Hot Docs 15

The documentary Drone opens today and covers the very timely subject matter of drone strikes in the middle east. The film is directed by Norwegian director Tonje Hessen Schei, who is previously …

The music biography Mavis! opens today at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. The documentary looks back at the career of Mavis Staples, who was best known as one of the members of …

For the first time ever, the Cinema Appreciation Society of Toronto have announced the CAST Awards for the 2015 edition of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.  A total …

My coverage of the 2015 edition of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has come to an end.  This was actually my fifth year attending Hot Docs, my third …

The man responsible for the war in Iraq tells his side of the story in War of Lies.  Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, also known as Curveball, is an Iraqi refuge …

The fascinating world of the plasmodial slime mould is explored in The Creeping Garden.  The plasmodial slime mould is an organism typically found around rotting logs, which can be described …

The murder of a young girl leads to an examination of the Islamic belief in djinn in Possessed by Djinn.  A four-year-old Jordanian girl named Aya is brutally killed by …

An underground Japanese wrestling league, where the disabled fight the able-bodied, is the subject of Doglegs.  Doglegs is a an underground wrestling league in Tokyo, where disabled wrestlers fight against …

A man films updates on his life over a 35 year period in Sam Klemke’s Time Machine.  In 1977, a teenaged Sam Klemke decides that he is going to film …

Citizens in communist Romania find an escape in the form of bootlegged VHS action films in Chuck Norris vs. Communism.  In the 1980s, Romania was under control by a communist …

A group of unique and somewhat odd individuals are profiled in A Different Drummer: Celebrating Eccentrics.  Based on a ten year study by Dr. David Weeks, Academy award winning director …

Ted Patrick’s anti-cult crusade of the 1970s is at the centre of Deprogrammed.  Playing into counter-culture, the 1970s saw the rise of alternative religious and radical communes, such as the …

An intense series of political debates is at the centre of Best of Enemies.  In the summer of 1968, ABC News decided to air series of debates between left-wing novelist …

The relationship between two big top families are explored in The Circus Dynasty.  Patrick Berdino is the heir of Circus Arena, one of the biggest in Europe, and is in …

A city in Poland prepare for the fulfilment of the Mayan doomsday prophesy in End of the World.  One night in a city in Poland, a late night radio host …

The sugar industry’s efforts to hide the fact that sugar is toxic is exposed in Sugar Coated.  Over the course of the last 30 years, the obesity rate has more …

The story behind a cult writer is told in The Cult of JT LeRoy.  Teenaged writer JT LeRoy emerged from nowhere in 2002 to become a cult celebrity phenomenon.  Publishing …

An FBI informant is followed on his latest undercover operation in (T)ERROR.  Since 9/11 the FBI has been has been utilizing more than 15,000 undercover informants to help take down …

A man documents his experiences with ALS in TransFatty Lives.  Patrick O’Brien was an aspiring filmmaker, internet personality, and New York DJ, who went under the name of TransFatty.  In …

The changing relationship between two U.S./Mexico border towns are explored in Western.  The towns of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico have had a friendship with each other …

A video game designer bases his latest project on his son’s battle with cancer in Thank You for Playing.  Four years ago, indie video game developer Ryan Green learned that …

A group of scientists simulate an encounter with extraterrestrials in The Visit: An Alien Encounter.  The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has prepared a scenario of what would …

The history of Saturday Night Live is told in Live from New York!.  In 1975, novice producer Lorne Michaels created a late-night sketch comedy series on NBC described as a …

The lives and careers of LGBT athletes are examined in Out to Win.  In 2014, Michael Sam made headlines by becoming the first openly gay player to be drafted into …

The history of the the infamous national humour magazine is told in Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon.  National Lampoon was founded in 1969 by Doug …

The stories of public service workers in the Congo are told in Elephant’s Dream.  Kinshasa, the capital city of the the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is in a state …

Rodney Ascher (Room 237) explores the terrors of sleep paralysis in The Nightmare.  There are people who suffer from a mysterious sleeping condition, where they feel like they are awake, …

The famed comedy troupe reunites on stage for the final time in Monty Python: The Meaning of Live.  For the first time in 34 years, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric …

Crimes in the darkest corners of the internet are explored in Deep Web.  The deep web is a term used for all unindexed data online.  The deep web has become …

The story of the greatest fan film ever made is told in Raiders!.  In 1982, eleven year old Mississippi friends Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos, and Jayson Lamb set out to …

A family’s search for a missing member is overshadowed by a digital witchhunt in Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi.  Sunil Tripathi was a student at Brown University, who started suffering …

The lives of four children of same-sex couples are explored in Gayby Baby.  Gus, Ebony, Matt and Graham are four Australian kids, whose parents just happen to be gay.  With …

An impoverished family in Nepal is followed over the course of seven years in Drawing the Tiger.  The Darnals are a family of subsistence farmers in Nepal, who put their …

The story of Nirvana-frontman Kurt Cobain is told in his old words in Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.  Utilizing Cobain’s own art, music, journals, Super 8 films and audio montages, …

One of the main attractions at Hot Docs this year is the DocX Virtual Reality Showcase, exhibited at the Isabel Bader Theatre. Using 3D stereoscopy video, Oculus Rift technology, and …

The history behind a cult classic is examined in Beaver Trilogy Part IV.  Trent Harris is the director of cult films, such as Rubin & Ed (1991) and Plan 10 …

The tragic story of Nova Scotia teen Rehtaeh Parsons is told in No Place to Hide: The Rehtaeh Parsons Story.  Rehtaeh Parsons was a teenager living in the Halifax suburb …

The growing group of bloggers, who visit and critique fine dining restaurants are profiled in Foodies.  There is now a large number of people who travel and dine at Michelin-starred …

The disappearing art of hand-painted Bollywood posters is the topic of Original Copy.  Sheikh Rehman is a painter living in Mumbai and is the last in the city to create …

The “James Bond of journalism” is profiled in Chameleon.  Anas Aremeyaw Anas is an investigative journalist in Ghana, who lives by the three basis principles of naming, shaming and jailing.  …

Homeless buskers in Toronto are profiled in Lowdown Tracks.  All across Toronto are “home free” individuals, who struggle to make a living by playing on street corners and subway platforms.  …

A woman is haunted by a past tragedy in Missing People.  Martina Batan is the director of a New York art gallery, who is still haunted by the 1978 unsolved …