My viewing at HotDocs 2008: concluded!

Later than anticipated (yeah, aren't you surprised) here's the last of the films I saw at Hot Docs in Toronto. I'm so far behind schedule that I've not even had time to post anything here about the newly-launched EIFF2008 programme. It's in June this year, in case you'd not heard.

The heavily-named STRANDED, I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED IN THE MOUNTAINS is a gripping documentary following the ordeal visited upon the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes back in the 70s (en route to a game), killing many on board and leaving the survivors to resort to desperate measures to survive.

If it sounds familiar it's because it was the basis of the movie ALIVE. I've never seen it and I'm not in any hurry to as it's difficult to see it living up to this powerful, emotional documentary. All the survivors are interviewed and there's no greater way of hearing the story than in their own words.

VIRTUAL JFK: VIETNAM IF KENNEDY HAD LIVED has a marginally shorter name but is equally as interesting a film. How would the Vietnam situation have unfolded if JFK hadn't been killed? Analysis and rare archive footage come together to show one opinion. In the end, the "what if" scenario is answered in a few lines, but the building of the case is fascinating.

DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH is a biopic on the life and work of sci-fi author Harlan Ellison. Hailed as a genius by many, unheard of by even more - he's always interesting even if he rubs many the wrong way. Forthright and opinionated, he's a fascinating and entertaining man and this documentary captures that perfectly, not to mention his infamous bouts of passionate anger. If you just think he's an angry, miserable old man you probably don't want to see this but otherwise it's a must.

PLANET B-BOY is a documentary that briefly skips over the history of breakdancing before concentrating on the world championship and a few teams that have travelled to Germany to take part. It's nothing groundbreaking as a documentary film, but as a showcase for the most incredible breakdancing you've ever seen it's a jawdropping exhibition of body-contorting madness.

Finally, BETRAYAL is about a family who escaped Laos in the 70s to come to America, leaving two kids behind, not to mention the father whose whereabouts were unknown after he was abducted by enemy soldiers. The title of the film is a little ambiguous as it's concerned with more than one instance of betrayal by more than one party, but to say any more would risk spoiling a fascinating story. The film's a bit slow-moving in places but interesting enough to hold the attention until the end.

That's all from Hot Docs, so let me just finish by saying that two of my favourites, MAN ON WIRE and DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH are both playing at the aforementioned Edinburgh International Film Festival this year, so go and see them. In fact, so are several films from Hot Docs including THREE MILES NORTH OF MOLKOM, which I didn't see but was recommended to me by an American chap I sat next to at MAN ON WIRE. Then again he was the brother of one of the directors, so read into that what you will.

I'll finish by saying that of the top ten films in Hot Docs Audience Award voting, I saw just two of them, so if you've been reading my opinions here I guess it's only fair to let you know just how out of touch I am.

Now I've got to go, as I have to spend the next couple of hours laboriously planning my schedule for EIFF next month.

More soon!

Still talking HotDocs 2008

THE BLACK LIST interviews several prominent black Americans about being, well, black and American. Each of the people interviewed (ranging from comedians to politicians, authors to dancers) offers up a few minutes of wisdom or some anecdote or another in a straightforward to-the-camera chat. It's sometimes entertaining, often insightful but for all it offers I can't actually figure out why it was made or who it was aimed at.

AN ISLAND CALLING deals with colonialism, homophobia, mental illness, murder and family as a man goes to Fiji to find out about his family's history in the area and the murder of his brother, who had returned to live there. It's an engaging look at another culture and a fascinating story to boot.

In a break from new documentaries, I took some time out to attend a double bill in the retrospective honouring documentary pioneer Richard Leacock.

PRIMARY follows the battle between JFK and Hubert Humphrey on the election trail in the state of Wisconsin in 1960. Revolutionary in its nature, the film was only able to be made as a result of the invention of a new camera that was lightweight, quiet and recorded sound to a separate recorded that did not need to be connected to the camera. Disadvantages are apparent as the sound and picture quality are far from pristine, but the freedom it opened up for documentary filmmaking was incredible and the film is no less engrossing for the lack of technical perfection.

