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CFDBNYC is a blog/radio show/podcast that focuses on NYC Culture, Film, Music and great craft beer. Follow us as we highlight what’s new and unheard of in the five boroughs.
  • Movie Time: Playing With Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency

    Movie Time: Playing With Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency

    Had the opportunity to watch a interesting environmental documentary film titled Playing With Fire: An Ecosexual Emergency. A film directed by longtime lovers and artists Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stevens. This being the final film of their series of queer environmental documentaries they definitely challenged their boundaries like never before. The premise of Playing With Fire is about fire and the impact it have on Earth good and bad. Of course the film discusses our relationships with fire and the reasons fire is needed as a cleanse than evil. The film starts with the official unofficial mascot of Boulder Creek, California (the town they live in) Albert, a peacock who takes the audience around the town to see the sights and people that make Boulder Creek unique and quiet. Albert also shows what places took a hit during the CZU Fire that during COVID. Beth and Annie walks through the town doing interviews with some of the residents to discuss their lives during the fire. Most of the interviews is very enlightened because it seems like Boulder Creek have a coalition of different people from all over who happen to live in harmony but have survivor’s guilt by making out from the fire that engulfed some homes and animals. Throughout the film we learn everything about fire from purity to how it transform into something spiritual. It not all mystical and mysterious in this film there is humor (A peacock is narrating the film) and various animals talks throughout the rituals wondering what is happening. Even with the lighthearted jokes in between the seriousness of ecological damage in some cases due to human error and judgement the film brings awareness to topics that covers most areas from racism to classism to protecting the earth with a unique approach. Playing With Fire is a good starting point to inquire about ecology and how we as humans should understand it more but also learning how to feel closer to nature without losing intimacy is good too.

    Beth and Annie did a good job showing the audience how to have fun in a world full of chaos and that learning how to love the planet is a beautiful thing. The visuals of the town is majestic and the usage of homemade clips from COVID is jarring but needed to explain how the town understood the world outside was bad but at least they knew what was going on and prepare for whatever comes. Playing With Fire is not just educational, it’s spiritual, it’s funny, it’s erotic. It’s everything you expect from artists who have no boundaries when it comes to making art.

  • Movie Time Review: Jail Time Records

    Jail Time Records is a musical documentary that premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival that follows recording artists emerging from one of the toughest prisons on the planet: Central Prison of Douala in Cameroon. The musicians use a makeshift studio where they express themselves through songs. There are three musicians that are featured: Stone, Transporteur and Empereur. There is a guide named La PJ who walks us through all the places of the complex from the main court to where the gangs meet. We also meet the founder of Jail Time Records who created a outlet for current and ex prisoners. He pops in periodically throughout the film and sees the progress of what the studio making. By using second hand electronics and instruments the prisoners write lyrics with help from the founder who puts them in the studio to record. Chronicling over several years you see the transformation of the prisoners who goes from studio to surviving the prison on a daily basis.

    The main subject is Transporteur whose personality carries him to the forefront of the label when it comes to its star power. He have already two sentences and waiting to see if his conviction is overturned so he can be with his girlfriend and become a major star. We see him in the studio as the most polished of the group that hangs around the studio and wrote songs but his is the ones that stand out. Stone who once was a soldier but committed treason is also looking to transfer but until then he arranges most of the music while Steve is not there. Stone’s music is mostly autobiographical like Empereur but less violent. The scenes featuring Stone is heartbreaking and compelling because he wants to be a father to his young daughter but also wants to be a superstar musician. The scenery of the prison is impressive because you could not imagine how could someone make music from prison walls but in this case it is their outlet to escape. Transporteur and Empereur are mutual friends who bonded over music but not more than that as you could see in scenes where Empereur just want to rule the complex by any means and Transporteur just want to get out and make videos.

    La PJ is special because he directs you through traffic and breaks through the fourth wall to talk to the audience. This is impressive because you don’t know if you watching a documentary or a narrative. That element is important because it let the audience know that this is no ordinary documentary. The music is the star of the film because it is so authentic and raw with emotions that gravitate you into their world. The concept of shooting videos is courtesy of the director of the film who have a great relationship with the prison and gave some great color to the music videos. If the purpose of the film is to highlight the studio and the conditions that the prisoners who created it are in then it did that however we know why they are in one of the toughest prisons in the world and that could not be sugar coated by their efforts to make music. Empereur is the only one that what to balance both worlds which make him the only one who know his fate. A great documentary, very well rounded and captures the environment well. The music is phenomenal and the visuals is fantastic. However you are wondering even after the credits is can prisoners be reform through music or they using it just to get out and do it all over again?

