Highlights for Vancouver's 2017 DOXA documentary festival include The Road Forward, No Fixed Address, For Dear Life, and Manifesto.
Canada's Documentary Magazine
Bobbi Jene (Denmark/Sweden, 95 min.) Dir. Elvira Lind Programme: Artscapes (Canadian Premiere) Attendees at last year’s Hot Docs festival might have encountered the rhythmic visual babble of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin’s “gaga” dancing in Mr. Gaga. This year, festival attendees can experience a virtual sequel created by a former member of Naharin’s Batsheva Dance
Pre-Crime (Germany, 90 min.) Dir. Matthias Heeder, Monika Hielscher Programme: Special Presentations (World Premiere) Billed as a “chilling and explosive in-depth examination into the modern age of policing,” Pre-Crime looks at the increasing use of big data and proprietary algorithms by police agencies around the world to flag and monitor those who are statistically
Rat Film (USA, 82 min.) Dir. Theo Anthony Programme: Nightvision (Toronto Premiere) Over Godardian snatches of string quartet music and images of a race car track, an incongruous voice emerges: “Acknowledgment of a creation myth: before the world became the world, it was an egg. Inside the egg was dark. The rat nibbled the
Libera Nos (Italy/France, 90 min.) Dir. Federica Di Giacomo Programme: World Showcase (Canadian Premiere) Although I’m a horror movie fan, I’ve ignored most of the relentless lurch of zombie shows because nothing can compare George Romero’s six-part “Dead” series, and as for exorcism epics, William Friedkin’s award-winning movie pretty much nailed that genre to
City of Ghosts (USA, 91 min.) Dir. Matthew Heineman Programme: Special Presentations (Canadian Premiere) City of Ghosts makes a strong case for being the definitive documentary of Syrian Civil War to date. A portrait of the citizen journalist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), directed by Matthew Heineman of Cartel Land fame (and
A Memory in Khaki (Qatar, 104 min.) Dir. Alfoz Tanjour Programme: International Spectrum (North American Premiere) A uniquely lyrical documentary about the Syrian Civil War, A Memory in Khaki weaves five monologues into a fugue on themes of Syrian history and identity. The five voices—director Alfoz Tanjour and four close friends, including a Damascene
Ukiyo-E Heroes (Japan, 96 minutes) Directed by Toru Tokikowa Programme: Made in Japan (World Premiere) The narrative of Ukiyo-E Heroes is amply covered in the first ten minutes of Toru Tokikowa’s documentary. Around 2010, Jed Henry, an American children’s book illustrator and animator, became intrigued with traditional Japanese woodblock (ukiyo-e) printing. He researched the
Ryuichi Hirokawa: Human Battlefield Japan, 99 minutes Dir. Saburo Hasegawa Programme: Made in Japan, (Canadian Premiere.) From Palestinian refugee camps, to the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters, veteran Japanese photojournalist Ryuchi Hirokawa has produced images carried by news-services around the world, putting the human face on catastrophe. Now in his seventies, with health problems,
Intent to Destroy (USA, 115 min.) Dir. Joe Berlinger Programme: Special Presentations (International Premiere) Veteran doc filmmaker Joe Berlinger’s explosive 2016 film Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru was one of the most exciting features at last year’s Hot Docs festival. The seasoned award-winning director returns this year with Intent to Destroy, an