A
A Candid Eye: Early Shorts of Terence Macartney-Filgate (87 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) This striking black and white from the NFB’s Candid Eye series follows the tobacco harvest in southwestern Ontario, from the …
A Hard Name (89 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) Genie Award winner and Hot Docs Top Ten favourite, A Hard Name follows seven ex-convicts as they struggle to transition from life …
A Rubberband Is an Unlikely Instrument (135 minutes | USA | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: G) There’s something very contemporary about this film, a document of a certain kind of lifestyle and mood. I’m not sure why it …
A Simple Rhythm (52 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Toronto Premiere | Rating: G) Deep in our subconscious, we’re all tuned to the cadence of existence. The universe has a peculiar and mystical method of keeping …
Abendland (88 minutes | Austria | Language: (Subtitled) Various Languages | International Premiere | Rating: PG) From the acclaimed director of , and , (in English, ) is a brilliantly evocative film essay about the Western world, …
The Advocate for Fagdom (92 minutes | France | Language: English | Canadian Premiere) Bastard child of Kenneth Anger and John Waters, dissolute baby daddy of the homocore movement, romantic deconstructuralist, and … NOW Rating - N
After the Apocalypse (65 minutes | UK | Language: (Subtitled) Kazakh Russian | International Premiere) With little regard for the estimated 200,000 residents, the first Soviet bomb is dropped in 1949 on a secret nuclear test site in … NOW Rating - NNNN
Alan Zweig: Early Shorts (61 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) Alan Zweig is behind the wheel in his first film, chatting up strangers and colleagues in this impressionistic taxi travelogue. …
All for the Good of the World and Nosovice (82 minutes | Czech Republic | Language: (Subtitled) Czech | North American Premiere) A small Czech farming community is forever transformed by the arrival of big business, as its inhabitants face pressure to sell …
American Losers (59 minutes | Denmark | Language: English ) Only in New York is the line between winner and loser less clear, more alive. Who is a winner? What defines a loser? Two unlikely …
At Night, They Dance (80 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) Arabic | Toronto Premiere | Rating: PG) An award-winning director duo sweeps us into the chaotic world of a family of voluptuous female belly dancers in working class … NOW Rating - NNNN
At the Edge of Russia (72 minutes | Poland | Language: (Subtitled) Russian | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) Hundreds of miles from the nearest town or tree, a smooth-faced young recruit arrives at his Arctic post. Here, etched somewhere …
B
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (72 minutes | USA | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) The first feature from renowned experimental short filmmaker Marie Losier, beautifully presents the unique relationship between … NOW Rating - NNN
The Battle for Barking (85 minutes | UK | Language: English | North American Premiere | Rating: PG) It’s all-out war in London’s borough of Barking where Nick Griffin, leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP), is … NOW Rating - NNN
Battle for Brooklyn (94 minutes | USA | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: PG) After searching for more than five years, graphic designer Daniel Goldstein finds the perfect place to call home in Brooklyn. … NOW Rating - NNNN
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (98 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) NOW Rating - NNN
Beauty Day (90 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Canadian Premiere) What motivates someone to snort eggs through their nostrils, ski off a rooftop or attempt to remove a swimming pool cover through … NOW Rating - NNNN
Because We Were Born (90 minutes | France Brazil | Language: (Subtitled) Portuguese ) Teenagers Nego and Cocada meet every day at a petrol station near their favela in Pernambuco, in Brazil, where they try to make a …
Becoming Chaz (85 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) Somewhere inside, Chaz felt he was a stranger in his own body as Sonny and Cher’s darling daughter, Chastity. After years of … NOW Rating - NNNN
Becoming Santa (90 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere) To recapture his Christmas spirit, actor Jack Sanderson decides to become Santa Claus. He endures beard bleaching, graduates from …
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (90 minutes | USA | Language: (Subtitled) English Japanese ) Imagine cramming 128 million people onto an island the size of Montana – you would be pretty close to replicating the density of … NOW Rating - NNNN
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (76 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere) – Martin P. Robinson, veteran Sesame Street puppeteer
The Bengali Detective (95 minutes | UK USA India | Language: (Subtitled) Hindi English Bengali | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) This highly unusual and thoroughly engaging documentary presents a complex character in an even more complicated situation. … NOW Rating - NN
Better This World (95 minutes | USA UK | Language: English | International Premiere) Two childhood friends from Midland, Texas—hometown of George W. and Laura Bush—turn 20, move to Austin and have a political … NOW Rating - NNNN
The Block (75 minutes | Germany | Language: (Subtitled) German ) captures a reality particular to East Germany. Far above Sachsen Anhalt, the sky bears mute witness to the passage of history. …
Blood in the Mobile (82 minutes | Germany Denmark | Language: (Subtitled) Danish English | Canadian Premiere) Did you know your mobile phone contributes to violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Danish director Frank Piasecki …
Bob and the Monster (86 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere) Bob Forrest, cool-headed counsellor on Celebrity Rehab, revisits his heyday as charismatic front man and lyricist for indie band … NOW Rating - NNN
