HOT DOCS TEAMS UP WITH LOCAL FESTIVALS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS TO PRESENT SELECT SCREENINGS
For Immediate Release Toronto, March 18, 2008 – Every year, Hot Docs proudly collaborates with select organizations and other local film festivals to bring relevant and engaging documentaries to the big screen. This year, Hot Docs will be partnering with the likes of imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Images Festival, ReelWorld Film Festival, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival, Female Eye Film Festival, A Space Gallery, TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL, Art Metropole, the North by Northeast Music and Film Festival and Conference, Filmi - South Asian Film Festival, Dignitas International, Contact Toronto Photography Festival, Xtra!, Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival, Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival, aluCine Toronto Latin@ Media Festival, Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival, the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, Women in Film and Television – Toronto, Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts, SÍ-SÍ CINE TORONTO LATIN FILM FESTIVAL, the African Medical & Research Foundation, OzFlix, Toronto Free Gallery, 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art and Alliance Française de Toronto.
“The films at this year’s festival represent many diverse cultures, beliefs and interests,” explains Managing Director Brett Hendrie. “There is something at the festival for everyone, and we’re absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with our fellow film festivals and other organizations to share the power and significance of documentary film with Toronto’s various communities.”
The following screenings are official co-presentations at Hot Docs 2008.
THE ART STAR AND THE SUDANESE TWINS
D: Pietra Brettkelly | 98 MIN | New Zealand | Canadian Premiere
Consumed by passion, world-renowned artist Vanessa Beecroft obsessively pursues the adoption of orphaned Sudanese twins, fuelling her controversial art and straining her marriage. Art, exploitation and the politics of international adoption collide in this gripping film. Co-presented with Contact Toronto Photography Festival.
CUMBERLAND Monday, April 21 9:45 PM
CUMBERLAND Thursday, April 24 1:30 PM
BE LIKE OTHERS
D: Tanaz Eshaghian | 74 MIN | Canada, Iran, UK, USA | Canadian Premiere
In Iran homosexuality is punishable by death; but, surprisingly, sex change operations are encouraged for those seeking them. Several young men struggle with difficult decisions in a society in which sexual desire can only be pursued within absolute gender roles. Co-presented with Xtra!
BADER Monday, April 21 7:15 PM
CUMBERLAND Thursday, April 24 4:15 PM
BEAUTIFUL LOSERS
D: Aaron Rose, Joshua Leonard | 80 MIN | USA | Canadian Premiere
An exploration of the creative spirit of a loose movement of young American artists that emerged in the early 1990s, one whose work was rooted in the do-it-yourself subcultures of skateboarding, graffiti, punk and hip hop. Co-presented with Toronto Free Gallery
CUMBERLAND Saturday, April 19 7:00 PM
CUMBERLAND Monday, April 21 1:30 PM
BELARUSIAN WALTZ
D: Andrzej Fidyk | 73 MIN | Norway | Canadian Premiere
Belarus’ totalitarian regime cracks down on all opposition, but as this charming and humorous film reveals, performance artist Alexander Pushkin is one of the very few who is not deterred by threats of political reprisals. Co-presented with A Space Gallery.
AL GREEN Wednesday, April 23 6:45 PM
AL GREEN Saturday, April 26 6:45 PM
BEYOND OUR KEN
D: Luke Walker, Melissa Maclean | 87 MIN | Australia | International Premiere
Kenja, a 25-year-old Australian cult rumoured to practice hypnotic mind control, is exposed as the filmmaker is given unprecedented access to its leaders as they face charges of child sexual abuse. Co-presented with OzFlix.
AL GREEN Saturday, April 19 9:30 PM
BADER Monday, April 21 4:30 PM
CARNY
D: Alison Murray | 75 min | Canada | Canadian Premiere
CARNY offers a glimpse into the transient lives of fairground workers who live in a world of their own, trading monotonous security for the uncertain adventures of instant camaraderie, tear-stained romances and secret loneliness. Co-presented with Women in Film and Television - Toronto.
ROYAL Saturday, April 19 9:45 PM
BLOOR Monday, April 21 11:59 PM
CLUB NATIVE
D: Tracey Deer | 78 min | Canada | World Premiere
Stories of love and rebellion unfold on the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve as residents struggle with the consequences of marrying white. Director Tracey Deer crafts an intimate look at the complex policies that dictate status. Co-presented with imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
BLOOR Friday, April 18 6:30 PM
ROM Sunday, April 20 2:15 PM
A CRIME AGAINST ART
D: Hila Peleg | 100 MIN | Germany | Canadian Premiere
CSPAN meets the art scene in this experimental “court room” doc-drama. Inspired by André Breton’s mock trials of the 1920s, the filmmaker tries the contemporary art world for an allusive crime, exposing issues of artistic freedom in the mock-process. Co-presented with 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art.
