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Despite the laughter they might elicit from viewers with their material, the life of a stand-up comic can be incredibly difficult and painful - perhaps much more so than most realize. From director Jorgy Cruz, the documentary Funny Pains delves directly into this unseen part of the comedy business, following the rise of comedian Wendi Starling. The movie will make you laugh at times with its jokes from Starling and other featured comics, but it's not exactly a picnic either, as Starling also touches on her difficult personal traumas.

Wendi Starling has been navigating her career as a comic during one of the most interesting times for a comedian, rising in the business during the peak of "cancel culture" and the #MeToo movement. Stand-up comedy in particular has seen many changes in recent years due to social media backlash, and comics have since been expected to keep all of their material politically correct.

"A lot of times comedy takes a big idea and breaks it down into something meaningless – a joke – and makes it insignificant..." Passion River has debuted an official trailer for a documentary film titled Funny Pains, telling the story of comedian Wendi Starling. Director Jorgy Cruz explains that, "Funny Pains is a two-part love letter to NYC and to stand-up comedy; both which I love, respect and owe a lot to." Following Wendi Starling on her journey, we have complete access to all the ups and downs that come with pursuing comedy in NYC, how she deals with tragic old wounds, and how those wounds start to appear in her own material. A star-studded cast of famous comedians join her to share the real deal about the journey of being a comedian. Looks like there's plenty of good laughs in this, from all of her friends and from Wendi herself.

In today’s film news roundup, Participant has expanded its social impact campaign on behalf of domestic workers, Concordia Media bulks up and documentary “Funny Pains” gets distribution.

Participant Campaign

Building on its social impact campaign for “Roma,” Participant Media has launched the Care For The People Who Care For You campaign in partnership with the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

The digital initiative aims to galvanize support for domestic workers amid the coronavirus crisis. It features a video, produced by Participant’s digital content studio, SoulPancake, to highlight the impact the Covid-19 crisis has had on domestic workers, of whom 7 out of 10 have lost 100% of their income because of the pandemic. Told from the perspective of a domestic worker navigating health and financial concerns, the goal of the video is to educate and encourage employers to support those employees who care for them every day.

“During this uncertain time, it...