Bobby Fischer against the World (93 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: PG) Bobby Fischer was the rock star of the chess world, but died in squalor as a paranoid recluse. As a six-year-old in Brooklyn, he … NOW Rating - NN
Boy Cheerleaders (59 minutes | UK | Language: English | International Premiere) On a tough South Leeds estate, the DAZL Diamonds, an all-boys cheerleading team, rehearses a new routine. Amid a flurry of pink … NOW Rating - NN
Buck (88 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: G) may be the stuff of Hollywood legend but the cowboy who inspired the novel and film is very real. Buck Brannaman—master horseman, …
Bury the Hatchet (86 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: PG) Aaron Walker’s new film takes you deep into the heart of New Orleans to discover a celebration hidden from mainstream Mardi Gras. … NOW Rating - NNNN
C
Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (87 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere) With an incomparable voice and presence, Carol Channing burst onto the Broadway scene in 1941, rising to stardom with lead roles …
The Castle (90 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Italian English Spanish | North American Premiere) Aside from the odd lost bag or missed connection, the day-to-day operations of an airport go mostly unnoticed by travellers. Step …
Chance Encounters (10 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: PG) Meet Shelley and Kevin. Their story seems familiar: two people meet in highschool, fall in love and get married. But they share a …
Cheonggyecheon Medley: A Dream of Iron (79 minutes | South Korea | Language: (Subtitled) Korean | North American Premiere | Rating: 14A) In a bold and stylistically sophisticated experimental piece, first-time filmmaker Kelvin Kyung Kun Park creates a tribute to his …
The Chocolate Farmer (70 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) English Spanish | World Premiere | Rating: PG) For ancient Mayans, cocoa was as good as gold. For subsistence farmer Eladio Pop, his cocoa crops are the only riches he has to … NOW Rating - NNN
Cinema Komunisto (101 minutes | Serbia | Language: (Subtitled) Serbian | Canadian Premiere) Inside the former Yugoslavia is another Yugoslavia, a cinematic confection that sought to link six nations in brotherhood. …
The Collaborator and His Family (84 minutes | Israel USA France Canada | Language: (Subtitled) Hebrew Arabic | North American Premiere) is a chronicle of family, assimilation and espionage that follows the El-Akels, a Palestinian family whose father, Ibrahim, has …
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (89 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: 18A) Conan O’Brien is angry. Unceremoniously dumped from , then banned from appearing on television, radio or the internet for six … NOW Rating - NNNNN
Cosmic Energy Inc. (52 minutes | Italy Spain | Language: (Subtitled) Italian | World Premiere) Wild ideas can lead to wild success. Or wild failure. Convinced that the cosmos, the natural world and human beings all share the …
D
Danger (4 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) Innu | Toronto Premiere) Kushtakuan, the Innu word for ‘danger,’ adorns the signs that border the open mining pits pockmarking a once pristine northern …
Daughters of Malakeh (85 minutes | Netherlands | Language: (Subtitled) Farsi Dutch | World Premiere) In public, Maryam wears a headscarf and obeys the rules of the state. But in the privacy of her own home, she’s the breadwinner … NOW Rating - NNN
The Day We Danced on the Moon (11 minutes | Germany | Language: English | North American Premiere | Rating: G) The Channel One Band, a reggae band of mental health patients, travels to the west coast of Ireland. Along the way, band members …
Despicable Dick & Righteous Richard (79 minutes | UK | Language: English | Canadian Premiere) For some people, “sorry” really is the hardest word. After a life of epic boozing, womanizing and drug abuse, Richard “Dick” …
Doc It! Showcase (120 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) Hot Docs is pleased to present the fifth annual Doc It! Showcase, a 90-minute program of young people's films reflecting their …
Doc Talks: Docs - Modifying Minds? (60 minutes | | Language: English ) Doc Talks is a new special series of hour-long conversations aimed at bringing you access to seminal filmmakers and key subjects. …
Doc Talks: Docs Fuelling Debate (60 minutes | | Language: English ) Doc Talks is a new special series of hour-long conversations aimed at bringing you access to seminal filmmakers and key subjects. …
Doc Talks: Docs Making a Difference (60 minutes | | Language: ) Doc Talks is a new special series of hour-long conversations aimed at bringing you access to seminal filmmakers and key subjects. …
Dolphin Boy (72 minutes | Israel | Language: (Subtitled) Hebrew Arabic | World Premiere | Rating: PG) A father never gives up. When told by doctors that dolphin-assisted therapy is the last treatment option for his son, Morad, …
Dragonslayer (74 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) California’s suburbs, decimated by economic collapse, are a sprawl of abandoned foreclosures and deserted swimming pools. …
Draquila - Italy Trembles (97 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Italian | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) In April 2009, some 120,000 people were affected by an earthquake that devastated the city of Aquila, Italy, and its surrounding …
Dust. A Sculptor’s Journey (50 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere) Quixotic sculptor and printmaker Stanley Lewis was regarded by many as a national treasure in the contemporary art world. But …
E
Ears, Open. Eyeballs, Click. (95 minutes | USA | Language: English ) If you thought the drill instructors from and were pure fictions, this vivid documentary chronicling 12 weeks of basic training …