INNIS Friday, April 18 9:45 PM
ROYAL Sunday, April 20 1:15 PM
CUBA SONG
D: Fernand Bélanger, Louise Dugal, Yves Angrignon | 63 min | Canada | Toronto Premiere
Driven by the music and lyrics of popular local songs, the camera roves through the streets and homes of Havana, pulsing with the rhythms of work, rest and play in contemporary Cuba. Co-presented with Images Festival.
Screening with
BLOOD AND INCENSE
D: Carl Valiquet | 17 MIN | Canada | Toronto Premiere
Beauty and brutality collide in this stunning visual essay on the highly ritualized practice of Balinese ceremonial cockfighting. Co-presented with Images Festival.
ROYAL Saturday, April 19 4:15 PM
ROM Monday, April 21 2:00 PM
DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH
D: Erik Nelson | 94 MIN | USA | International Premiere
Harlan Ellison may be the greatest unknown writer of our time. Unique, outspoken and full of rage, Ellison jumps off the screen and reinvigorates the artist bio. Co-presented with TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL.
BADER Thursday, April 24 9:30 PM
BLOOR Saturday, April 26 9:30 PM
THE FALLEN
D: Rudy Joffroy | 85 MIN | Mexico | International Premiere
The shocking story of the Pasta de Conchos coal mine disaster in Mexico, where an explosion killed 63 miners, is told, exposing the government corruption and gross negligence at the tragedy’s root. Co-presented with Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts.
AL GREEN Friday, April 25 6:45 PM
AL GREEN Saturday, April 26 9:15 PM
THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN
D: Dilip Mehta | 90 MIN | Canada, India | World Premiere
Shot entirely in India, this visually stunning and powerful call for human rights exposes the dire situation of millions of widows who are forced into isolation and poverty by age-old traditions. Co-presented with Filmi - South Asian Film Festival
BADER Thursday, April 24 7:00 PM
GARBAGE! THE REVOLUTION STARTS AT HOME
D: Andrew Nisker | 76 MIN | Canada | World Premiere
What would happen if you kept every scrap of garbage for three months? A Toronto family discovers the answer - and how their garbage affects the world - in this funny and shocking odyssey through our trash. Co-presented with Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival.
BLOOR Saturday, April 19 1:00 PM
AL GREEN Tuesday April 22 9:00 PM
GENERAL IDEA: ART, AIDS AND THE FIN DE SIÈCLE
D: Annette Mangaard | 47 MIN | Canada | World Premiere
In 1969, a smart, sassy and sexy trio of young Canadian artists formed General Idea, hijacked mass culture and captivated the international art scene until the death of two members in 1994. A retrospective and a tribute. Co-presented with Art Metropole.
BLOOR Sunday, April 20 9:15 PM
ROM Saturday, April 26 9:30 PM
HER NAME IS SABINE
D: Sandrine Bonnaire | 85 MIN | France | Canadian Premiere
French actress Sandrine Bonnaire uses intimate home movie footage to create a loving portrait of Sabine, her 38-year-old autistic sister, and to trace her behavioural decline while living in institutional care. Co-presented with Alliance Française de Toronto.
BADER Sunday, April 20 4:15 PM
ROM Saturday, April 26 11:30 AM
THE INFINITE BORDER
D: Juan Manuel Sepúlveda | 90 MIN | Mexico | North American Premiere
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from Central America clandestinely travel through Mexico on their way to the U.S. This artful and reflective film follows this dramatic journey, posing penetrating questions along the way. Co-presented with SÍ-SÍ CINE TORONTO LATIN FILM FESTIVAL
INNIS Sunday, April 20 9:45 PM
ROM Tuesday April 22 2:00 PM
LETTER TO ANNA - THE STORY OF JOURNALIST POLITKOVSKAYA’S DEATH
D: Eric Bergkraut | 84 MIN | Switzerland | North American Premiere
On October 7, 2006, a leading voice of dissent in Putin’s Russia was silenced. Filmmaker Bergkraut reveals the courageous efforts of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya to expose oppression and corruption, and why paying with her life was inevitable. Co-presented with Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
BADER Tuesday April 22 9:30 PM
BADER Thursday, April 24 4:30 PM
MEMORY BOOKS
D: Christa Graf | 90 MIN | Germany, Switzerland | Toronto Premiere
Written by Ugandan mothers dying of AIDS, memory books speak to their orphaned children of family histories, traditions and values after they are gone. Currently, there are two million orphans in the country. Co-presented with the African Medical & Research Foundation.
