Of Fathers and Sons (Germany, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, 99 minutes) Dir: Takal Derki Programme: International Feature Competition A powerfully disturbing film, Of Fathers and Sons transports you into the daily lives of a Syrian al-Qaeda family. Given the doc’s intimacy and its revelations about its subjects, you wonder how Takal Derki, posing as a pro-Jihadist filmmaker, won
The Woman who loves Giraffes By Marc Glassman Alison Reid, director In 1956, Anne Innis Dagg, a 23-year-old Torontonian, went where no female, or male biologist, had ever gone before—-to study the behaviour of giraffes in the wilds of South Africa. The determined young woman, who is truly Canada’s Jane Goodall and has shown a
New Homeland (USA, 93 min.) Dir. Barbara Kopple Check the Twitter feed for stories about migration and the USA, and the results are dire. Sensationalized and politicized accounts of a caravan rising up from Latin America to the USA border, for example, portray immigrants as a faceless tidal wave threatening the homeland. Ditto stories of refugees fleeing violence
“Why you, Moze?” The question was being asked of me by a young woman with a gorgeous cascade of afro curls. “Why you?” By “you” I knew immediately what she meant. The “you” was in reference to me, a white male filmmaker who was about to embark upon a project that would focus on predominately
Next of Kin (Canada, 44 min.) Dir. Nadine Pequeneza Witness some astonishing sleuthing in Next of Kin. This CBC Docs POV work from director Nadine Pequeneza (The Invisible Heart) goes to the front lines of family services as two social workers play Sherlock Holmes. Next of Kin follows Jackie Winger and Amanda Elam, two employees of the non-profit organization RAFT (Resource Association For Teens)
Dolphin Man (Canada/Greece, 77 min.) Dir. Lefteris Charitos “I am like an animal,” says Jacques Mayol. “I live intensely in the moment.” Late free diver Jacques Mayol was hardly the first person to compare himself to an animal, and he will not be the last. Mayol’s story is one of the sea, a journey through
Gretzky receives fair credit as hockey’s MVP in the documentary In Search of Greatness. Director Gabe Polsky, who previously delivered the acclaimed hockey doc Red Army, puts Gretzky’s eye for greatness in conversation with athletes such as football champ Jerry Rice and soccer star Pelé.
Since the creation of the Vancouver and Montreal based studios, interactive works and VR have taken off and the Board has expanded production in new media across the country.
The Raft (Denmark/Sweden/USA, 97 min.) Dir. Marcus Lindeen Would the world be a better place if we just put all the men on a raft and sent them off to sea? Maybe, although The Raft makes a fair case that sending certain men seaward might afford them some necessary perspective. This unique documentary by Marcus Lindeen, which
Science Fair (USA, 90 min.) Dir. Christina Costantini, Darren Foster Science Fair is cute, fun, and inspiring, but let’s not kid ourselves: we’ve seen this documentary a million times before. It’s Spellbound with the periodic table instead of the alphabet. It’s Step without the dancing. It’s Bee Nation without the awkwardness of cheering on Indigenous kids as they master the colonial tongue.