"At the end of the day being marked for your art isn’t important, it’s the whole process of making their art that’s important," says Pipe Dreams director Stacey Tenenbaum ahead of her film's premiere at Hot Docs.
For 50 years, the National Film Board of Canada’s logo was a familiar sight when you were near their building on Côte-de-Liesse Road in Ville St. Laurent.
"I don’t regret anything that we did. I know that in any moment, I could have lost my life, my daughter, and my husband," says Waad al-Kateab on her film For Sama, which chronicles the devastation in Syria from a new mother's perspective.
“To live on a rooftop is to live in a separate world,” says Reynol, a Havana-dweller. “Sometimes I feel like I’m between two worlds,” he goes on. “When I compare the earth and the sky, I am there on the border, close to that which is earth, but also I am close to the sky.”
The Sound of Masks (South Africa/Portugal, 70 min.) Dir. Sara CF de Gouvei Programme: Artscapes (North American Premiere) The Sound of Masks is a wicked cool arts doc about the power of dance. It’s a story of resistance and of keeping cultural identity alive through the arts as director Sara CF de Gouvei spotlights one man,
Tasha Hubbard's nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up examines the murder of Colten Boushie and the legacy of colonial violence that underscored the trial of Gerard Stanley.
"If we can connect with the general public, they’ll understand that the great movies are works of art and need to be experienced in certain ways. If they watch my doc on an iPhone and that makes them want to go watch Alien on a big screen, then I’ve still done my job," says Alexandre
The Disappearance of My Mother (Italy, 95 min.) Dir. Beniamino Barrese Programme: Made in Italy (Canadian Premiere) It would be easy to dismiss ahead of time Beniamino Barrese’s portrayal of his mother, the iconic model and activist Benedetta Barzini, as a strangely oedipal fascination that lacks any outward perspective. Yet we’re instead treated to a
Shooting the Mafia (Ireland, 94 min.) Dir. Kim Longinotto Programme: Artscapes (Canadian Premiere) Kim Longinotto turns her lens on Letizia Battaglia, an 83-year-old photographer who helped document the violence that has plagued her native Sicily. As one of the first photojournalists to cover the brutal mafia wars, Battagliia has become a fixture in local society,
Midnight Traveler (USA/Canada/Qatar/UK, 87 min.) Dir. Hassan Fazili Programme: World Showcase (Canadian Premiere) There are many stories to come out of the conflict in Afghanistan, and many more regarding the plight of refugees from areas of conflict, but few have been as harrowing and effective as Hassan Fazili’s Midnight Traveler. Shot over a period of years