WhatFinger


April 25th and will run until May 5th

Hot Docs Film Festival



It must be spring! I know that to be a fact because the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival, one of the largest documentary film festivals in the world, has just announced the line-up for its 20th anniversary edition. The latest edition of Hot Docs is set to open in Toronto on April 25th and will run until May 5th.
This year Hot Docs will screen some 205 films from 43 different countries and the subject material covered by these films will stretch from strip clubs to American politics, from music to dealing with children with severe disabilities. Anything to do with the human condition is subject to investigation and study by some of the world’s best filmmakers over this 11 day period. Although I haven’t seen any of the films yet I attended a recent press conference where the lineup was announced and it sounded very exciting. The mix of films will include “Good Ol’ Freda”, a look at the woman the Beatles hired to serve as their personal secretary and run their fan club. She continued to do this for ten years and this is the first time she has gone on record about her experiences.

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“The Burger and The King” looks at Elvis Presley through the food he ate and those who fed him. “Caucus” presents a beind-the-scenes look at the 2012 Iowa Caucus, while “Our Nixon” gives a revealing look at one of the most controversial presidencies in U.S. history. “Alias” reveals the lives, music and dreams of five rapper’s in Toronto’s street hip-hop scene, while “Oil, Sands Karaoke” tells us about the oil sands workers in Alberta who after their work try to prevent loneliness from setting in by taking solace at their local karaoke bar. The opening night film, ”The Manor” sounds especially interesting. In his first feature documentary, director Shawney Cohen attempts to understand the changes that have happened to his family. When he was six years old, his father bought a strip club in Guelph, Ontario. Since then his father’s weight has ballooned to 400 pounds and his mother faces the opposite problem, trying to survive at 85 pounds. “The Manor” looks at Shawney’s family, their feuds and the way they deal with the world of sex and drugs. Another film to keep an eye out for is “Muscle Shoals” about the great “Muscle Shoals sound” that came out of the Fame recording studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. This is the sound that re-invented the work of such music icons as Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Mick Jagger and many others. The films I’ve mentioned so far only scratches the surface of this year’s Hot Docs’ program. There are another 200 films screening this year. But Hot Docs is not just about watching films. It includes conference sessions, market events and services for documentary filmmakers from around the world. Watch for more information about Hot Docs in the days to come. A program guide listing all the films and a description of each one will begin circulating in a few days time or you can go to the Hot Docs website at www.hotdocs.ca. Once the festival has begun, I will be reporting on some of the films I will be watching.


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Larry Anklewicz -- Bio and Archives

Larry Anklewicz. B.A., LL.B., is a lawyer, writer and film and video reviewer.  Mr. Anklewicz is author of “A Guide To Jewish Films On Videos” and has been a columnist for Canada Free Press, the Canadian Jewish News, and other local newspapers.  Mr. Anklewicz worked with the Toronto Jewish Film Festival for thirteen years, the last eight years of which he served as Program Coordinator and Program Director.


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