Eco Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson (110 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: PG) Captain Paul Watson has been on a crusade to save the oceans for 40 years and he isn’t about to stop now. Through the life and …
El Bulli - Cooking in Progress (108 minutes | Germany | Language: (Subtitled) Catalan Spanish | Toronto Premiere) This candid observational doc takes you into the restaurant, kitchen and laboratory of Ferran Adrià, holder of three Michelin … NOW Rating - NNN
El Sicario, Room 164 (90 minutes | France Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Spanish | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) Sicarios, or hitmen, kill and torture for a living. Silence has been their only code—until now. Disguising his face with a black …
The Embrace of the River (73 minutes | Belgium | Language: (Subtitled) Spanish | Toronto Premiere) The calm and tranquil waters of Colombia's Magdalena River flow silently past the small villages located along its bank yet, …
Empire North (58 minutes | Denmark | Language: (Subtitled) Danish English | Canadian Premiere) Danish artist, filmmaker and reality hacker Jakob Boeskov brings us a docu-fiction based loosely on the events of his life and … NOW Rating - NN
Endless Love (14 minutes | Sweden | Language: (Subtitled) Swedish | International Premiere) Their parents ended Ebba and Torgny’s relationship when they were young, but after 60 years apart a simple phone call reunited …
The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of José González (74 minutes | Sweden | Language: (Subtitled) Swedish English Spanish | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) What does the writing process of Swedish folk artist José González look like? A voyeuristic security camera in his soundproof …
F
Fahrenheit 7-Eleven (14 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere) On a fateful night in 1985, Burton Cummings of The Guess Who fame entered a 7/11, and left bloodied and battered, scorning his …
Family Instinct (58 minutes | Latvia | Language: (Subtitled) Latvian | North American Premiere | Rating: 14A) Zanda is a single mother in rural Latvia, living in squalor while brother Valdis, also father to her children, serves time in …
Family Portrait in Black and White (99 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) Russian Ukrainian English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) It can be dangerous to be black in post-Soviet era Ukraine, a country peopled by 99.9% blue-eyed blonds. Olga Nenya faces down … NOW Rating - NNNNN
Fightville (85 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) On February 10, 2011, a block of 42,000 tickets went on sale for Toronto’s first UFC Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition. Within … NOW Rating - NNNN
5 Pictures of a Father (21 minutes | Denmark | Language: (Subtitled) Danish Russian | North American Premiere) Five daughters ranging in age from five to 78 are asked what their fathers mean to them. Each narrated story is set against a …
Fly (97 minutes | Mexico | Language: (Subtitled) Spanish | International Premiere) Suspended in time, a widower drifts endlessly between nights and days that melt into one continuous longing for a love that will …
Flying Anne (21 minutes | Netherlands | Language: (Subtitled) Dutch | North American Premiere) Eleven-year-old Anne wavers between being bossy and shy, daring and introverted, accomplished and frustrated. A typical tween, …
Foreign Parts (82 minutes | USA | Language: (Subtitled) English Spanish Hebrew | Toronto Premiere) Tucked behind Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, the neighbourhood of Willets Point looks like an industrial eyesore. With no …
The Forgotten Space (113 minutes | Netherlands Austria | Language: (Subtitled) Dutch English Spanish Chinese Korean Indonesian | North American Premiere) Artist and photographer Allan Sekula collaborates with renowned scholar Noël Burch to detail the catastrophic effects …
45365 (90 minutes | USA | Language: English ) explores the congruities of daily life in an American town. From the patrol car to the courtroom, the playground to the nursing … NOW Rating - NNNN
The Future is Now! (92 minutes | Canada | Language: English | North American Premiere) Blurring non-fiction and dramatic elements, the team behind Radiant City reunites with The Future Is Now! Referencing the 1949 … NOW Rating - NNN
G
The Garden of Hope (23 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Italian | North American Premiere) Oscillating between images of ultrasounds and x-rays, and those of natural sensations such as swimming and rushing through a …
Give Up Tomorrow (95 minutes | USA UK | Language: (Subtitled) English Spanish Filipino | International Premiere) It was called the trial of the century in the Philippines. At the centre of a media circus tainted with overtones of class hatred …
Gnarr (96 minutes | Iceland | Language: (Subtitled) Icelandic | Canadian Premiere) As Iceland faced all-out economic collapse in 2009, popular comedic personality Jón Gnarr conceived the idea of the Best Party. … NOW Rating - NNN
The Good Life (84 minutes | Denmark | Language: (Subtitled) Danish English Portugese | Canadian Premiere) As the only child in an affluent family, Annemette wanted for nothing. Her life of seaside vacations, servants, dance and music … NOW Rating - NNNN
Goodbye Mandima (11 minutes | Switzerland | Language: (Subtitled) French | Canadian Premiere) A panoramic photograph taken in 1980s Zaire (today’s Congo) shows a village assembled on a grassy airstrip. “Panoramic photos,” …
Grande Hotel (70 minutes | Belgium | Language: (Subtitled) Portuguese English | International Premiere) Once a magnificent monument to Portuguese colonial hubris, today a shattered shell, Mozambique’s Grande Hotel tells the story of …
Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then (72 minutes | USA | Language: English | Toronto Premiere | Rating: PG) “This is Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then. It’s a true story about this guy named Leonard Wood who lived outside of Louisville, … NOW Rating - NN