AL GREEN Monday, April 21 6:45 PM
ROM Wednesday, April 23 1:45 PM
MUST READ AFTER MY DEATH
D: Morgan Dews | 74 MIN | USA | North American Premiere
A 1960s Connecticut couple’s misguided attempt to preserve their nuclear family unit is viscerally revealed through the innovative use of recorded diaries and psychiatric sessions. Co-presented with Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival.
BADER Sunday, April 20 7:00 PM
BADER Tuesday April 22 11:30 AM
NEXT SHORTS 1 – LUKE FOWLER X3
Co-presented with Images Festival
PILGRIMAGE FROM SCATTERED POINTS
D: Luke Fowler | 45 MIN | UK | 2006
The British Scratch Orchestra’s motto is “everyone can play everything”. It worked for Michael Nyman and Brian Eno, but where’s the border between music and noise?
Screening with:
BOGMAN PALMJAGUAR
D: Luke Fowler | 30 MIN | UK | 2007 | North American Premiere
The reclusive life of Bogman Palmjaguar, a one-time patient of iconoclast “anti-psychiatry” psychotherapist R.D. Laing.
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHERE YOU’RE AT
D: Luke Fowler | 28 MIN | UK | 2001
Found and archival footage presents a 1960s oddity, the “anti-psychiatry” movement and its relevance to modern psychiatry.
INNIS Saturday, April 19 9:15 PM
INNIS Monday, April 21 7:15 PM
NEXT SHORTS 2 – AFTER COMMUNISM
Co-presented with Images Festival
ROSA’S LETTERS - TELLING A STORY
D: Pia Rönicke | 44 MIN | Denmark | 2006 | North American Premiere
The personal letters of socialist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg are read and transformed into publicly accessible, historical documents.
Screening with:
ALLES WIRD WIEDER GUT
D: Frédéric Moser, Philippe Schwinger | 20 MIN | Germany | 2006 | North American Premiere
A 1917 letter written by Lenin to Swiss workers assumes special significance to a modern-day German village.
THE HEAD
D: Deimantas | 13 MIN | Lithuania | 2007 | North American Premiere
Reactions to a mammoth Soviet-era Karl Marx bust are witnessed at both its 1970s unveiling and its 1990s disposal.
SAND QUARRY
D: Raphaël Grisey | 6 MIN | Germany | 2006 | Toronto Premiere
Day-tripping friends unearth history in a search for a missing Lenin statue.
INNIS Monday, April 21 9:45 PM
INNIS Wednesday, April 23 4:15 PM
NEXT SHORTS 3 – Mapping Identity
Co-presented with Images Festival
LOVELY ANDREA
D: Hito Steyerl | 30 MIN | Austria | 2007 | Toronto Premiere
A filmmaker searches for an old photo spread of herself as a Japanese “rope bondage” model and turns up a universal critique of identity and censorship.
Screening with:
COCK FIGHT SONG
D:Lilibeth Cuenca | 3 MIN | Denmark | 2006
The machismo and violence of cockfighting is critiqued by a pop-experimental performance.
JE SUIS UNE BOMBE
D: Elodie Pong | 6 MIN | Switzerland | 2006
An erotic dancing panda bear is a woman’s alter ego and a filmmaker’s commentary on sexuality and persona.
PERFECT/GROWING OLDER (DIS)GRACEFULLY
D: Esra Ersen | 23 MIN | UK | 2006
Liverpool is undergoing a major transformation, but what happens when urban processes are applied directly to a city resident?
TIME FLIES
D: Frédéric Moser, Philippe Schwinger | 4 MIN | Germany | 2006 | North American Premiere
Inspired by Monica Lewinsky, a character wonders if she can ever settle down.
INNIS Friday, April 25 9:30 PM
INNIS Sunday, April 27 4:45 PM
SEARCHING 4 SANDEEP
D: Poppy Stockell | 56 MIN | Australia | North American Premiere
A long-distance Internet romance blossoms into a lesbian love affair strong enough to cross three continents and break through cultural barriers in this raw and incredibly frank tale of love, heartbreak and understanding. Co-presented with Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival.
Screening with:
LA CORONA (THE CROWN)
D: Amanda Micheli, Isabel Vega | 40 MIN | USA | International Premiere
Murderers, guerrillas and thieves vie to become beauty queens at a women’s penitentiary in Bogotá, Colombia. Co-presented with aluCine Toronto Latin@ Media Festival. Toronto Documentary Forum Alumnus.