What a difference a few years makes though, as both sound and picture were vastly improved for the follow-up CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT, in which the filmmakers follow the story of the Kennedys having to make some important decisions when racist southern governor George Wallace attempted to prevent two black students enrolling at university in Alabama. It's another triumph of documentary film which leaves people of my age gobsmacked at some of the attitudes that seemed so commonplace.

ELEVEN MINUTES follows the attempts of Jay McCarroll to build on his success as winner of Project Runway to launch his own fashion label. If these words mean nothing to you then welcome to my world. Obviously spun off from some American reality TV show that I've never heard of and certainly would not have watched if I had, the film is nevertheless funny (thanks largely to McCarroll's larger than life personality) and a revealing look at some aspects of the fashion world. I only went to see it because I got free admission, in case you're wondering.

HER NAME IS SABINE sees French actress Sandrine Bonnaire step behind the camera to record a tribute to her younger autistic sister. Contrasting old home movie footage of Sabine with fly-on-the-wall footage of her now, the difference is stark, with five years of institutionalised care having left her a shell of her former self. It's not clear whether the institution was to blame or if her illness itself has caused the deterioration but it's still affecting regardless. While often touching, there are a few moments that to me felt a little too close to exploitation as Sabine seemed clearly uncomfortable and at the same time it's difficult to judge whether she had a complete picture of what was going on. It's certainly a very frank look at a serious mental health issue.

HotDocs round-up will be concluded soon.

3000 miles from Hot Docs

The Bloor Cinema

Well, closer to 3300 really.

Continuing my coverage of HotDocs 2008, despite the fact that I'm back home and the festival's finished, here's a few more I saw.

STRANDED, I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED IN THE MOUNTAINS might be an ordeal as far as titles go, but it's not half as much of an ordeal as the events it portrays. You've probably heard of the famous story of the Uruguayan rugby team that crashed en route to a game in the mountains and how the survivors eventually resorted to cannibalism to survive. It was made into a Hollywood movie which I've never bothered to watch.

I probably never will bother now either, as I'm not sure there's a need after seeing this stunning film. Gonzalo Arijon has gathered all the survivors who relate the full story of what happened and how they survived, including a trip to revisit the site and a touching finale in which they finally play the game they were going to play all those years ago. It's terrifying and yet inspiring, in a morbid kind of way, and cannot fail to affect you. And like so many good documentaries (or films in general) it will leave you to think. Just what would you be prepared to do to survive?

AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR tells of a death row chaplain who has no doubts about the job he is doing until the day he finally has to stand over the execution of a man he firmly believes to be innocent. That's the emotional side, with the more clinical aspect being provided by journalists investigating the potential miscarriage of justice.

The film has a lot to say about the death penalty and, while it does come down on one side of the argument, it's never less than fair. At the same time however it's also as much about the effect that execution has on everyone involved as it is about whether it's right or not. While not necessarily my number one film of the festival, it does have the feel of potential Oscar nomination material.

STALAGS: HOLOCAUST AND PORNOGRAPHY IN ISRAEL sounds a lot more exciting than it is. Back in the sixties, a range of sleazy exploitation books appeared in Israel that claimed to be written by American soldiers as accounts of their times in Nazi prison camps, and usually involved hideous torture, gruesome violence and beautiful female Nazis using the US soldiers to satisfy their needs. Think of them as a print predecessor of the seventies and eighties "nazisploitation" films like ILSA and so on.

Truthfully, it is actually interesting to start with, as it reveals that these works were the result of Jewish authors hiding behind pseudonyms, but as it starts to examine the effect of these books on our impression of the holocaust it totally loses its way.

It still never becomes as dull as the short film that was billed alongside it though. KREDENS follows a young man searching for a long-lost item of furniture that once belonged to his grandfather. It's dull, it feels staged and even at less than half an hour it outstays its welcome.

Hotdocs coverage will be continued shortly.

More from HotDocs 2008

Another quick round up of my viewings from this year's HotDocs festival in Toronto. I'm pushed for time for various reasons but would still rather post "live" than wait until I get home. So here are my next lot of films, very quickly summarised and completely free of any kind of spellcheck (sorry).