Grinders (75 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere) – Matt Gallagher NOW Rating - NNN
The Guantanamo Trap (90 minutes | Germany Canada Switzerland | Language: (Subtitled) English German Turkish Spanish | World Premiere) Taxi to the Dark Side and Standard Operating Procedure hallmark a growing catalogue of documentaries emerging from the War on … NOW Rating - NNN
Guañape Sur (23 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Spanish | Canadian Premiere) There’s dirty work, and then there’s downright filthy. Once every 11 years, 200 labourers ship out to a barren island off the …
H
Hand to Toe: An Exploration in the Art of Giving (8 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Toronto Premiere) Once a week, Yellowknife’s Salvation Army transforms itself into a makeshift spa, offering pedicures, wool socks and a kind touch …
Heart-Quake (52 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Italian Albanian | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) Only 26 years old, Shpresa is raising five children in the impoverished countryside of Kosovo. Uneducated and isolated, she and …
Hell And Back Again (88 MINUTES | UK USA | LANGUAGE: ENGLISH | INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | RATING: 18A) Danfung Dennis was a photojournalist covering the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan when he had a revelation. “I found that I was … NOW Rating - NNNN
Highway Gospel (97 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: 14A) “I’m soooo happy drinking my can of beer.” Amen! These catchy lyrics introduce a group of pot smoking, beer guzzling longboarders … NOW Rating - NNN
Hot Coffee (92 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: PG) Everyone knows about the McDonald’s scalding coffee case—but what do we really know? Routinely cited as an example of the way … NOW Rating - NNNN
Housing (90 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Italian | North American Premiere) In the southern Italian city of Bari, desperate times call for desperate—and downright ridiculous—measures. With more than 3,000 …
How Are You (70 minutes | Denmark | Language: (Subtitled) Danish English German Norwegian | North American Premiere | Rating: 14A) How Are You? profiles the projects, process and rise to stardom of installation art power couple Michael Elmgreen of Denmark and … NOW Rating - NNN
How Are You Doing, Rudolf Ming? (60 minutes | Latvia | Language: (Subtitled) Latvian | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) Thirteen-year-old Rudolf Ming has an almost obsessive passion for two things: film and violence. Troubled and gifted, his hobbies …
How to Die in Oregon (108 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) Winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, this immensely moving film chronicles the right to die with dignity in Oregon, the first …
How to Make a Book With Steidl (90 minutes | Germany | Language: (Subtitled) English German | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) He’s addicted to the smell of ink and paper, replies to emails by fax, and never takes a day off, but his waiting list is four … NOW Rating - NNNN
I
I Am Jesus (75 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Russian Portuguese English | North American Premiere | Rating: 14A) Attention, Christians! Jesus is here. There’s just one problem: there are three of Him. Filmmakers Valerie Gudenus and Heloisa …
I, Curmudgeon (94 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) To be negative or not to appear to be negative, that is the question. Viewing his life in three acts, director Alan Zweig tackles …
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (85 minutes | USA | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) In 2001, two arson incidents destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of deforestation facilities in Oregon. The headlines blazed …
Imagining Emanuel (52 minutes | Norway | Language: (Subtitled) Norwegian English | International Premiere | Rating: G) Could you prove the facts of your life? Without any identification or a scrap of tangible evidence, refugee claimant Emanuel …
In Heaven, Underground. The Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee (90 minutes | Germany | Language: (Subtitled) German Russian English | International Premiere) North of Berlin’s noisy city centre, tucked away in a residential area and surrounded by a jungle of trees and lush foliage, lies …
Incident by a Bank (12 minutes | Sweden | Language: (Subtitled) Swedish | Toronto Premiere) Shot in one brilliantly choreographed long take, this recreation uses 96 actors to stage a botched bank robbery that took place …
Inside Lara Roxx (81 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: 18A) In April 2004, a male porn star in L.A. tested positive for HIV, which lead to positive testing of three women who had performed … NOW Rating - NNN
International Documentary Challenge (90 minutes | | Language: ) Hot Docs is pleased to host the theatrical premieres of the finalists in the sixth annual International Documentary Challenge, a …
The Interrupters (142 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere) From Academy Award-nominated director Steve James (Hoop Dreams), The Interrupters is a powerful story of three ‘violence …
Invisible Girlfriend (74 minutes | USA | Language: English ) Charles is in love with his invisible girlfriend, Joan of Arc, so he decides to ride his big red bicycle 400 miles from Monroe …
Invisible Strings: The Talented Pusker Sisters (70 minutes | Hungary | Language: (Subtitled) Hungarian | International Premiere) When young Juli takes centre stage with her violin, her talent radiates. Older sister Ági, also a gifted violinist, realizes …
J
Jig (93 minutes | Scotland | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: G) With Jig, acclaimed filmmaker Sue Bourne goes deep into the little known and often misunderstood world of Irish dancing. Her film …
K
Knuckle (97 minutes | Ireland UK | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 18A) Knuckle, Ian Palmer’s intriguing documentary, pries open the previously closed world of Travellers, a tribal group of nomads who …
