TORONTO, Digital Journal — All art says one thing: “Pay attention.” But some art lures attention with uncomfortable subject matter that is rarely portrayed, a strategy which is at the heart of the 2005 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.
Running from April 22 to May 1, Hot Docs will screen 100 innovative documentaries from 23 countries. Included in this year’s selection are films so unusual they almost seem fictional, while some filmmakers aim to spark debate over controversial issues. Showcasing works from Canada to Israel to Uganda, the 12th annual festival provides a peephole into communities both surreal and fascinating.
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Child labour is central to The Devil’s Miner, which follows a 14-year-old Bolivian boy working as a silver miner. |
Kicking off the fest is the world premiere of Murderball, which chronicles a rugby-type game played by quadriplegics in armoured wheelchairs. “These modern-day gladiators truly embody what competition is about, showing us what champions are made of,” says Hot Docs’ Executive Director Chris McDonald.
Many other films zoom in on unusual subjects at this year’s Hot Docs:
- Diverse worlds collide inThe Cross and Bones, a probing look at the strange city of Drumheller, Alberta, where dinosaur fossil archeologists mingle with ex-convict bikers who mingle with producers of the reenactment of The Passion Play.
- Lifelike follows professional taxidermists who enthuse on the fine art of turning dead animals into realistic reproductions.
- Focusing on a 14-year-old Bolivian boy to illustrate child labour is central to The Devil’s Miner, which filmed a child miner for five years.
- Enjoying its Canadian premiere is Frozen Angels, an ethical stew of a film that looks at boutique baby-making in Los Angeles, where parents can select their children’s genetic make-up.
- The Women of Mount Ararat answers the question: Are Kurdish women taking up arms? Bravely fighting to defend their rights are six female guerilla soldiers who are determined to oppose the occupation in Iraq.
Today’s current affairs provide great fodder for documentary filmmakers who want to offer portraits of issues worth penetrating. Whether it’s political races or jailhouse despair, the Hot Docs subjects deliver an emotional punch that demands attentive consideration:
- Bunso — The Youngest profiles an 11-year-old inmate of a Phillipine prison where child shoplifters sleep beside murderers, all clambering to survive on meager food rations.
- Following a U.S. military squadron in Iraq makes Occupation Dreamland required viewing for any follower of the Iraqi conflict, especially for those hunting for an intimate look at a soldier’s daily routine in a violent hotbed.
- Moving back to America is Street Fight, a brutally honest look at the politically charged 2002 mayoral election in Newark, New Jersey.
- Sure to be a hometown favourite is Hogtown: The Politics of Policing, which investigates the police scandals clouding Toronto’s city council.
Every year, Hot Docs showcases films from a country brimming with creativity, and the 2005 spotlight focuses on Israel. Films range from a portrait of “Ortho-Dykes” (a secret society of Jewish Orthodox lesbians) to a narrative on Israel’s controversial 400-mile long security fence.
As always, Hot Docs likes to throw in a few surprises, and this time the fest is going sexy. A new strand to the programming is Show Me Yours: Sex & Documentary. Screening 10 retrospective films spiced with sexual feeling, this showcase hopes to win audiences with such saucy selections as Getting Wood, which profiles male porn stars, and Private Practices, a penetrating glimpse into sexual surrogate Maureen Sullivan.
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The veil is lifted off the odd job of taxidermy in Lifelike, where these “artists” explain the skill behind turning dead animals into reproductions. |
On a more serious note, Hot Docs will honour two filmmakers who have made a sizeable imprint on the documentary industry. Errol Morris will receive an Outstanding Achievement Award for his award-winning work which includes The Thin Blue Line and Fog of War. Also enjoying industry praise will be Larry Weinstein, a Canadian director known to film subjects revolving around classical music and its communities. Six of his films will be screened at Hot Docs, including his 2005 doc on the discovery of several strands of Beethoven’s hair.
Expecting more than 40,000 attendees, Hot Docs will once again take over Toronto’s Annex area by screening films at the Bloor Cinema, the ROM Theatre, Innis Town Hall and the Isabel Bader Theatre.
Tickets to individual docs are $10 each and festival passes, good for 10 tickets, cost $60 each.
For more info, call 416-536-6663 or go to: www.hotdocs.ca