MAN ON WIRE is a definite highlight. James Marsh gave us the wonderful WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP and while the subject here is rather different, the style of the film is similar and as striking - the blend of archive footage, interviews, reconstructions and extremely well chosen classical music make it every bit as artistic as it is fascinating, and it scores highly on both of those counts.

The film concerns a crazy high-wire walker who, having already spanned a tightrope on Sydney Harbour Bridge and Notre Dame, went on a quest back in the 1970s to perform his act across the gap between the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. Seriously.

Steering clear of anything to do with the eventual fate of the towers, Marsh sticks to the audacity of the stunt, the incredible quest of one man and the effect it had on everyone involved. Marvellous.

LETTER TO ANNA: THE DEATH OF JOURNALIST POLITKOVSKAYA'S DEATH is a depressing documentary about the life and death of a courageous journalist who spoke out against the crimes allegedly committed by the Russian government and paid the ultimate price. The film is a tribute to her and also an investigation into why she was killed and by whom; it's all the more effective for containing interview footage shot with her before she was killed (the director had been intending to make a very different film with her). It's interesting certainly, but worrying too and a valiant attempt to get certain issues to a wider audience.

Man with mental issues draws a lot and records some out of tune music which achieves a cult following - sounds like THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSON to me, but no, it's WESLEY WILLIS'S JOYRIDE, a tribute to the underground musician and artist who died a few years ago. I'd never heard of him but aside from some of his drawings being very good and him being a reasonably charismatic individual (at times) I couldn't see the attraction. Plenty of others did however, so if you're a fan this is a film for you. If, like me, you'd never heard of him, you might wonder what it's all about.

DANCE WITH A SERIAL KILLER is a British film about a French serial killer. Rather than an in-depth look at the mind of the killer (which will remain a mystery) it concentrates partially on the effects of the investigation on the detective involved but mainly on the efforts he went to (over five years) to get a conviction. It is a portrait of obsession but equally of heroic determination to do good - not to mention an illustration of a detective mind at its best.

PASSAGE is a fantastic film by John Walker co-produced between Britain and Canada which looks at the historical records surrounding the discovery of the Northwest Passage. Challenging accepted history, mixing documentary with drama, and stirring up a real hornet's nest, this documentary is controversial, intelligent, entertaining, enlightening and a whole load of other things that a good documentary should be. It may well change your mind on things; it may not; but it will certainly give you food for thought and is another frontrunner for my personal highlight of the festival.

More from HotDocs soon.

My first viewings of HotDocs 2008

Okay, after a brief burst of activity it's all gone a bit quiet again. I am now in Toronto however for HotDocs 2008 (North America's largest documentary film festival) and you may remember that last year I managed some blog entries while there. No difference this year, as it gives me a chance to shelter from the sweltering heat outside.

After a combination of late-night arrival, tiredness and a sun-burn inducing baseball match I've only seen two films so far - MEMORY BOOKS and SEAVIEW.

MEMORY BOOKS is a German film following families whose lives have been affected by the AIDS crisis in Uganda. It's not the first film to look at the problem, but alas it's a tragic measure of the scale of the problem that people can still find ways to document the problem without going over old ground.

In this case, the books of the title refer to albums put together by families (primarily mothers) with the aim of letting their children remember their parents and giving them somewhere to turn when they want to remember them - since, unfortunately, they know that the parents are not likely to live to see their kids grow up.

It's beautifully shot, finds some positive activity amongst all the gloom and is deeply touching. It's not perhaps as uplifting as WAR/DANCE or WE ARE TOGETHER but it should find widespread distribution among art house cinemas all the same.

SEAVIEW is a haunting documentary about a grave situation in Ireland where asylum seekers are being held - in many cases for years - in a former Butlins holiday camp while awaiting a decision on their fate. The contrast of their life in the camp compared with the camp's holiday-maker glory days is a stark but effective one, and the ghostly, poetic shooting style makes it all the more affecting. If all this sounds familiar to you, it's because I already saw it and reported on it when it received its Irish premiere at Stranger Than Fiction last year. It was just so good I had to see it again.