Koran by Heart (77 minutes | USA | Language: (Subtitled) English Arabic Dhivehi Tajik Wolof | International Premiere | Rating: G) Once a year, the brightest kids from across the Islamic world head to Cairo for the world’s oldest Koran reciting contest. …
Koundi and the National Thursday (86 minutes | Cameroon | Language: (Subtitled) Maka French | North American Premiere) The rhythm of everyday life unfurls with keen observational detail in this subtly philosophical portrait of the small Cameroonian …
Kumaré (84 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: PG) What begins as an earnest survey of yoga culture in North America takes an unexpected and poignant turn when self-proclaimed …
L
Life in Loops (79 minutes | Austria | Language: (Subtitled) English Hindi Japanese Russian Spanish ) Veton Nurkollari, Artistic Director, Dokufest
“A visual rollercoaster through the dark and dirty corners of our world’s biggest …
Limelight (101 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere) The Limelight was one of New York’s most famous nightclubs, but beneath its glamour and celebrity was an underworld of drugs, … NOW Rating - NNN
Little Voices (75 minutes | Colombia | Language: (Subtitled) Spanish | Canadian Premiere) Which colours would you use if asked to paint a picture of war? It may come as a surprise that when a group of Colombian …
Living Skin (48 minutes | Egypt | Language: (Subtitled) Arabic | North American Premiere) A close look at child labour, Living Skin presents a week in the lives of five boys who live and work in Magra El-Oyoun, a …
Lovable (94 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) How long have you been alone? Why can’t you find love? Is being solo merely taboo, or is it proof that you’re unlovable? With … NOW Rating - NNNN
Love Always, Carolyn - A Film About Kerouac, Cassady and Me (70 minutes | Sweden | Language: English | Canadian Premiere) Carolyn Cassady has spent half her life fighting a losing battle for the truth. Her constant visitors don’t come to hear about …
Love Arranged (60 minutes | India United Arab Emirates | Language: English | North American Premiere | Rating: PG) Romance is everywhere in the Bollywood-drenched world of modern India. But what happens when love doesn’t work out? Two …
Love Crimes of Kabul (72 minutes | USA | Language: (Subtitled) Dari Pashto | World Premiere) In Afghanistan’s Badam Bagh women’s prison, half the inmates are jailed for ‘moral crimes.’ Kareema awaits trial for pre-marital …
Love Shines (87 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Toronto Premiere | Rating: G) “I’ve made all these Lars von Trier records… I see this record as my action movie!” – Ron Sexsmith NOW Rating - NNNN
The Lumberfros (71 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) French | Toronto Premiere | Rating: G) “Countries are unquestionably born in memory, and memory does not lack imagination.” – Pierre Perrault
M
Magic Trip (90 minutes | USA | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side) and co-director Alison Ellwood serve up the ‘60s in this … NOW Rating - NNN
The Magus (12 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Toronto Premiere) Multimedia artist Jaimz Asmundson turns the camera on his visual artist father, documenting his dad’s incredible artistic …
Maids & Bosses (64 minutes | Panama | Language: (Subtitled) Spanish | North American Premiere) Maids and bosses take turns dishing the dirt on each other in this face-off between rich Panamanian employers and their … NOW Rating - NNN
Mama Africa (90 minutes | Germany South Africa Finland | Language: (Subtitled) English French | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) “They call her Mama Africa, the Queen of South African music: Miriam Makeba.” - Paul Simon, Graceland Tour, Zimbabwe, 1987
Marija’s Own (61 minutes | Croatia | Language: (Subtitled) Croatian Czech | World Premiere) In a long overdue tribute to the deceased Marija, three granddaughters host an unconventional and surreal memorial for their … NOW Rating - NNN
Matchmaking Mayor (72 minutes | Czech Republic Slovakia | Language: (Subtitled) Slovak Czech | North American Premiere) Could Rob Ford find you a mate? The small East Slovak village of Zemplínske Hámre is facing a peculiar population crisis. The … NOW Rating - NNN
Melissa–mom and Me (52 minutes | Israel | Language: (Subtitled) Hebrew English | International Premiere) Camcorder footage captures two girls—one Israeli, one American—in corsets and bunny ears, high on coke, backstage at a Tokyo …
Memoirs of a Plague (77 minutes | Australia | Language: English | North American Premiere) The locusts are coming! The locusts are coming! Arab Bedouins in Egypt, cattle ranchers in Australia and a pesticide pilot in … NOW Rating - NNNN
Mighty Jerome (83 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Toronto Premiere | Rating: PG) In 1960, at the age of 19, Harry Jerome was the fastest man on Earth, running the 100-metre sprint in ten seconds flat. A tribute … NOW Rating - NNN
Minka (16 minutes | USA Canada | Language: English | World Premiere) Yoshihiro met John more than 41 years ago, when John was working as a foreign press correspondent in Japan. Their obvious …
Mothers of Bedford (93 minutes | USA | Language: English | World Premiere) Mothering can be difficult at the best of times but imagine trying to raise your children from prison. From the director of …
My Barefoot Friend (81 minutes | South Korea | Language: (Subtitled) Hindi | North American Premiere) After pulling a rickshaw through the chaotic streets of Kolkata (Calcutta) for 35 years, 55-year-old Shallim is close to …
My Reincarnation (100 minutes | USA Finland Germany Netherlands Switzerland | Language: (Subtitled) English Italian Tibetan | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) Like father, like son? Award-winning director Jennifer Fox (Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman) has followed high Tibetan master …
N