  • Movie Time Review: Mario

    MARIO is a new documentary that premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival is a riveting story about Mario Cuomo, one of the most beloved governors in the history of New York State. The film is mainly set in the 1980s where Reagan is President and running for a second term but something or in this case Cuomo is gaining momentum to become the next President. The backdrop of Reaganomics and Reagan’s vision of America sets the tone for Cuomo’s rise and his journey through American politics in the 80s. The mix of archival footage and original interviews from family, friends and colleagues gives the audience a peek inside the complexity of Cuomo who wanted to help the people of the city that he cared about but also wanted a quiet life. This is where the film thrives: the duality of Mario Cuomo.

    Even though you will see where the current administration get some of their ideology from as you watch some of the excerpts of Reagan’s speeches. That is not the topic of course but those speeches along with Cuomo’s upbringing and personal interests sparked a movement where many of the general public wanted him in the White House in 1984. As we watched many interviews throughout the film, you get a sense that not only Cuomo didn’t want to be President but he had no interest in national politics just the state that he loved so dearly. When AIDS hit New York hard and no help from the national government Mario steps up and create a bill to fund research in the state. His foray into running for governor for the first time is discussed with lots of details as for why he considered even though he doesn’t like politics.

    Mario discusses so many memories for the people in New York State who lived through his tenure and down the line his son’s. It’s amazing how much ground was covered by the directors who got access to his personal diaries and videos to cram everything into 90 plus minutes. Seeing the family and colleagues discuss his waffling with running for president and the conversations after that was very important and detailed because there was many layers that lead to the decision and you see most of them talked about and visualize while watching the documentary. Overall Mario handled the subject matter quite well and made sure that the public saw a man who wanted to be a public servant without being a public servant. Very thought out from the pacing to the sequence of events leading to the end where he discuss death. This is a great documentary that nailed the subject properly and we look forward to seeing it in theaters.

  • Movie Time Review: Stop Time

    Our coverage of the 2026 edition of Dances With Films NYC is getting completed and before we wrapped up everything from the festival we have to discuss one more film: Stop Time. A drama based in New York City where a photographer who still grieving over his deceased wife and a theatrical lighting designer who recently divorced who eventually meet through mutual friends. The film directed and written by Paul Schwartz, a known photographer who shot the majority of the film in black and white before colors pop up in the end of the film. The backdrop of New York always bring out the best in love lost or finding love and in the case of Stop Time it works. The story of Peter, the photographer and Adrianna the lighting designer meeting is the meat of the movie as their mutual friends tries their best to get them together but somehow one of them or both seems to find a way to get away without knowing it. The pace of the film is moderate but it picks up in the middle of the film where the two meet their respective families for unresolved issues. Once that takes place the film slows a bit leading into the actual meet between the two. Schwartz does give the actors a big help with showcasing the city scape to highlight the story. Watching the black and white gives it a throwback to the 30s or even 50s when finding love movies were the norm. We love the interaction between the main characters in the end because they knew time was running out or thought it was.

    The acting by Nelson Avidon as Peter is brilliant as he captures a man who believes time has stopped because of the passing of his wife. His mannerisms to look confused while daydreaming is great. You watch his interaction with others and you can tell he embraced being a wandering soul looking for something lost. Tara Westwood as Adrianna is great too and her mannerisms finding out her family secrets is fantastic. The script written by Schwartz keeps it simple: two people looking for love but in opposite directions until something bring them all together. The pacing was very moderate. The time it takes to build characters in dialogue was easy to digest and understand. There was enough time to see a back story of the main characters to know what may or may not happen in the end. It is also a great visual piece especially coming from a professional photographer. A nice film that break away from the normal rom com films with a ending that ties up Peter’s way of doing things perfectly. We think this is one of those films that will dominate the festival circuit in whichever festival its in.

