I, Dolours (Ireland, 82 minutes) Dir: Maurice Sweeney Programme: International Spectrum. (World Premiere) In 2010, former Irish Republican Army member Dolours Price gave a series of interviews, under the agreement that they could only be released after her death. Most famous for her involvement in the bombing of London’s Old Bailey in 1973, an
Anote’s Ark (Canada, 77 min.) Dir. Matthieu Rytz Program: Special Presentations (Canadian Premiere) “Climate change is the greatest moral challenge for humanity,” proclaims Anote Tong in Anote’s Ark. “We haven’t risen to the challenge.” Call Anote Tong the eco hero of Hot Docs 2018. The former President of the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati
Bathtubs Over Broadway (USA, 87 min.) Dir. Dava Whisenant Programme: Artscapes (International Premiere) Forget Bye Bye Birdie. Forget Cats. Forget An American in Paris, Rent, Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, Cabaret, and especially Mamma Mia. The truly American art form is not the Broadway show but the industrial musical. This obscure
Love, Scott (Canada, 76 minutes) Dir: Laura Marie Wayne Programme: Canadian Spectrum (North American Premiere) In 2013, Scott Jones was stabbed outside a bar in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Though he survived, Scott was paralyzed from the waist down. The attack, which many believe to be motivated by homophobia, was never charged as a
Snowbirds (Canada, 47 min.) Dir. Joannie Lafrenière Programme: Canadian Spectrum (Toronto Premiere) Canada geese are famous for their migration patterns. The big honking birds fly south in groups that mark the sky in flapping V formations. They depart every fall and return every spring, fully aware that Canada is the land they call home.
The Night of All Nights (Germany, 96 minutes) Dir: Yasemin Samdereli Programme: Special Presentations. (International Premier) Four couples around the world open up about their relationships, which have all lasted, remarkably, longer than fifty years. In When Harry Met Sally -style interviews, each pair reflects on life before and beyond the moments that brought
On Her Shoulders (USA, 94 min.) Dir. Alexandria Bombach Programme: Special Presentations (International Premiere) Films like On Her Shoulders are awkward to review. When a documentary tackles a subject that is still making headlines, the breadth and depth of its inquiry is inevitably limited. The doc has no meat beyond the portrait of its
’m Leaving Now / Ya Me Voy (USA/Mexico, 74 minutes) Dir: Lindsey Cordero, Armando Croda Programme: Made in Mexico. (World Premiere) A camera attached to a cart full of recyclables is pulled through New York at dawn. In the dim light, with scenes crowded by used bottles and cans, we watch as the city
From the first shot of Jean-François Caissy’sFirst Stripes, you know you’re in for something more interesting than the usual Hot Docs fare.
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival's 2018 edition featured an impressive Carte Blanche by Sara Driver, mainly of experimental films from the US of the 1960s, and a tribute to Agnès Varda.