The Naked of Saint Petersburg (22 minutes | Denmark | Language: (Subtitled) Russian | North American Premiere) The daily lives of the ambitious but economically bereaved citizens of St. Petersburg are sympathetically rendered in a vivid …
The National Parks Project (127 minutes | Canada | Language: English French | Canadian Premiere) In an increasingly urban nation, Canada’s national parks are a treasured escape into extraordinary beauty and rugged wilderness. … NOW Rating - NNN
New Castle (112 minutes | China | Language: (Subtitled) Chinese | North American Premiere | Rating: PG) Xinbu—translated into English as New Castle—is a remote mountainous village in Shanxi province, China, where most of the …
No Entry No Exit (82 minutes | Germany | Language: (Subtitled) German | International Premiere) Karl D., convicted rapist, moves in with his brother Helmut’s family in a rural German town after serving a 14-year sentence for … NOW Rating - NNN
Nodin (Wind) (3 minutes | Canada | Language: Anishnabe | Canadian Premiere) From the bush to the streets, catch a colourful glimpse of the gritty beats of an Anishinabe reservation b-boy. Emerging director …
O
Ola Svensson Superstar (58 minutes | Sweden | Language: (Subtitled) Swedish | Canadian Premiere) Ola Salo, front man for Swedish glam rock band The Ark is used to strutting his stuff in gold lamé, so taking a year off to lead …
Only Sky & Water (4 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere) Stranded alone, swimming frantically in black ocean waters without food for two days and nights, facing death with each moment …
Open Secret (70 minutes | USA | Language: English | World Premiere) Filmmaker Steve Lickteig grew up knowing he was adopted. For 18 years, he enjoyed life on his family’s Kansas farm with eight …
Our Newspaper (58 minutes | Netherlands | Language: (Subtitled) Russian | Canadian Premiere) In Uljanovsk, Russia, a remote countryside village, political news from far-away Moscow is irrelevant and tiresome. Quitting his …
Our Persian Rug (50 minutes | Iran | Language: (Subtitled) Persian | North American Premiere | Rating: 18A) A family history is retold in this poetic and dreamlike documentary by Iranian filmmaker Massoud Bakhshi. A Persian rug, woven by …
Out of Reach (29 minutes | Poland | Language: (Subtitled) Polish | Canadian Premiere) Young and headstrong, sisters Karolina and Natalia are realistic about their home life. Their domineering father may not take the …
P
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (90 minutes | USA | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: G) How can a documentary become a blockbuster? Observing that all big Hollywood movies rely on product placements to generate mass … NOW Rating - NN
PS Your Mystery Sender (9 minutes | UK | Language: English | Canadian Premiere) Sir Paul Smith Jr., the English fashion retailer known for creating classically tailored menswear with a characteristic twist, …
People I Could Have Been and Maybe Am (53 minutes | Netherlands | Language: English | North American Premiere) What would it be like to enter the life of a complete stranger? While a seemingly ordinary question, the premise behind this …
People in White (64 minutes | Netherlands | Language: (Subtitled) Dutch | International Premiere) The same filmmaker/artist team that brought the very popular Complaints Choir to Hot Docs last year is back with another dynamic, …
People of a Feather (90 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) English Inuktitut | World Premiere) People of a Feather is a breathtaking journey into the remote world of the Belcher Islands Inuit people. Uniting this community’s …
Phnom Penh Lullaby (103 minutes | Poland | Language: (Subtitled) English Khmer | North American Premiere) Among the many films that will spark discussion and debate in this year’s Festival is this intimate portrayal of the …
Pinter People (50 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) One of Macartney-Filgate’s more interesting collaborations, Pinter People explores controversial UK playwright and screenwriter …
The Pirate Tapes (72 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) English Somali | World Premiere | Rating: 14A) A tale of violence, piracy and environmental disaster spirals into a life-threatening situation when Mohamed, a young … NOW Rating - NNN
Pit No. 8 (95 minutes | Estonia | Language: (Subtitled) Russian | Canadian Premiere) Snizhne, a Ukrainian mining town that thrived during Soviet-era occupation, is today plagued by crushing poverty. For years, the … NOW Rating - NNN
Position Among the Stars (111 minutes | Netherlands | Language: (Subtitled) Bahasa Indonesia | Canadian Premiere) Crucial viewing, this masterpiece is nothing short of breathtaking. Against a backdrop of rising Islamic fundamentalism and …
Poster Girl (38 minutes | USA | Language: English | Toronto Premiere) With a pretty face and feisty attitude, Robynn Murray, a cheerleader turned soldier, was an ideal cover girl for Army Magazine’s …
Power of Love (Celine Dion Fans in Kenya), The (8 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: G) Celine Dion’s impassioned ballads have captured the hearts of romantics worldwide, but who would have thought her most devout …
Project Nim (93 minutes | USA UK | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) From the Oscar-winning team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a … NOW Rating - NNNNN
R
Recessionize! For Fun and Profit! (56 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) English French German Italian Dutch | North American Premiere | Rating: PG) Berlin prostitutes offer eco-discounts, a French hotel promises a hamster experience, Camp Millionaire opens for kids: When times … NOW Rating - NN
The Redemption Of General Butt Naked (83 MINUTES | USA | LANGUAGE: ENGLISH | CANADIAN PREMIERE | RATING: 18A) During Liberia’s bloody 14-year civil war, General Butt Naked inspired fear as one of the country’s most savage warlords. … NOW Rating - NNNN
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles (88 minutes | USA | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: G) “Toynbee Idea in Movie 2001. Resurrect Dead on Planet Jupiter.”