  • Movie Review – BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions

    BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions is a film that transcend media in all spaces. The feature debut by Kahlil Joseph uses archival footage, scripted scenes, news reporting and interviews to tell the story of being Black in a world where capitalism, erasure and revisionist theory threatening the culture. The mixed media concept is a ode to old news reels and reporting that used to be in the theatres in the early 20th century. Kahlil Joseph’s approach here was to educate and explain the global black experience from the past to the future. Clips from social media apps and interviews of renown scholars give the audience the definition of being black and the importance of culture pretaining to black folks. There are several themes in the film that is addressed such as the importance of the black dollar. This theme is highlighted due to the upcoming holiday shopping season especially Black Friday. Another theme is the theology of W.E.B Du Bois and the early ideology of black civil rights where separation was vital to the uplifting of black Americans. The idea is sprinkled throughout the film. Another theme is the experience in American cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit and New York City. The exploration of black people who are Americans and keeps fighting just for civil rights is shown in conjunction with Africa’s own struggles to keep it own identity. The images of black revolutionaries shows up from time to time to emphasize that the job is not done. The second half of the film focus on the creation of BLKNWS and the philosophy behind it. Using scripted scenes to dramatized Du Bois later years, Joseph tries to get insight onto why Du Bois is still influential after his death. The historical narrative of Du Bois segway into Ghana’s struggles to maintain independence. The Encyclopedia named Africana that he wanted to work on before his death is shown prominently in the film like a bridge that connects Africans to African Americans. As we watch various news reports on Ghana with visions of Marcus Garvey in the background, you are reminded that one African country struggles is the same as African Americans struggles. The scenes that depict a female reporter trying to write a story is brilliant and the narrative is fantastic. Seeing black women talking about the past and future along with romance is a good combination and point that the film gets across. The music selection is brilliant as we get soul, jazz and afrofuturistic sounds that compliments the film well. The interactions with the characters as they look for any meaning of what’s happening in black culture. The clips of interviews and newsreels are good but can be a little distracting. BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions is a unapologetic black film or should we say capsule that is created to preserve the present for the future to understand what previous generations done and the meaning behind them. Kahlil Joseph did a great job of combining mixed media with a curated script that allows us to watch black culture in its purest form. Everything in the film represents brings a vision that needed. We applaud the effort and hopefully the film gets more coverage because it’s really good.

  • Peaches Goes Bananas Review

    PeachesGoesBananas
    We got to watch the documentary Peaches Goes Bananas which is the second documentary on the trailblazing queer icon, Peaches this year. The first one titled Teaches of Peaches was focused on her tour centered around her landmark album “Teaches Of Peaches”. This documentary directed by legendary award winning documentarian Marie Losier sees Peaches in her most vulnerable state. Each phase that we watch was a glimpse into the reason behind the music. The film starts with a concert where you see flying projectile of genitalia from the crowd and vice versa however Peaches winds down and realizes she’s not a young woman anymore so she tries to rest. This is one of the themes that the film address along with her music: ageism. Age is prominent in the film when Peaches realizes she slowed down on touring and going after shows. Another theme in the film is her relationship with her sister with Multiple Sclerosis. Throughout the film you watch Peaches bounces back and forth between her public persona to her private life with her sister where she helps the aide with everything her sister needs. It’s a emotional piece where you see that musicians even those who always working on their music are always around for their loved ones no matter the distance. Losier was close enough to capture Peaches in her quiet moments and the film shows how despite her travels she still thinks about her journey from teaching to music. The inspiration that move her to her calling is another piece of the film that’s great. It’s because the flashbacks of her earlier years highlights her reasoning into her art. Peaches Goes Bananas is a in depth conversation with two people chronicling one’s journey from young to old and the in between is a graffiti stained bridge between the two. The documentary works best when Peaches is off stage and being a great girlfriend and caring family member which shows who she is behind the costumes. The concert footage is great too but can be a bit overwhelming with everything happening simultaneously. The flashbacks to her childhood and early jobs are great pieces to connect to her present. The home life scenes are also great too. It is also carefully edited to help the audience guide through Peaches life and not be confused or lost. Marie Losier crafted this film to highlight the history of the brand that is Peaches but also why she’s been around for 30 years. Another flashpoint is her practicing Opera where she breaks boundaries playing the lead which would go to men. Her approach is so intricate due to her attention to detail which highlights the ageism theme where she’s never too old to try something different. Overall this is a great art piece that highlight the subject well and doesn’t have you drown in self centered celebration. Peaches is a musician where this documentary reminds us that artists are not just human but always pushing boundaries while being a regular person. Great work by Losier.

