The first time I ever saw Drew Friedman’s art was inside Raw Magazine. The legendary post-modern comix had a wide variety of cartoonists, but his panels stuck to me because he was so hyper realistic in his drawings of celebrities. In this case a demented version of The Andy Griffith Show. His works keeps appearing all over the place since. Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt is a documentary about the artist and his career so far. The movie will be out on Digital and OnDemand starting September 23. Here’s the press release from Shout! Studios:
DREW FRIEDMAN: VERMEER OF THE BORSCHT BELT
DIRECTED BY KEVIN DOUGHERTY
Los Angeles, CA – In a tribute and deeper look at the life and art of the highly notable illustrator and cartoonist, Shout! Studios, a Radial Entertainment company, presents DREW FRIEDMAN: VERMEER OF THE BORSCHT BELT available on Digital and On Demand across major digital platforms on September 23, 2025. Director Kevin Dougherty takes viewers behind artist Drew Friedman’s fascinating life and blend of absurdity, comedy and humanity best shown through his acclaimed comics and portraits.
Known for his signature art chronicling decades of pop culture’s musicians, Hollywood stars and Jewish comedians, Friedman is the author and artist behind 16 books and anthologies. Drew Friedman’s illustrations and comics have appeared in RAW, Weirdo, BLAB!, Heavy Metal, National Lampoon, SPY, MAD, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Observer, The Village Voice, The Wall St. Journal, Rolling Stone, Time, Entertainment Weekly, MINESHAFT, Air Mail Online, and cover art for Shout! Factory DVD collections, as well as artwork created for the covers of numerous books.
DREW FRIEDMAN: VERMEER OF THE BORSCHT BELT | Synopsis
For years, artist Drew Friedman has chronicled a strange, alternate universe populated by forgotten Hollywood stars, old Jewish comedians and liver-spotted elevator operators.
DREW FRIEDMAN: VERMEER OF THE BORSCHT BELT
Shout! Studios, Radial Entertainment
Directed by Kevin Dougherty
Genre: Documentary
Available for Purchase or Rent in the U.S. and Canada
September 23, 2025
Apple, Amazon, Fandango At Home, and other digital platforms