Rooftop Docs: Beauty Day (104 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) Hot Docs' open-air screening program returns! Join us on a downtown rooftop for music, drinks and fantastic films. Doors open at …
Rooftop Docs: Ola Svensson Superstar (58 minutes | Sweden | Language: (Subtitled) Swedish | Canadian Premiere) Hot Docs' open-air screening program returns! Join us on a downtown rooftop for music, drinks and fantastic films. Doors open at …
Rooftop Docs: When the Drum Is Beating (85 minutes | USA | Language: (Subtitled) Haitian Creole English | International Premiere) Hot Docs' open-air screening program returns! Join us on a downtown rooftop for music, drinks and fantastic films. Doors open at …
Running Stumbled (85 minutes | USA | Language: English ) Maringouin’s apocalyptic debut stars his estranged family members as themselves – a small-town Dadaist painter, a prescription …
S
Senna (104 minutes | UK | Language: English | Toronto Premiere | Rating: PG) With a piercing, boyish beauty, the aura of a monk, and fierce racing intelligence and competitiveness, Aryton Senna rose to the …
Set Backs (3 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) French | Toronto Premiere | Rating: 14A) Two sisters are torn apart by violence and addiction in this raw tale of retribution and forgiveness. First-time director Délia …
75 Watts (13 minutes | Canada | Language: English | World Premiere) Eclectic drummer Matt Giordano describes his body as a 75-watt light bulb that’s been plugged into a thousand-watt outlet. All …
Shibuya - Tokyo (10 minutes | Japan | Language: No Dialogue | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) Following in the sequence of Tokyo - Ebisu, filmmaker Tomonari Nishikawa presents Shibuya, an experimental short film showing …
Sira - Songs of the Crescent Moon (77 minutes | Switzerland | Language: (Subtitled) Arabic | North American Premiere) The Sira is the most important epic poem of the Arab world. It consists of five million verses and contains timeless stories of …
Something to Tell You (8 minutes | Australia | Language: English | International Premiere) One question inevitably arises in every internet dating relationship: Do you think it’s time we meet in person? Before answering, …
Somewhere Between (94 minutes | USA | Language: English Mandarin Spanish | World Premiere | Rating: PG) When filmmaker Linda Goldstein Knowlton (The World According to Sesame Street) adopts a baby girl from China, she realizes her …
Somewhere to Disappear (57 minutes | France Belgium | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: PG) Large-format photographer Alec Soth travels across America to document people who have retreated from society and the places they …
St-Henri, The 26th Of August (85 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) French | World Premiere) On September 5, 1962, Claude Jutra, Michel Brault, Don Owen and Arthur Lipsett roamed the streets of St-Henri with other emerging …
Superheroes (82 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: PG) Bruce Wayne is a billionaire, Superman is an alien and Spider-Man was bitten by a radioactive spider that gave him the abilities …
Surpriseville (10 minutes | UK | Language: English | North American Premiere) Welcome to Surprise, Arizona, a study in irony. Make yourself at home in a master-planned, gated community of strict standards …
Susya (15 minutes | Israel Palestinian Territory | Language: (Subtitled) Arabic Hebrew | North American Premiere) After being evicted 25 years ago, a Palestinian father and son must buy tickets to enter their former home, the West Bank village …
T
TBA Award Winner 1 (120 minutes | | Language: ) Hot Docs is pleased to present an additional screening of a Festival Award winner from the Canadian Spectrum competition. Hot …
TBA Award Winner 2 (120 minutes | | Language: ) Hot Docs is pleased to present an additional screening of a Festival Award winner from the International Spectrum competition. …
The Team (80 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) English Swahili | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 14A) In 2007, violence broke out between rival factions in Kenya over a disputed election; over a thousand people died and 600,000 …
That’s Life (27 minutes | Poland | Language: (Subtitled) Polish | North American Premiere) A middle-aged Polish man—the filmmaker’s retired father—selflessly and tenderly cares for his elderly mother. They live a quiet …
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (93 minutes | Sweden | Language: (Subtitled) English Swedish | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 18A) From 1967 to 1975, Swedish journalists travelled to the United States to document the black power movement in America. For over … NOW Rating - NNNN
The Bully Project (94 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere) Bullying is now the most common form of violence young people experience. Filmmaker Lee Hirsch spends a year at the centre of the …
The Hilltops (45 minutes | Canada | Language: (Subtitled) English Hebrew | World Premiere | Rating: 14A) The West Bank hilltops are a critical final frontier in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some see them as a key to long-term … NOW Rating - NN
The Hollywood Complex (85 minutes | USA | Language: English | World Premiere) Every spring, Hollywood hosts a very species-specific migration: kids. Thousands of aspiring child actors flock to Tinseltown for …
The Naked of Saint Petersburg (22 minutes | Denmark | Language: (Subtitled) Russian | North American Premiere) The daily lives of the ambitious but economically bereaved citizens of St. Petersburg are sympathetically rendered in a vivid …
The Redemption of General Butt Naked (83 minutes | USA | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: 18A) During Liberia’s bloody 14-year civil war, General Butt Naked inspired fear as one of the country’s most savage warlords. …
The Samba within Me (72 minutes | Brazil Portugal | Language: (Subtitled) Portuguese | Toronto Premiere | Rating: PG) The infamous Mangueira Hill in Rio de Janeiro, so often portrayed with an emphasis on poverty and violence, is given a fresh … NOW Rating - NNN
This Is My Picture When I Was Dead (75 minutes | Netherlands | Language: (Subtitled) Arabic | North American Premiere | Rating: PG) At four years old, Bashir Mraish narrowly escaped death when his father, a lieutenant in the Palestine Liberation Organization, …