  • Corto Circuito Latino ShortFest NYC 2025

    We got to go the 21st Annual Corto Circuito Latino ShortFest NYC last night which was its opening night and we were in some interesting storytelling based on the lineup of films that was featured. Opening Night was presented inside Instituto Cervantes New York on East 49th Street. Six films from all over the Latin Diaspora with the theme being and the winner is. The reason for that theme is that all six films won several awards in their festival runs some being best short in some. After watching all of them we can see why they won so many and why they were picked to kick off the festival. The festival started off with some opening remarks for the festival director and cultural director of Instituto Cervantes after those then the films started.

    The first film was a animated short from Chile titled Gaspar. It’s about a elderly man whose routine gets disrupted by guilt and solitude. When a imaginary wine appears to falls to the ground is where the man’s emotions gets the best of him and leads him into a abyss. The shortest film in the lineup was also vivid in imagery and music. However the story got lost when listening to the sounds because you forget that the man is wallowing in self pity. The clay figurines converted into live action is brilliant but we did not get why the man is in solitude and who was the routine for. Yes it was a short film but there should have been a glimpse of how he got there. Gaspar was good but could have a small introduction. Next was Un Dia De Mayo (One Day In May) a Colombian short about a young boy who tries to understand the men and women of his life and family. Director Camilo Escobar directed a well paced film that showcased every emotion that a family goes through when dealing with a teenager and her younger sibling along with their own issues. The scenes of parents arguing with each other about the daughter and the young boy observing every movement is fantastic. The acting was well done as it showed a family coming together yet apart due to the fragile foundation its build on. The cinematography of this one was great. We can see why it has a award winning festival run and we hope it continues.

    Shimmer was the final animation film in the lineup and it had a better story than Gaspar plus it somewhat connected to the previous film where the focus is family. A animated short from Mexico and directed by Andres Palma is a space age film of sorts where a family is castaway on a beach littered with shipwrecks. The father builds a lighthouse to help their rescue all the time he becomes negligent to his children and return they mistrust him to the point where they created their own way of escape. The animation and colors here are top notch and the scenes are magnificent. The story gets to be interesting when we see the kids interact with their father because the emotions the characters is amazing. You can see the pain and mistrust they have for him and vice versa. Whoever wrote the script did a brilliant job in telling a tale of a family battling to survive while battling each other. This dialogue between daughter and father is smart and important as it leads to the climatic end of the film. This film is definitely worthy of the awards it won in the festivals it entered. After Shimmer, Anba Dlo was up and this was a widespread production between Brazil, Haiti and Cuba. The film showcased elements of all three countries and focused on culture and upbringing. The film is about a Haitian biologist living in Cuba doing research on local wildlife. However while researching in water she gets reflections of her life in Haiti and realizes that Haiti is never too far from her. The emphasis of water is key in this film because of the representation of cleaning and refreshment to the biologist. She does her work in water however her upbringing in Haiti won’t allow her to go to far from her heritage. The scenes in the forest are great and so vivid with color and contrast to where you see the biologist embracing her calls from the past and figuring out what’s her purpose is. A great ode to religion in the diaspora where spirituality is important to one’s upbringing. Also we get scenes where the forest in the island is being conserved by biology and how important it is to the preservation of the people living around it. A solid film and one that keep the consistency of the previous where family albeit spiritual in this case is a bullet point.

