#HOTDOCS: “BLOOM UP – A SWINGER COUPLE STORY”

By George Kozera By day, Hermes and Betta (a lovely middle-aged Italian couple) run a pet supply store, interacting with clients on a very professional and personal level. It’s at night when they let their freak flag fly: Hermes and Betta are swingers where their interactions take a wildly different turn. BLOOM UP takes us deep inside the world of swinging where like-minded people explore carnal pursuits without shame, fear or judgment. It is a fascinating topic to pursue as it is ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “AIN’T NO TIME FOR WOMEN”

By Justin Waldman Ain’t no time for Women is a Short Documentary about the 2019 Presidential election in Tunis. These women are all gathered in a salon discussing everything they have gone through throughout their lives with the dictatorships and hardships they’ve gone through. In its short 19 minutes, it packs an impactful punch. What makes Ain’t No time for Women so great is the fact that in such a short time the women can turn this regular salon into a political powerhouse with ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “BANK JOB”

By Justin Waldman The duo of Daniel Edeistyn and Hilary Powell challenge all preconceived notions we have of money, debt, crypto, currency, and politics to an extent in their though provoking and inspiring documentary Bank Job. They are essentially Robin Hood, in creating their own currency that they distribute to their community, and buy their debt, something that we didn’t think was possible, to free the people in essence. If you were to ask someone how money were to be created, outside ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “SET!”

By George Kozera Did you know that there’s another “Best in Show” competition that has nothing to do with the Westminster Kennel Club dog show? This one is held annually at the Orange County Fair in California and it is for Best Table Settings. I shuttered with delight! Truth be told, I can be a tad OCD when I attend a dinner party and see that the tableware, glasses and cutlery are set up all wrong. Whereas I never say anything to the hosts, my inner Emily Post/Martha Stewart is ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “TAMING THE GARDEN”

By Justin Waldman A completely fascinating tale of wealth vs nature and what humans are willing to sacrifice to gain something else. Taming the Garden is so rich in its presentation, and so wild in facts that it almost feels surreal. When former Prime Minister of Georgia wants to buy fully grown trees and remove them to his own private garden, he promised locals infrastructure in exchange, but the question that was never truly asked was at what cost? Give up the gorgeous nature in exchange ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “SILENT VOICE”

By George Kozera SILENT VOICE is powerful Documentary about young people fleeing Chechnya due to its anti-gay policies and continued deadly violence toward the LBGTQ community. A must-see companion piece alongside last year’s searing “Welcome to Chechnya”, this Movie only focuses on one person. Khavaj is a young Mixed Martial Arts fighter who was tormented ruthlessly by his own brother back home and now lives in Belgium, receiving support from a non-profit group and awaits to see ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “FAITH AND BRANKO”

By George Kozera Faith is in Serbia to learn all about gypsy music known as Roma. While there, she meets Branko, a Roma Violinist, and this British Artist slowly develops romantic feelings towards her effervescent musical collaborator. They make beautiful music together and decide to marry. FAITH AND BRANKO follows these lovebirds as they journey through their life together. While wonderful at first, Faith needs her travel itch to be scratched and Branko is reluctant to leave his family ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “LOVE IT WAS NOT”

By George Kozera My mother spent the last nine months of World War II in Auschwitz and I grew-up hearing her many first hand accounts of living in a Concentration Camp. Not only had visiting the site left me with images I will never forget, I make a point of watching any films that deal with the Holocaust during daytime hours. That’s how I viewed Filmmaker Maya Sarfaty’s astonishing Documentary LOVE IT WAS NOT, based on a love affair between Helena Zitron (a stunningly beautiful Jewish ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “ANY GIVEN DAY”

By Justin Waldman The United States penal system is broken, Any Given Day proves that. One town in Chicago, specifically Chicago’s Cook County Mental Health Court offers people with any mental illness a rehabilitation program instead of traditional probation but under the same restrictions as probation. While this is a step in the right direction, after the program ends people are left to their own devices, and any relapse or reconviction for anything caused by their mental health would ... Read more

#HOTDOCS: “ROCKFIELD: THE STUDIO ON THE FARM”

By Justin Waldman It is the year of the Music Documentary and Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm packs the Rock and Roll punch it needs. Brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward, they turned in their milk farm and created a recording studio and word spread like wildfire and they became one of the most famous recording studios. The likes of Black Sabbath, Oasis, Robert Plant, Iggy Pop, etc. have recorded at Rockfield. What makes this Documentary so great, is the history and stories that have ... Read more