Showing as part of the Fall 2026 HUMP! season.
This week we got to hear from David Weathersby, creator of HUMP! Fall 2026 film In the Flame: Sir Leo. He’s the producer and director behind the Sex in Colour – “a documentary series that delves into the historical and contemporary aspects of Black sexuality.”
David has a love for blending documentary filmmaking and kink, and turned his camera to capture a fireplay scene for HUMP! 2026. He talked to us about his relationship with voyeurism, why capturing fire play specifically was so intriguing to him, and how consent manifests in his productions and sets.
What made you want to submit this film to HUMP!?
I submitted to Hump Fest because I felt like it allowed me to add elements of documentary filmmaking along with a kink scene, and I thought it was a perfect merge of the two things, so I had Hump Fest in mind when we were putting this together.
What (if anything) did you discover about your own desire that surprised you during the process of creating your film?
What I discovered about myself and my own desires from doing this project was, I knew that I leaned towards the voyeur side of kink, and this kind of project kind of solidified it for me, kind of confirmed that that's where I was in the community.
I always tell people, it's like my kink is being in kink spaces, I just really I really enjoy the freedom, being in that atmosphere – yeah, it does it for me.
What community does your film represent or speak to?
It was a pretty natural progression – I had done projects within the kink community, and that included people who did fire play, and so it was pretty natural being able to transition into that world of documenting people who were practicing fire play, especially black people who practice fire play, POC people who practice fire play.
So I think the other projects, and just being in the community in general, it was pretty natural to kind of interact [with] and connect with the fire play community
Let’s talk consent in porn!
How did consent shape the way this film was made?
Consent starts with respect; it starts with respecting the person you're working with, respecting their wishes, and respecting them as a person, and then that kind of flows into – once you have that kind of respect – then it's not a chore [or] a stretch to make sure that the consent is not only there but it's enthusiastic.
And understanding that consent can and will change in the moment. When a person gives you consent, they're consenting before something happens, [and] once the play starts, you don't know what's gonna happen and what they're gonna feel, or what's gonna change, or what's gonna happen in the environment.
So to me, consent is ongoing, and I try to do that, especially in situations like fire play; you have to make sure you check in on the consent throughout the set, throughout the scene, throughout the session, throughout the whole process; you have to be constantly reevaluating the consent to make sure everything is OK, and everybody is still on the same path, and everyone is still comfortable
For me, being the filmmaker, and also having a voyeur side, it was basically (for lack of a better word) getting out of the way. Letting the person do what they do, and how they want to feel, and let them just be comfortable, and let them do what they're comfortable doing, and documenting that.
To me, that's a part of the consent: you allow people to be who they are, and do what they do, and make sure that comfort and respect levels [are] consistent throughout
Why did HUMP! feel like the right place for this story?
This was the perfect place to present a project like this because of how open [HUMP! is] as far as content and what can be shown.
And that's not just what's on the screen, but how you present it: different formats, different techniques, and things that you might not be able to do in a different format or a different project. You have a lot of creative freedom with HUMP! Fest,
and I really do appreciate that
What do you hope audiences feel first watching your film?
What I want the audience to see is how rhythmic fire play can be. That's the first thing I noticed: there was a rhythm to fire play; there was a kind of dance to it. I thought that was beautiful, exciting; it was really something to capture: the dance between the top and the bottom and everything that goes in there, including how the safety elements are worked into it as well
I found it all just beautiful.
What would you say to someone attending HUMP! for the first time or creating a film for HUMP! for the first time?
Be authentic. I think HUMP! rewards people being authentic and being themselves and showing not just a kink, [or] a fetish, but what it means to them, how they interpret it, how they represent it. So I think if I had one thing to say to somebody, just be your authentic self.
Because HUMP! is a very authentic film festival, and I'm very grateful.