(Last year it was called MOSNEY - I spoke to one of the directors last night briefly who explained why, for reasons I won't go into here, they changed the name. But whatever it's called, it's worth seeing - as both an artistic piece of cinema and an important insight into a major human rights issue.)

More from HotDocs soon.

Final round-up: Hot Docs 2007

Sorry, took longer than I anticipated to get round to this, not to mention to get over my jetlag. I'll try to be quick as I'm currently packing my stuff for yet another trip, this time to London - which I'm sure you'll hear about eventually.

WITHOUT THE KING scooped one of the awards at the festival and deservedly so. It's a look at the life of the monarchy of Swaziland and compares the luxurious life of its king with the hardships of its people. Stuck between the two is his young daughter who on one hand cherishes her country and her roots but on the other goes to university in the west and talks like she was taught English by MTV. There are some fascinating characters on both sides and the film does get you thinking, even if it's only to wonder how much longer the monarchy can avoid a bloody civil war of the kind that has ravaged so much of Africa. It's an excellent film and I feel the prize it picked up at HotDocs won't be the last recognition it receives.

No such praise for REVOLUCION, however, which manages some equally scary stuck-in-the-danger zone moments in its examination of life under Chavez but its attempts to be some kind of guidebook to revolution aim far wider than the film achieves. Certainly worth a look if you're interested in South American politics though.

COLD RUST was a short experimental film combining a voiceover and old home movie footage to touch on a girl's memories of her murdered father and is a memorable, haunting effort that deserves wider exposure. It paired with the slightly longer, but not quite feature length, FORGIVENESS: STORIES FOR OUR TIME, a documentary examining how four people from various parts of the world saw their lives torn apart by murder and terror and how they coped. Forgiveness, reconciliation, call it what you will, they are tales that are awash with sadness and yet reverberate hope. Another prizewinner, this was another real gem of the festival.

THE UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA, playing as part of a Heddy Honigmann retrospective, examines the impact of immigrants on the Parisian busking scene. Some of the stories are incredible, such as the Bosnian orchestra violinist reduced to playing on the French streets after being driven from the Balkans. Ultimately though, the film disappointed me because it offered a lot of stories that crossed over without ever interacting or heading towards any kind of conclusion. I realise that's just a kind of storytelling that you like or don't - it's just not my thing. I prefer a direction of some sort, which this film doesn't really offer.

HOLY WARRIORS was an okay effort about Russian soldiers adopting various religions but was more notable for the characters involved requesting that it not be shown in Russia than for anything in the film. This short documentary played with IN MEMORIAM: ALEXANDRE LITVINENKO, which uses interviews with friends, family and the deceased himself to paint a picture of the kind of man he was and the kind of country he left. Putin admirers might want to avoid this one.

WINGS OF DEFEAT is an interesting look into the lives of Japan's surviving kamikaze pilots. What went through their mind, why they did it and many other questions are all investigated with the aid of a handful of surviving kamikaze pilots.

It wasn't anywhere near as harrowing however as the next film I saw, which also looked at Japan's activity during World War 2. NANKING combines eyewitness accounts with readings (by a cast including Woody Harrelson and Mariel Hemmingway) of letters and communications from the time and, most shockingly, archive footage including some rarely seen aftermath footage. It all comes together to paint a horrifying picture of Japan's invasion of China and its infamous, and still controversial, attack on the city of Nanking. This was one of the most stunning films I saw at HotDocs but I do not advise it for the squeamish.

A lot more fun was CITY IDOL. For those unfamiliar with the concept, as I was, there was an AMERICAN IDOL-style competition arranged in Toronto for people to try their hand at politics, with the winner being encouraged to stand in the next council elections. A handful of the more successful entrants, including the eventual winner of the competition, are followed throughout, as the film contrasts the idealised politics of these hardy souls with the antics of Toronto's elected officials and election hopefuls.

It's an entertaining effort and while I think its appeal will be limited outside of Toronto it at least deserves points for showing politics in a fun way, for exposing such a great idea, and for reminding us that occasionally you'll get an aspiring politician who isn't either lazy, crooked or both. It's currently election day here in Scotland and man; I wish some of the candidates had the integrity of the City Idol participants. Desmond would have got my vote.

