Several of the conversations I’ve had about the current state of documentary in Canada at this year’s Hot Docs have turned on issues relating to both the cultural politics and the political economy of filmmaking. Understanding the larger social, cultural, political and economic contexts that anchor and impact our directors as they make their work
Vancouver: No Fixed Address (Canada, 75 min.) Dir. Charles Wilkinson Programme: Canadian Spectrum (World Premiere) Home ownership in Vancouver has become nearly impossible, and in Vancouver: No Fixed Address, director Charles Wilkinson examines the causes and effects of this critical issue. Unfortunately, his documentary suffers from structural and aesthetic problems, which work against its
Donkeyote (Germany, UK. 86 minutes) Dir. Chico Pereira Programme: Magnificent Obsessions. (Canadian Premiere) A crowd-pleasing tale of an old man with a dream, a dog and a donkey, Chico Pereira’s Donkeyote is a stellar example of documentary-fiction hybrid. Pereira, who hails from La Mancha, Spain, the fictional birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes’ hero, Don
Highlights for Vancouver's 2017 DOXA documentary festival include The Road Forward, No Fixed Address, For Dear Life, and Manifesto.
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