The Song and the Sorrow (Canada, 43 min.) Dir. Millefiore Clarkes Anne Murray’s “Snowbird” is a buoyant and breezy ray of sunshine that helped put Canadian music on the map. Listen closely to the words, though, and this song is actually one of great sadness. As penned by the late singer-songwriter Gene MacLellan, “Songbird” conveys
Canada's Documentary Magazine
The Anthropocene is a concept ripe for exploration by documentarians, who have a unique ability to depict the scale of human impact on the world. How films like Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, Sharkwater Extinction, and Becoming Animal engage with this new age.
Belle- Île-en-Mer (Canada, 26 min.) Dir. Phil Comeau The Acadians in the Maritimes have a rich culture and legacy, but one wouldn’t know it from the way we discuss Canadian history. Director Phil Comeau (Ron Turcotte, jockey légendaire, Le secret de Jérôme) offers a touching and personal portrait of the oft-overlooked Acadian culture that charts back
Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. (USA/UK, 96 min.) Dir. Steve Loveridge Who knew M.I.A. originally wanted to be a documentary filmmaker? Thank goodness the British-Sri Lankan rapper (née Mathangi Arulpragasam) had a fascination with video cameras, since she fortuitously chronicled her rise to fame. The tapes of M.I.A.’s childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood are meticulously chronicled on a range
Rubén Blades is Not My Name (Panama/Colombia, 84 min.) Dir. Abner Benaim Canadian audiences might recognize Rubén Blades as one of those great character actors they’ve seen in a dozen things but would never call famous. There’s a lot more to Blades, however, than his acting credits in the TV series Fear the Walking Dead, Robert
In short, there are a great many documentaries in the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF for those that know her well), including Anthropocene: The Human Epoch and Sharkwater Extinction.
Minding the Gap (USA, 100 min.) Dir. Bing Liu Kartemquin Films has enjoyed a long history as one of the benchmark homes for socially conscious documentaries about everyday Americans. That tradition for excellence looks to be in good hands as director Bing Liu confidently announces himself with one of the most remarkable directorial debuts of
My Generation (UK, 85 min.) Dir. David Batty Listen up, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England! Michael Caine might be a regular English gentleman to younger viewers on this side of the pond, but the two-time Oscar winning actor was never destined for stardom. As Caine narrates in this tour of the
Highlights from the 2018 TIFF Doc Conference included talks with Werner Herzog, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Maxin Pozdorovkin, and more.
Mira Nair discusses her roots in documentary, and her eye for social realism as seen in films like