Compare CITY IDOL with ELECTION DAY, the next film I saw, and CITY IDOL would win this particular vote. ELECTION DAY follows a group of people on American election day (including a poll monitor and an ex-con voting for the first time) but to be honest none of the stories are that interesting. There are moments of humour but it's not a classic.

Finally, THE LAST DAYS OF YASSER ARAFAT is literally that. An Australian documentary filmmaker tries for months to get an interview with Mr Arafat. Eventually she does. Shortly afterwards, he dies. She may have got the last ever interview with him, but it doesn't contain anything of substance and the film doesn't shed new light on any of the events or characters it portrays.

All in all though, I loved this festival and I loved Toronto too. I might just pencil it in for next year too.

Next trip: London, this weekend!

Another update from Hot Docs

Next up at Toronto's Hot Docs festival, for me at least, was THE RIVER WHERE WE LIVE. This film documents the everyday life of the inhabitants on and around the Niger river, from canoe-makers to fishermen to herders.

It looks great and is an interesting look at an entirely different culture and how the changes in the environment have impacted on the area but unfortunately it didn't make quite the same impact on me as it did on others by virtue of the fact that it was a bit reminiscent of Thierry Michel's CONGO RIVER, which you heard me rave about on more than one occasion last year.

If you want to know the full story (or close to it anyway) about those disturbing pictures that landed the US military in such hot water, THE GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB is the film for you. It addresses some of the reasons why the soldiers acted in the way they did and, while justifiably not excusing them entirely, it does go some way towards showing just how much the US government was to blame for the atrocities committed at the prison. Not too many documentaries seem to bringing anything new to the table when covering the recent problems in the Middle East so it's nice to see a subject that really needed a film making it into one.

I followed that up with MANUFACTURING DISSENT, a Canadian documentary about Michael Moore. While I'd urge anyone interested in Moore's films, or even if you've only seen one of them, to check this one out at the earliest opportunity. I mentioned the other day that Moore was guilty of "massaging the truth" - it seems it's a little more than that. The filmmakers started out making a film about a documentary maker they admired - what transpires is a portrait of maniacal paranoia and outright lies. If you don't already take what Moore says with a pinch of salt, you'll certainly think twice after seeing this entertaining and insightful film.

THE SUICIDE TOURIST might be the most affecting film I've seen at the film yet. It documents the journey of a man from North America living in England who, when his body begins to succomb to motor neurone disease, makes the trip to Zurich to undergo assisted suicide (Switzerland being the only place where a foreigner can legally undergo the process).

The film also follows another couple in a slightly different situation who also want to undergo the process but their plight takes second stage to the agonising and touching case mentioned above. This film may or may not change people's minds about the euthanasia debate but it does show a very human side to the process and if nothing else will surely start debate - and that in itself can be regarded as a success, and something that all documentaries would justifiably be happy with.

That's all I've time for now - I'll tell you all about the final batch of films when I'm back on home soil. Bye!

More Hot Docs from Toronto

I guess if there's one advantage to everything opening so late in the morning here, it's that I get to pop into the internet cafe and add another little bit of waffle to my blog, once more coming to you live from the Hot Docs documentary festival in Toronto. Well, not really from there, actually it's from an internet cafe near my hotel, but you know what I mean.

That said, I did manage a trip to Niagara yesterday, which was nice. Well, the falls were nice anyway - the actual town itself is like a ghost town. Half the shops on the main street are closed, there were hardly any people in the street - all that's missing is tumbleweed. It's like the town in THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. That's the dark side of tourism I guess - all the life seems to have been sucked out of town and down to the falls.

What's that? Oh yeah, the films.

WAR/DANCE is like a cross between LOST CHILDREN and MAD HOT BALLROOM. The documentary is about a bunch of children who have suffered all manner of tragedy and hardships growing up in war-torn Uganda. It's not, however, just another documentary about how horrible it is in Africa. The film follows a group of kids from a school in one of the most affected regions as they embark on a quest to win a song and dance competition that takes place in Uganda for schools across the country.

