HOTLINE Trailer from Hotline Documentary on Vimeo.
NEW YORK – At hotlines across the country, the phones never stop ringing. People call to confide in strangers – looking for advice, entertainment, or simply to connect with someone they don’t know.
Hotline is a documentary about telephone hotlines, the people who call—and the people who answer– and the ways human conversation and contact can fight isolation and alienation in an increasingly digital world.
From phone sex operators that buck industry norms by advertising their services with their real photos, to New York City’s only suicide hotline that doesn’t trace its calls, to the iconic spokeswoman of the Psychic Readers Network, Ms. Cleo, Hotline takes viewers behind the scenes and lets them eavesdrop on conversations that are intensely personal. At a time when we are told that the telephone is an obsolete technology, many hotlines are experiencing record high numbers of calls. Hotline seeks to open up a conversation about how we deal with loneliness and isolation…and how sometimes the help and support we need can only come from a stranger.
Recent news has drawn attention to the continued importance and impact of hotlines that respond directly to personal crises. With call centers experiencing record increases in requests for help following events like the Ray Rice domestic violence scandal or the suicide of Robin Williams, it’s clear that the need for these resources is still vital in today’s society.
Hotline, which has been on the festival circuit throughout 2014 (it debuted at the HotDocs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival earlier this year), is set for release on iTunes and other digital VOD platforms Nov. 18 by Gravitas Ventures.
Hotline is the first feature documentary from director Tony Shaff who himself is a former telephone psychic and suicide hotline volunteer.
