ASOH Film (2022)

Bailey traveled to twelve cities over six months observing underground comedy in raw, pure, and functional form with no narration and no single character to focus on. The film weaves interviews from topic to topic, naturally having a face-to-face conversation with each comedian, creating an amalgamation of voices. "It's weird - doing a show not only in the middle of a pandemic but with poisonous wildfire air around you," San Francisco comic Murahd Shawki said. "I'm an asthmatic and my inhaler broke - I was like "WTF am I doing?" - but then you do it and it feels so good." That instant gratification from getting a laugh in public becomes a drug comedians chase, are addicted to, and won't live without. Whether it's DIY shows in parking garages, on rooftops or over Zoom, comics cannot physically or mentally give up telling jokes. "Pundemic!" tells that story. "A lot of the people that were only around to wear a cool jacket and drink beer with their heroes - those people all went back to Idaho," comic Alex Conn said. "...if Kevin Hart can come from nothing and stay positive, I bet I could too," comic Jamar Neighbors said.