BADER Saturday, April 19 1:15 PM
BADER Monday, April 21 11:30 AM
SECOND SKIN
D: Juan Carlos Pineiro | 90 MIN | USA | International Premiere
Massive multi-player online games World of Warcraft, Second Life and EverQuest create virtual spaces that rival, if not replace, reality for some users. An incredible look at online life, love and friendship. Co-presented with Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival.
ROM Monday, April 21 7:15 PM
BADER Wednesday, April 23 1:30 PM
SHOCK WAVES
D: Pierre Mignault, Hélène Magny | 52 MIN | Canada | Toronto Premiere
Radio Okapi, a beacon of hope for all conflict-ridden countries, gives a voice to the oppressed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Journalists defy death threats to speak out for justice and freedom. Co-presented with ReelWorld Film Festival.
AL GREEN Friday, April 18 6:45 PM
ROM Sunday, April 20 12:00 PM
STEYPA
D: Markus Andresson, Ragnheidur Gestsdottir | 67 MIN | Iceland | International Premiere
What is it about Iceland that so fascinates even those who’ve never been? This intimate exploration of the booming Reykjavik art scene offers some hints. Maybe it has something to do with its quirky creativity. Co-presented by the Toronto Free Gallery
ROYAL Friday, April 18 7:00 PM
INNIS Sunday, April 20 5:00 PM
TO SEE IF I’M SMILING
D: Tamar Yarom | 60 MIN | Israel | Canadian Premiere
The frank testimonials of female Israeli soldiers strip bare stereotypes of gender differences in the military and illustrate how the trauma of war temporarily alters personalities, morals and values. Co-presented with Female Eye Film Festival.
AL GREEN Wednesday, April 23 9:15 PM
BLOOR Sunday, April 27 1:00 PM
TRIAGE: DR. JAMES ORBINSKI’S HUMANITARIAN DILEMMA
D: Patrick Reed | 88 MIN | Canada | Canadian Premiere
TRIAGE chronicles the return of the former president of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders to Somalia and Rwanda, where he confronts his past and the tragedy he faced in choosing who would live and who would die. Co-presented with Dignitas International.
BLOOR Tuesday April 22 9:15 PM
ROM Sunday, April 27 7:15 PM
THE TRUTH BE TOLD: THE CASES AGAINST SUPINYA KLANGNARONG
D: Pimpaka Towira | 104 MIN | Thailand | North American Premiere
Perhaps the most unassuming provocateur ever, Thai media activist Supinya defends herself against a multi-million dollar defamation suit filed by one Thailand’s most powerful and influential corporations and becomes an inspirational giant to a new movement. Co-presented with the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival.
AL GREEN Saturday, April 19 6:45 PM
ROM Monday, April 21 4:15 PM
WESLEY WILLIS’S JOY RIDES
D: Chris Bagley, Kim Shively | 78 MIN | USA | Canadian Premiere
The inspiring journey of charismatic outsider artist Wesley Willis - underground rock icon, revered illustrator and hero to many before his untimely death in 2003 - is compellingly revealed. Co-presented with the North by Northeast Music and Film Festival and Conference.
CUMBERLAND Sunday, April 20 9:45 PM
BLOOR Tuesday April 22 11:45 PM
Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, will present its 15th annual edition from April 17 - 27, 2008. An outstanding selection of 170+ documentaries from Canada and around the world will be presented to Toronto audiences and international delegates. Hot Docs will also mount a full roster of conference sessions and market events and services for documentary practitioners, including the renowned Toronto Documentary Forum, April 23 & 24, and The Doc Shop.
The DOCUMENTARY Box Office (87 Avenue Road, 2 Blocks North of Bloor, upper level of Hazelton Lanes) is open for advance ticket and pass sales. Tickets can be purchased in person, online at www.hotdocs.ca, or by phone at 416-637-5150. Single tickets to daytime screenings (before 6 pm) and Hot Docs Talks events are $10 each. Tickets to evening screenings (between 6 pm-11 pm) are $12 each. Hot Docs late night screenings (after 11 pm) are $5 each or $10 for an All-You-Can-Eat Late Night Pass (1 ticket to each screening). A Festival Pass (10 tickets) is $90 and a Premium Pass (1 ticket to every screening, excluding those running concurrently) is $160 for one and $250 for two. All daytime screenings are free for students and seniors with valid ID, courtesy of the Toronto Star; these free tickets are only available on the day of the screening from the venue’s box office.
Hot Docs is proud to include Rogers, History Television, Telefilm Canada and Documentary as its Presenting Partners.
Media Contact
Virginia Kelly
V Kelly & Associates, Inc.
Telephone: 416-466-9799
Email: info@vkpr.ca
Visit www.hotdocs.ca for further information and detailed film descriptions.
