Active Measures (USA, 112 minutes) Dir: Jack Bryan Programme: Special Presentations. (World Premiere) Active Measures is so loaded with information that Jack Bryan and his producers considered telling the story in a series. Watching this film back-to-back with Our New President, another Trump and Putin horror show screening at Hot Docs 2018, could bring
Grit is sure to be the great eco doc of Hot Docs 2018 and the year overall. This powerful film witnesses tragedy on an epic scale as a tsunami of toxic mud displaces over 60,000 people in Indonesia and leaves a flowing geyser of gritty goop scarring the ecosystem.
Minding the Gap was executive-produced by Hoop Dreams director Steve James and it shares James’ ability to place the individuals’ aspirations against a hardscrabble socio-economic background. Bing Liu, who demonstrates he’s as good an action cinematographer as he is a gutsy interviewer, is a talent to watch.
Andy Irons: Kissed by God (USA, 100 min.) Dir. Steve Jones, Todd Jones Program: Special Presentations (World Premiere) Catch some waves with Andy Irons: Kissed by God. This emotional roller coaster of a film breaks through sports documentary conventions and delivers a raw study of mental illness. The film mines a deep archive of
In Faith Hope Love, a new documentary that just premiered at the 25th edition of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, director Katja Fedulova examines the role of women in modern-day Russia. The documentary sheds light on the lives of three Russian women. Olga is a politician who fights vehemently against governmental corruption. Natalia is
The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man USA. 70 Minutes Dir. Tommy Avallone. Special Presentations (International Premiere) Bill Murray’s habit of engaging with strangers in unusual ways — joining karaoke parties, taking a cab driver for a ride or reading poetry to construction workers— has been extensively chronicled on the
Playing Hard (Canada/USA, 90 min.) Dir. Jean-Simon Chartier Programme: Special Presentations (World Premiere) “Entertainment is philosophy in motion,” says gamer Jason Vandenberghe towards the end of Playing Hard. The film sees Vandenberghe realize his dream by leading the team at Montreal’s Ubisoft video game empire in creating the entertainment he always wanted as a
Mr. SOUL! Dir. Sam Pollard & Melissa Haizlip USA, 102 minutes Special Presentations (International Premiere) Mr. SOUL! weaves together two stories; the development of SOUL! the television show, and the personal evolution of producer and host Ellis Haizlip. SOUL! was a nationally televised weekly variety show that aired from 1968-1973, featuring prominent and emerging Black
4 Years in 10 Minutes (Serbia, 62 min.) Dir. Mladen Kovacevic Programme: World Showcase (North American Premiere) For many, summiting Mount Everest is synonymous with Achievement with a capital A. It may not pose the technical mountaineering challenges that other mountains do, but its height, its history and its iconography have made it archetypal.
Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie (USA, 90 minutes) Dir: Andrea Blaugrund Nevins Programme: Special Presentations (International Premiere) An involving doc operating on various levels, Tiny Shoulders reveals surprising facts about one of the most recognized women in the world. She’s not a flesh and blood woman, but according to Nevins’s film, 98% of the people