Hot Docs 2014: Harmontown (Neil Berkeley)

Screening in a special presentation this evening at the Burwash Quad, is the final showing of Harmontown. A no-holds barred portrait of Dan Harmon, the comedic genius behind the much beloved television series, Community. He is also notorious for being difficult to work with, which resulted in his ejection from the show at the end…

Hot Docs 2014: Focus On Infinity (Joerg Burger)

Screening this evening at 7pm, with its international premiere at the Hart House Theatre is this documentary posits the eternal queries of who are we, where did we come from and where are we going? It doesn’t provide any answers, it’s more akin to laying on a blanket in the middle of summer and watch…

Hot Docs 2014: Everything Will Be (Julia Kwan)

This evening at 7pm, at the Lightbox, there is the world premiere of Julia Kwan’s gorgeous documentary, Everything Will Be. Set in Vancouver’s Chinatown, the film shows both the beauty and the grit of a dying locale, as condos and new businesses begin to take up residence in what was once a thriving and colorful community….

Hot Docs 2014: The Homestretch (Anne de Mare & Kirsten Kelly)

Screening for the second time this afternoon at 3:30 at the ROM, as well as one final time on 4 May at 7 at Scotiabank is this strong documentary that shines a light on a heartbreaking subject. Opening with some terrifying stats, like there are between 2,000 and 3,000 homeless youths on the streets of…

Hot Docs 2014: Divide In Concord (Kris Kaczor)

Screening for the 2nd time today at the Lightbox, with one final screening 3 May at 11am at the Isabel Bader Theatre is this wonderful David and Goliath tale, set against the reenactment of the opening shots of the American Revolution in a small town called Concord, Massachusetts. Jean Hill is on a mission. She’s…

Hot Docs 2014: Before the Last Curtain Falls (Thomas Wallner)

Having its World Premiere this evening at 8:30, at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, this gorgeously shot film is a stirring documentary about performance, love and sexuality. The center of the film’s focus is a group of aging gay and trans cabaret performers who have gone on tour with their beautifully choreographed stage show, Gardenia. Now, the tour…

Hot Docs 2014: To Be Takei (Jennifer Kroot & Bill Weber)

I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this film last night at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, if you missed it, please find time to see it today at 6 at the same location! This is hands down my favorite film of the festival to date. And I can’t be the only one…

Hot Docs 2014: In Country (Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara)

Screening for the second time of the festival today at 12:30pm at the Lightbox is this reality blurring documentary about a group of veterans as well as some everyday people, who reenact the Vietnam War. Weaving through the footage shot in Oregon with newsreels, sounds and images from the actual war, the line between what is…

Hot Docs 2014: Out of Mind, Out of Sight (John Kastner)

When I was a high school senior, each week we had an afternoon when we would do charitable works. It was a Catholic high school. We were given a number of options, and one of them was to help out at the local hospital in the psych ward. I thought I would be able to…