While it doesn't shy away from some of the more horrific experiences, it does at least offer some hope and paints a touching portrait of the warmth and spirit of the kids involved. Despite the countless documentaries that have been made about Africa of late, this one offers something that many of them do not - hope. That, and the all too rare sight of African children with smiles on their faces, enjoying themselves. We can only hope that this becomes a more common sight in the future.

When the directors were asked about distribution, one of their people popped up to announce not only details of the film's American distribution but also that they were planning on getting it out there "on the Oscar trail". Speaking as a regular viewer of the Oscars, it wouldn't surprise me one bit to find myself sitting cheering this on one next February. In fact, as an aside, I've been to a lot of festivals (as you'll know) and seen a lot of films given ovations. This is the only one to date for which everyone in the theatre has been on their feet.

Hmmm, only managed to cover one film but my time is just about up. I will return later in the week with more from Hot Docs though. Bye!

The Freakpit - Live from Toronto!

Some might say that flying three thousand miles to sample a documentary film festival is perhaps taking a devotion to films a bit too far. I did it though, so what's the extra effort of actually trying to update the blog while I'm here?

Well, okay, so it's also because I plan to do a bit of shopping this morning too but most of the shops don't open until 10am (it's currently just after 9am). I guess that's why they all manage to stay open to midnight then.

I've been impressed with what I've seen here so far, though I confess that so far it's limited to shops, some nice weather, a couple of films (obviously) and watching people be terrified at the top of the CN Tower. One of those people being terrified was kind of my fault, but that's another story - after all, you tune in to this blog to read my nonsensical ramblings of a film-based nature, not to listen to how nice my holiday is. I did have quite a nice chicken caesar salad in the hotel before bed last night though.

The first film I attended at the Hot Docs festival yesterday afternoon was THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK, a rather depressing and disturbing look at the crisis in Darfur. It's told through the eyes of an ex-marine who was working as a photographer there and spent six months taking photos of the atrocities. Dismayed at being unable to do anything, he came back to the USA and began doing his best to alert the world to the crisis and the need for action.

As you'll know if you keep up with the news, it hasn't exactly been a resounding success. Lots of people thanked him for raising the issue, some didn't, and marches and television appearances seem to have ultimately fallen on more deaf ears than willing helpers. Or rather, those who are willing are not the ones who wield the real power.

It's an affecting and unsettling piece but one needs to take into account the fact that it's a very personal film. As a view into the life of a helpless witness, it's a stunning piece of work; as an overview of the situation in Darfur and the Sudan in general, it's limited in scope. That said, the film still deserves to be seen by a wider audience in the hope that one day it might be seen not just by the willing but by the willing and able.

That film was shown in a theatre in the Royal Ontario Museum - it was okay, but not as nice as the lovely little Isable Bader Theatre, where I was to see my next film.

ZOO is an oddity indeed. The springboard for this film came from a man being admitted to hospital with serious internal bleeding (which later killed him) after indulging in a rather inappropriate act with a horse. No, I'm not kidding. This incident not only resulted in a change in the law in Washington (it wasn't illegal to begin with?!?) but also in the discovery of a circle of men who got together to, er, show their love for animals.

While it sounds ripe for titillating exploitation, ZOO actually paints a very serious portrait of the men involved in this and does its best (with mixed results) to explain why people would do such things, and examines the effects it has on the people involved, on their families and even on the animals themselves. And it isn't very pretty.

If there's a flaw with the film it lies in the mix of documentary style and dramatic reconstruction. I don't have a problem with people who massage the truth to suit their own ends (I'm looking at you, Michael Moore) but as soon as you introduce reconstructions and actors into a documentary it makes me immediately wonder how much of what I'm seeing is true.

Yet, at the same time, the style works in creating a real mood and sense of foreboding as we follow the different characters leading up to the incident in question, aided by a slightly too earnest classical score to give the piece some added gravitas.

For the most part it's a succesful experiment, but you can't help but have some niggling doubts about the whole thing when you find yourself laughing at some of the more ludicrous aspects. Funny they may seem, but it distracts from the very serious problem at the heart of the film - a man not only had some serious issues with his life, but died. The film seems to forget that on occasion.

And on that cheery note, I'm off for a muffin and a coffee. Cheers!