So what exactly is all the hoopla about?

It’s about 24/7 instant streaming access to movies, music, books and more for free. Yep, free! Click here to create a hoopla digital account – all you need is your Anythink card and an email address.

I have been a hoopla digital user for a couple of years now, mostly enjoying music like Sam Hunt’s Montevallo, Tori Kelly’s Unbreakable Smile, Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour and occasionally borrowing an exercise video or two. Recently, though, I have discovered that hoopla has a treasure trove of documentaries – and I love documentaries!  

I love the realness. I love the education. I love the exposure. I love the awareness. I love the adventure. I love the people.

Let’s just say I love documentaries. Oh yeah, I did say that.

So with that said (ha-ha), here are some highly intriguing documentaries – some funny, some eye opening, some educational, and some heartbreaking found on hoopla that I highly recommend:

The Barkley Marathons  – The Barkley Marathon is about the most unique marathon held anywhere in the world! With an entry fee of $1.60, a license plate, and maybe a white dress shirt, you can apply to participate in this 100 mile ultra-marathon trail race held annually in Tennessee. Whether you’re a trail runner, marathon runner or no runner at all you will find this documentary highly entertaining, inspiring, engaging and at times down right hilarious.

Sukkah City – Every year in the fall, Jewish people celebrate the festival of Sukkot in which they build temporary small dwellings similar to huts. Sukkah City documents a competition held in New York created by best-selling author Joshua Foer, where architects and engineers compete to build a sukkah that adheres to the rabbinical parameters of the sukkah, and yet offers a new and engaging take on the sukkah.

Orchestra of Exiles – This is the story of violinist Bronislaw Huberman and the extraordinary measures he took to rescue musicians across Europe in the 1930s before they could be silenced by the Nazis. Huberman’s orchestra would go on to become the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Grandma, A Thousand Times – Teta Fatima is a lively, highly opinionated, feisty 83-year old grandmother who is much loved and respected as the family matriarch and the Beiruti quarter matron. Poetical in style, this documentary recounts the family’s love for Fatima and her love for her deceased violinist husband.

Shooting With Mursi – Olisari, a member of one the most isolated African tribes, (the Mursi), returns home after a trip to Australia where he’s been learning to speak English at the behest of a mission group. Not only does Olisari return to Africa with the ability to speak a new language, but he is also equipped with a video camera to begin documenting the life of the extraordinary Mursi people.

A Small Act  – A young man in Kenya is given the opportunity of education when his school fees and tuition are sponsored by an unknown woman. After he continues on to graduate from Harvard, he goes on a quest to track down this woman in order to thank her for this small act of kindness.