Sue and I walked out of the Rick Springfield doc An Affair of the Heart, at the Hot Docs Film Festival, won over as fans. I admittedly knew little of Rick, but for the fact that he was in the original Battlestar Galactica series opener as Apollo’s doomed brother, and of course Jessie’s Girl….
Author: TD Rideout
Finding North – Lori Silverbush & Kristi Jacobson, USA
A heartbreaking and undeniably one of the most important films of the Hot Docs film festival, Finding North explores the existence of the working poor and the fact that 49 million people go hungry in the United States. With the rise of corporate agriculture receiving the majority of government subsidies and the class divide…
Nina Conti – Her Master’s Voice
I loved Her Master’s Voice, it’s my favorite documentary I saw screened this year at Hot Docs. So I was delighted when we had the chance to have a brief chat with the talented and charming ventriloquist Nina Conti, and her good friend Monkey. I can’t recommend this doc enough, it’s fun, charming, touching,…
The Mechanical Bride – Allison De Fren, USA
“ The fourth skin job is Pris. A basic pleasure model. The standard item for military clubs in the outer colonies. They were designed to copy human beings in every way except their emotions.” – from the film Blade Runner The Mechanical Bride is a fascinating film that delves into the sub-culture of life-like…
Sexy Baby – Ronna Gradus & Jill Bauer, USA
The digital age has impacted every facet of our life, and it’s arguable that our sex and sexuality has been most impacted by it. Sexy Baby, a new documentary from Ronna Gradus and Jill Bauer presents that argument very strongly through the tale of three women. This is one of those documentaries that makes you…
Planet of Snail – Seung-Jin Yi, South Korea, Japan, Finland
Planet of Snail, a South Korean/Japanese/Finnish co-production, directed by Seung-Jun Yi, is a gentle, slice-of-life style documentary. It lets us into the lives of two extraordinary people, the deaf-blind Korean poet and writer Young-Chan, who’s enclosed existence allows him to live without the entrapments of ego, but allows for a wonderful, singular love story. He…
The Record Breaker – Brian McGinn, Denmark
Paired with Ping-Pong this half hour short follows Ashrita Furman, the man who holds the official record for the most Guiness World Records by one person (approx. 415 by the time of the screening on April 29, 2012). And delightfully they’re all fun – using the worlds biggest hula hoop, walking in the world’s…
Ping-Pong – Hugh Hartford, UK
Ping Pong is an applause inducing, laugh filled boisterously rowdy film entrenched in joy and sportsmanship. It follows a group of seniors from all over the world who are coming to China to compete in the world championships. Ranging in age from 80 to 100, these players are still going strong. The film delves into…
The Punk Syndrome – Jukka Karrkkainen & J-P Passi, Finland
The Punk Syndrome is a rock, sorry, punk documentary film that follows Finland’s Pertti Kurikka’s Name Day. There’s infighting, jam sessions, gigs, tours, parties, love stories, broken hearts, moving out of your parents’ home, and pedicures. And every single one of the band members is mentally challenged. But in the best tradition of our…
Despite the Gods – Penny Vozniak, Australia
I’m not the only one who was seeing Despite The Gods for the first time last night, the film’s subjects Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David, and her own daughter, Sydney got to see it as well. Chronicling her efforts in India to make a film that would be a cross between Hollywood and Bollywood,…