Three Walls (26 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) What do an aspiring opera singer, an ex-student with hefty travel debt and a middle-aged woman with a passion for lint brushes …
Timothy Findley: Anatomy of a Writer (58 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Rating: 14A) Anatomy of a Writer is an intimate portrait of award-winning Canadian actor, author and playwright Timothy Findley, filmed at his …
Tuned In (5 minutes | USA | Language: English | Toronto Premiere) Stark contrast and a lonely desert backdrop set the tone for this portrait of Steve McGreevy, a collector of natural radio …
Two’s a Crowd (19 minutes | USA | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: PG) The secret to a successful marriage? Separate apartments 20 blocks apart! New York couple Allen and Collette have been happily …
U
Unraveled (80 minutes | USA | Language: English | World Premiere | Rating: PG) Just days before Bernie Madoff made headlines with his billion-dollar Ponzi scheme, respected Manhattan attorney Marc Dreier was …
Up Against the System (20 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Rating: PG) Macartney-Filgate takes a critical look at Canada’s welfare system through the eyes of the poor and several visionary social …
Uprooted (6 minutes | Canada | Language: English | North American Premiere | Rating: PG) Tobacco farmer Joe Vanden Elzen was happily tending the land, just like the five generations of farmers who’d come before him. …
V
The Valley of the Forgotten (72 minutes | Brazil | Language: (Subtitled) Portuguese | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) Maria Raduan’s penetrating documentary puts the Brazilian rainforest back on the list of regions to watch. Valley of the …
The Valley of the Moon (66 minutes | Italy | Language: (Subtitled) Italian | International Premiere | Rating: PG) The Mediterranean island of Sardinia is home to crystal blue water, miles of gorgeous shoreline and…hippies? Si. Back in 1971, a …
Vinyl (117 minutes | Canada | Language: English | Rating: G) Alan Zweig’s cult favourite mines the comedy and tragedy of obsessive record collecting, assembling an all-star lineup of …
Vinyl: The Alternate Take (96 minutes | Canada | Language: English ) Comprised of unseen interviews, outtakes and footage that simply wouldn’t fit into Vinyl, Zweig dedicates this cut to the people …
Vodka Factory (90 minutes | Sweden | Language: (Subtitled) Russian | North American Premiere) “I’m a silly person, but sensitive too,” declares Valya, the 22-year-old single mother who works in a local vodka factory and …
W
Wadan’s World (100 minutes | Germany | Language: (Subtitled) German | International Premiere) Shortly after a Russian investor takes control of the Wadan shipyard, the largest company in the small town of Wismar, Germany, …
Waidmannsheil ‘Hail to the Good Shooter’ (26 minutes | Belgium | Language: (Subtitled) Dutch French German | International Premiere) The pomp and savagery of the Belgian group hunt is exposed in this atmospheric, suspenseful and sometimes ironic piece of direct …
We Were Here (90 minutes | USA | Language: English | Canadian Premiere | Rating: PG) Before AIDS even had a name, San Francisco’s gay community felt an unsettling presence taking hold. Loved ones suffered from … NOW Rating - NNN
When the Drum Is Beating (85 minutes | USA | Language: (Subtitled) Haitian Creole English | International Premiere) In the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien resides the country’s oldest and most beloved band, Orchestre Septentrional. Founded …
Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour (72 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: 14A) They’ve been labelled electro feminist performance artists and a post-Riot Grrrl pop punk trio. They’ve been labelled dykes and …
Wiebo’s War (94 minutes | Canada | Language: English | North American Premiere | Rating: 14A) Big Oil calls convicted 1990s oilpatch saboteur Reverend Wiebo Ludwig an eco-terrorist and portrays him as a patriarchal cult … NOW Rating - NNNNN
Wild Horse, Wild Ride (106 minutes | USA | Language: English | International Premiere | Rating: G) If you were one of those kids who had horse posters covering your bedroom walls, you’re going to love this film. Co-directors …
Wisconsin Death Trip (76 minutes | UK USA | Language: English ) Writer/Director James Marsh's first feature, WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP, is an intimate, shocking and sometimes hilarious account of …
Y
You’ve Been Trumped (95 minutes | UK | Language: English | World Premiere) Donald Trump is not a subtle man. So when the tycoon developer sets out to build the world’s most luxurious golf resort, he …
Z
Zelal (90 minutes | Egypt | Language: (Subtitled) Arabic | North American Premiere) This uncompromising indictment of the neglect and squalor in the hidden world of Cairo’s largest mental hospitals provides …
Hot Docs
Documentaries about an unconventional Eastern European foster mother and a California skate punk were the big winners at this year’s Hot Docs festival, which announced most of its 2011 awards at a gala reception Friday night at the Windsor Arms.
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and director Aaron Walker during the making of Bury the Hatchet.
Hot Docs
Aaron Walker went to New Orleans to make a music video and discovered a dying culture, the Mardi Gras Indians. These tribes have their own festival traditions, a powerful history and sensational musical roots. Walker changed his plans and began working on Bury The Hatchet, a documentary about three chiefs attempting to preserve their heritage. At first it’s progress, in the form of Interstate 10, that threatens the community. Then the biggest threat seems to be simply the passage of time. And finally, Hurricane Katrina hits.
Cover Story
Controversial eco activist Wiebo Ludwig is obviously trying to clean up his image.
Morgan Spurlock, no stranger to self-promotion, directs POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
Hot Docs
The fest has increased the number of screenings this year, but you can’t expect to just drop in and get a seat. Avoid disappointment and get your tickets now for these big-buzz films. Then brag that you saw a film first at Hot Docs. For ticket info, see hotdocs.ca
Last year's Hot Docs slate included Oscar nom Waste Land
NOW MOVIE RATING SYSTEM
NNNNN
Top Ten Of The Year
NNNN
Honourable Mention
NNN
Entertaining
NN
Mediocre
N
Bomb
Critics' Pick (highly recommended)
189 Church St, Toronto ON M5B 1Y7 | Telephone 416-364-1300 | Front Desk Hours: Monday - Friday 9am - 6pm | email