THE UNLONELY FILM FESTIVAL: BEST OF FEST

The Honeys and The Bears

Meet the Filmmaker

Veena Rao is a filmmaker “interested in revealing the extraordinary in the everyday.” She loves film “because it allows us to dream and empathize with each other.” Her films have screened internationally, been featured on The New York Times Op-Docs, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Vimeo’s Staff Picks, and have also been supported by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). She’s an alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and a member of Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective and New York Women in Film & Television.

Join the Conversation

How does the film change your perspective on what addiction can look like? When nothing outwardly seems wrong, how can we check-in with friends and family to make sure they’re coping and have someone to confide in?

Share your responses in the comment box below:

15 Comments

Anonymous on September 13, 2020 at 10:20 pm
What a sweet connection. I loved how they held hands and seemed so free.
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Debb Stanton on September 14, 2020 at 9:35 pm
I enjoyed seeing the different designs they made in the water. You could see a real sense of community. Very inspirational!
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Sarah on September 22, 2020 at 10:18 pm
Love this. I was a synchronized swimmer as a kid, and now I want to get back into it when I turn 55!
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Janice K Land on September 26, 2020 at 10:23 am
Wow! Goes to show what you can do at any age! Very inspiring.
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Anonymous on September 28, 2020 at 5:35 pm
Awesome.
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Anonymous on September 29, 2020 at 8:01 pm
Fellowship is a great thing to have with a group of people regardless of your age.
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Anonymous on October 5, 2020 at 7:33 pm
Together, we can be as one; despite our culture believes, age different, and ethic background are not the same.
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Anonymous on October 6, 2020 at 9:54 pm
It’s inspiring to see that passion still motivates people late in their lives. Makes me ask myself what I will feel passionate about as I grow older and will I have the courage to follow it where it leads me.
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Stephanie on October 9, 2020 at 10:22 pm
Cute! Older women having fun and keeping their lives meaningful. Nice.
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Anonymous on December 12, 2020 at 8:57 pm
Great creative connection among people that share similar physical restrictions. Nice video.
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Mary on January 28, 2021 at 3:48 pm
I swam in the Aqua Follies in the late fifties and sixties and this team of women have inspired me to try synchronized swimming again now that I am 80…
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Dianne on February 8, 2021 at 4:05 pm
I love it. I’m 68 and it’s time to learn to swim.
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Judy on February 11, 2021 at 6:24 pm
Wonderful …i am inspired to reach out and do something like this when i move to AZ by my grandchildren, I love these beautiful, amazing women..thank you so much.
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Máire O'Higgins (@Moraohiggins) on August 20, 2021 at 10:45 am
I hope to grow old in a world that celebrates these women in the way that this initiative does. Congratulations!
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Anonymous on March 25, 2022 at 11:57 am
This is one of the loveliest things I have watched in quite some time…inspirational <3
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