the Guild received a letter Friday afternoon saying the festival would violate city zoning laws.

The Friday letter states the maximum penalties for violating the code include 90 days in jail or a $500 fine per film.

White said the office also requested to have a meeting with the owners of the Guild to discuss how to avoid future

infractions.

"The goal is to ensure there aren't future violations and to avoid the issue of them hearing about this the day the event was to begin," he said.

Keif Henley, co-owner of the Guild, said the theater had the right to host the festival. But it will work with the city to get the issue resolved, he said.

"We are very willing to meet with the city to discuss this matter," he said.

Henley said an ACLU lawyer is representing the Guild.

White said the city can regulate where adult movies are screened.

"Under the First Amendment, we can regulate where adult amusement takes place," he said. "We have a regulation. That doesn't say, 'You can't do that.' It just says it can only happen in certain zones."

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