    De Sucre(Made Of Sugar) is a Mexican film about a woman with a intellectual disability who wants to get pregnant despite the challenges that comes with it. The best film of the lineup and the most important one because it showcases: women, people with disabilities and the treatment both received from society. Director Claudia Cedo crafted a brilliant story here where a institution for disabled people goes on a trip and Maria who’s the main character in the film is on the hunt to get pregnant by any means. The film goes through various stages of emotion from scared to excitement to rage to comedy. The acting is also on point where the characters on screen embody what’s it like to be disable and then told what to be like according to what society thinks. The script was well written and thought out properly to make the audience aware how uneasy and uncomfortable people with disabilities are when being told what they can’t and can do. Made Of Sugar is definitely one of the better films we’ve seen in any festival this year. Hopefully it’ll get turn into a full length one day because it’s that good. The final film of the lineup is Buscando Un Burro(Looking For a Donkey) which is a collaborative production between Mexico and Venezuela about the whereabouts of a donkey who was showcased in a satirical video insulting the president of the country. The documentary goes around the town and asks the residents about the incident only to be stumped and obtain some funny answers. The residents are the reason for this documentary being so hilarious and entertaining. The responses keeps you guessing but you’ll laugh to what they saw when asked. Seeing the turns that the documentary takes to find out the whereabouts of the donkey is even more funnier because it seems like a circle but isn’t. Looking For a Donkey was a good way to wrap up the lineup due to its story and characters also political to an extent giving what’s happening in New York City lately.

    The Corto Circuito Short Fest runs November 9th in various locations throughout Manhattan and is free to the public. For more information go to cortocircuito.us

  • The Man Who Saves The World Review

    The man who saves the world is a documentary about Patrick McCollum, a journeyman who lives in the US and is prophesied by indigenous tribes that he will unite the tribes together and save the Amazon. The documentary starts off when the director Gabe Polsky goes out to find Patrick at his home in California where he’s renovating parts of his property. Gabe starts this journey because a colleague of his recommend Patrick’s story and he should do a documentary on his life. Once Gabe thinks about it and looks into interviewing Patrick is where life that Gabe gets wacky and weird at the same time. Patrick McCollum isn’t just a man with tall tales, he is according to a sacred prophecy by indigenous elders in the Amazon to unite them and save the Amazon. Before anyone can comprehend what was said the journey to understand how this came to be begins and the audience is taken on a tour between South and North America then to India. The documentary is a interesting take on world relations. Gabe challenges everything that Patrick says and bring in different individuals to fact check including indigenous people who are part of the tribes that Patrick is trying to save. Watching it is a experience that one needs a map because of the many lives Patrick have over the last 40 plus years and the film dive into some of them but of course the important ones relate to his encounters with the tribes of the Amazon. Gabe who is also wrote and produced the film created a way to understand how Patrick works very digestible however there are scenes that even following the film can be confusing.


    The film seems to be presented in a way to introduce the world to Patrick but also to how tribes of the Amazon operate and communicate among themselves and the outside world. It looks good at first but as the film progress the characters become more absurd and withdrawn from the constant questions which shows the tribes as aloof. Seeing Jane Goddall in one of her final appearances on film seems to break up the weird sequences in the film due to her even kneel tone and assurances to preserving natural habitation and wildlife. While her scenes are great they are scattered and throws off the continuation of what Gabe is trying to do which to debunk everything that Patrick says. There were the film thrives when the two of them disagree on certain topics only to recognize that everything is happening according to what Patrick believes in. The film has its peaks and valleys but throughout the process there seem to be a common good among those in the film which is the Amazon and its survival. Watching the sequences of Patrick’s past was great in telling his back story the film doesn’t go in depth on his family what they think about his journey also there isn’t much mentioned on his income to maintain his lifestyle. Maybe that was the point of the film which is to keep most of Patrick’s life secret as possible but showcase what he seems as destiny in other parts.


    The Man Who Saves The World is a great idea especially for a documentary rather than a biopic or narrative film because of the plot being everywhere and not focused on a central idea. However it is quite entertaining and amusing to see Western civilization trying to understand how indigenous tribes operates only to recognize that they will always be outsiders no matter their commitment is. In the end that is the goal of the film to understand what is happening even though it may be weird, absurd and possibly insane. A solid introduction for those learning about indigenous tribes and spiritual skills but for those who want a entertaining information film to get them through what’s going on in the world today.

    The Man Who Saves The World is produced, written and directed by Gabe Polsky.  Featuring Patrick McCollum and Jane Goddall. Executive produced by Peter Farrelly, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill and Brandon James. Distributing by Area23a Films.

