LOS ANGELES—AVN Senior Editor Peter Warren’s autobiographical documentary about his fledgling days as a porn critic, the raucously irreverent Jews at Sea, is now available for the very first time to rent or buy on streaming service Vimeo.
Newly optimized for presentation quality and curated for the platform by adult industry veteran Colin Rowntree of Wasteland.com, the movie chronicles Warren’s efforts to keep his X-rated reviewing endeavors hidden from his extended family members during a chaotic cruise to Alaska in celebration of his grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary.
Commented Rowntree, “When I learned of this film and approached Peter to offer getting it onto mainstream streaming platforms, I was elated at the prospect of this little hidden behind-the-scenes gem. After transcribing the film to create subtitles for the hearing impaired (resulting in me learning how to swear in Yiddish), I was rather horrified when Amazon rejected the film not because it was about the porn industry, but they felt the title 'Jews at Sea' implied it must have anti-Semitic messaging. This, a biopic about a Jewish family written and produced by a Jewish filmmaker. Oy vey ist mir! Luckily, Vimeo is a great progressive-thinking alternative to Amazon and happily accepted the film for their streaming Video On Demand broadcast platform."
At the time of the movie’s events, Warren was writing for AVN on a freelance basis under his alter-ego pseudonym of Wetscrog Rex. In addition to providing a glimpse into a long-ago time of porn before tube sites and smartphones—and yes, during the still viable days of VHS—the movie features a vibrant and stirring soundtrack of traditional Jewish folk tunes performed by Viva Klezmer!, a North Carolina-based band founded and still led by Warren’s parents.
The movie’s synopsis apty teases its contents as “A roller-coaster journey of outrageous hilarity, endearingly off-kilter personas and poignant life lessons ... that holds an enduring, uplifting and unforgettable message about the power of family and following your ambitions. Plus a whole lot of klezmer.”
“Throughout my career, the number one question I’ve gotten asked is how I got into the business—so I can relate to talent just a smidge,” Warren said. “Well, I was smart enough all those years ago to capture the whole thing on video, so now people can see it for themselves.
“Truth be told, maybe the second most common question I’ve gotten over the years is where people can see Jews at Sea,” Warren continued, “since it’s been continuously plastered across my social media and I’ve babbled about its existence in so many places and to so many people that it’s almost taken on this mythical status.
“It’s a little surreal to finally be able to answer that question matter-of-factly, but I’m ecstatic that I now can, and I want to thank Colin for making it happen at last. There are many other people who’ve helped get it to where it is along the way, and they know who they are, so I’ll leave it at a simple thank you to all of them as well.”
In conclusion, Warren noted, “We’re looking at getting the movie onto other platforms as we speak, so stay tuned. But I could not be happier that it’s officially out in the world, really and for real, and I hope people have a blast watching it.”
See a trailer for Jews at Sea and rent or purchase it (for $5.99 or $9.95 respectively) on any device that supports Vimeo at this link.
