Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (UK/Ireland, 115 min.) Dir. Sophie Fiennes Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami is the only documentary I’ve ever seen that cites a hat designer in its opening
Keep ReadingJane (USA, 90 min.) Dir. Brett Morgen Programme: TIFF Docs (World Premiere) I went into Brett Morgen’s doc Jane with some trepidation. Did we really need a new Jane Goodall movie?
Keep ReadingGaga: Five Foot Two (USA, 100 min.) Dir. Chris Moukarbel Programme: Special Events (World Premiere) A special event lit up the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 8 when Lady
Keep ReadingDragonfly Eyes (China/USA, 81 min.) Dir. Xu Bing Programme: Wavelengths (North American Premiere) Xu Bing is a Chinese artist of Ai Weiwei’s vintage—they were even roommates in New York—whose most famous
Keep ReadingOne of Us (USA, 95 min.) Dir. Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing Programme: TIFF Docs (World Premiere) TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers calls One of Us a “documentary thriller” in his
Keep ReadingThere aren’t too many documentaries outside the TIFF Docs programme this year, but this observation doesn’t mean the festival comes up short. TIFF’s Short Cuts offers half a dozen short docs scattered around the
Keep ReadingOn My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi (Canada, 40 min.) Dir. Brandon Gross, Skyler Gross Programme: Special Event (World Premiere) Short films tend to get somewhat shut
Keep ReadingBeyond the One (Al di là dell’uno) (Italy/France/Germany Dir. Anna Marziano Programme: Wavelengths (World Premiere) Wavelength regular Anna Marziano’s latest film is 53 minutes long, placing it in the somewhat neglected,
Keep ReadingMrs. Fang (France/China/Germany, 86 min.) Dir. Wang Bing Programme: Wavelengths (North American Premiere) I don’t know if it’s Chinese master documentarian Wang Bing’s rare skills—pairing the professional’s easy way with subjects with
Keep ReadingGood Luck (France/Germany, 143 min.) Dir. Ben Russell Programme: Wavelengths (North American Premiere) The epigraph to Ben Russell’s Good Luck — an account of a mescaline-induced hallucination of a rock repeatedly
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