  • B. Frank Film Festival

    October 5th. We got to the opportunity to cover the B. Frank Film Festival which is a independent film festival that caters to those local creators who need a space to showcase their skills in Manhattan. A one day affair where there a couple of film blocks, a couple of panels and a feature film to highlight what’s next in film and television. It starting off from checking out the film shorts block which was titled truth teller. the block consist of the following films talk yo shit, inertia, Joss, matame(murder me) and the hunter’s lament. we did not see the first film talk yo shit but we started with inertia which is about a young man taking his grandfather with dementia on one final ride before he is put to rest. the film directed by Juan Diego silva-zuniga is well put together and the script is brilliant as you see the emotional connect between the living and the near dead where the man have a relationship with his grandfather that he feels no one in the family have and this is where the film gets interesting as well as funny as you see the two go into several scenarios before we get to the climatic ending. The scene in the movie theater is where the film gets its name because the back and forth between the young man and a patron is funny yet sad. The next couple of scenes is okay but they slow down the momentum of the film. However the film picks up towards the end and the acting showcases what happens when one is disconnecting from reality. Next was Joss which is a short film based in China about a young girl who challenges her family traditions by questioning them and meeting a homeless individual who shows her what a woman in rural China really is. Directed and written by Anxin Xie which is also a student film is brilliantly vivid with color and imagery. The dialogue which is subtitled still make the audience read without losing a place in the film. Even though its one of the shortest film of the festival it showcases how even in modern times that women are secondary and not heard in the patriarch ways of certain countries. Continuing the marathon is Matame which means Murder Me in Spanish. Directed and starring Pau Canivell who displays his family and friends into the world of drag Queens and what happens when the impersonation is over and reality sets in. The film have a great soundtrack with uptempo beats and haunting lyrics. The acting is completely organic as the director use unknown actors to give his characters life and they did in the most provocative way imaginable. One of the films that we seen that was hard to dissect because you never know if you was in reality or fantasy. Even if you thought that everything the drag queen did was real the ending covers it nicely with a ode to the introduction of the film. The Hunter’s Lament was the final film of the film block and was best of the block. A film that deliberately cater to the modern epidemic that is mass school shootings. A gun salesman is back to work after being a victim to gun violence. The beginning of the film is completely riveting as the scene shifts between the man and the gun shop owner. From there the film may or may not let the cat out of the bag as the man shows a child how to hunt but when the child is not what he’s told and when he doesn’t then the kid eventually comes around to shoot. The first film block was impressive and suspenseful. We loved the films we caught and hopefully see more of the directors in the future. The panel featuring the Maneaters crew which is a TV pilot based in New York but a dystopic version of it where the patriarchy is mostly men and women are suppressed and doesn’t have a voice in the world. It is a dark comedy wrapped inside a politically charged satire. The clips that were displayed was great. They showed different layers to the show from friendships to misogynistic to comedy and back to the foundation of the show which is the friendships. The panel was more of a conversation of filming a pilot in New York and the process that comes with writing such a politically charged comedy. The women on the panel were all part of the process and discuss their trials and tribulations of shooting to editing to scoring the clips. There were some funny moments throughout the panel and some interesting topic discussions as well. We realize that even though the pilot is not out yet the premise of it have a great foundation.

    From there was another short film block this time called Boundary Pushers. The films definitely fit the title well because all five of them pushed the envelope as far as it can go. Revisions started the block and set the tone. The film is about a artist chasing success and every time she’s in a corporate setting a piece of her identity is taken away until she becomes unrecognizable. Directed by Sebastian Macotela and written by Jay Bailey the two students bridged commercialism and artistic pride as close as possible. They recognized how artists can suffer under pressure of monetary gains. Seeing how the boundary of financial success can be pushed forward Revisions show that it is not all great. Almost Ten is a animation short that was not just boundary pushing, it was the best short of the bunch. A three minute where a young fish leaves home to go to school only to be threatened at gunpoint then she turns the tables on the robber. It was very funny and hilarious. Using animation to display how twisted the world can be the director and writer nailed it perfectly. The end credits are a ode to several series like Family Guy, American Dad and the Simpsons. Like we said super hilarious and hope there is a extension of the series. Water weight is a film where a high school athlete struggles to lose weight for a match and the process that comes with losing weight. The actor who played the athlete exactly went through the rigorous program to lose weight. The next film is Thank you for the ride, Aileen which is probably have one of the most disturbing endings you would see in a short film or any film for that matter. The short revolves around Aileen who is a struggling teacher who becomes a rideshare driver during a teacher’s strike whose world is shaken to the core by picking up a fellow teacher whose facade isnt what it is. There are scenes towards the end that will shock you. The acting in this one is pretty good as we witness the characters go from calm to distress to relief. Hopefully this gets turn into a long form version because the story is too good to be short. The last film of the block was A Clown Story where a woman takes a NYC train crosstown to meet up with her date only to encounter a clown who may be dangerous or eccentric. The journey is a nice ode to the NYC Transit system where everyone is a character and in some story whether they know it or not. The train is the real star here as we see different locations where the characters interact each other in so many different ways that it goes from comedy to drama fast. The story may be not be the greatest but the characters fill in the depth what the story lacks.

    The closeout film which happened to be the feature of the festival is Beautiful, Pam. A story about a queer sex worker who is in a life crisis and go around right some of their wrongs in life only to feel that maybe that it not enough and there is one way to make everything right. Starring Tom Ciorciari as Pam who goes through this journey as a sex worker trying to find themselves is quite a role. Peter Konsevitch as Beetle who is Pam’s friend and fellow drug user pushes the boundary to no end with his actions and feelings towards Pam, Pam’s family and even himself. Beetle is the main antagonist in the film because of his brutal reality. Pam is the main character and the reason for so many stories to intertwine but in the end it still about Pam. Tom Ciociari and Peter Konsevitch played their characters to perfection and feed off each other emotions in certain scenes. It was a classic duel between two actors using the other for emotional gain. A great script by director J.R. Stokes who started this story almost a decade ago and got the opportunity to fulfill the film and get it out there. It was a good way to close out the festival. For a first time experience it was great to see so many independent filmmakers getting the opportunity to showcase what they have and hopefully in turn get someone to invest in their dreams.

  • Queen of Manhattan

    The Queen Of Manhattan which is a biopic of sorts. It follows the story of legendary adult film icon Vanessa Del Rio from the 70s to the early eighties. By using Times Square as the backdrop for the illegal activities that took place in that era, the film gives the viewer a look at how the industry and the people who got into it were controlled. Drugs were rampant. Sex was lawless and unregulated also this was during the height of the AIDS epidemic. No tests. No evaluation just sex on film and everyone got paid. Featuring Esai Morales, Drea de Matteo and Vivian Lamolli as Vanessa Del Rio, the film starts from her days being a streetwalker and almost getting arrested for doing so into going to her boss who uses Vanessa and her friend to be in short films. Director Thomas Mignone who work on Vanessa’s story for several years got the opportunity to distribute and finish the film and to us it was worth it. Everything about Queen Of Manhattan is consistent with the period from the language to the clothing to even the city life. Watching it puts you in a time warp and makes you think how people continue to have reckless sex lives during the AIDS epidemic especially with no screening. We watch Vanessa go through several emotions throughout the movie and each emotion we see Vivian gets better with her performance. Several of the Sopranos cast are scattered throughout the film and each one shows they still the chops to go another round in the iconic series. David Proval who played Richie in the Sopranos is a focal point in Queen where it’s his money financing all the porn that Manhattan produces. From there Drea is his right hand who keeps the girls in check and sees that they paid but as we see in the film she do have a breaking point. Another great performance is Taryn Manning who seems to have the strung out white girl role down to a science. She fits her role well and even gives the movie a soft touch with her carefree ways of living even though she gets beating up during it. Another role played by Shane West is well played due to the time period. A gay man who is effected by the early AIDS epidemic and trying to take down crime that he sees fit. He definitely give the film a sense of urgency because every scene he’s in you think it’s a race against him losing his boyfriend. The script was really heavy on 80s news clippings since you see organized crime running rampant and police never having control of the area so federal law enforcement comes in. It seem cliche at first but you realize it is needed when the directors of porn are being intimidating by their bosses. The Queen of Manhattan is a interesting take on what it looks and feel like in New York City in 1980 and it’s refreshing given the main character backstory. Mignone definitely manage to get Vanessa’s story out here and did a great job in bringing old fans and connoisseurs alike to revisit the wild seventies and eighties while remembering one of porn’s earliest superstars.