Hot Docs ’24: What to See at the Planet’s Biggest Documentary Film Festival, Pt. 1
By Original-Cin Staff
Jim Slotek, Liz Braun, Thom Ernst, Karen Gordon, Kim Hughes, John Kirk, Chris Knight, Liam Lacey, and Bonnie Laufer
As with tiny green buds on trees and frequent rains, spring heralds the arrival of the annual Hot Docs Festival, the planet’s premiere showcase of documentary films, running April 25 through to May 5 at theatres across Toronto.
With 168 documentaries from 64 countries and 83 world and international premieres, this year’s Festival — the 31st annual — seems certain to build on past excellence, showcasing stories about everything under the sun from veteran filmmakers and newbies alike.
To help you view better, the team at Original-Cin has spent the days leading up to the Festival previewing as many titles as possible. Today and in the coming days, we offer capsule reviews, interviews with key players plus a spotlight on the Festival’s popular Made In program, this year featuring documentaries from Spain.
Visit the Hot Docs website for ticket information and updates on additional screenings and rush-seating opportunities for sold-out films and be sure to check in with us often. As always, our best advice is to see as much as you can. You never know when you will have another chance to view such a wide array of intriguing, passionate, urgent, delightful, spellbinding films about our world and its myriad inhabitants.
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
Sat, Apr. 27, 9 pm TIFF Lightbox 1; Sun, Apr. 28, 8:45 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1.
R&B artist Jackie Shane had a Top 40 hit and a big career in Toronto when she vanished from the music scene in 1971. This beautifully made film from directors Michael Mabbot and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee uses animation and hitherto unknown phone conversations to shine a light on Shane — a trailblazing trans performer — and reveal what became of her. A gifted performer finally gets her due. LB
Tue, Apr. 30, 4:45 pm, TIFF Lightbox 2; Thurs, May 2, 3:45 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1.
Ari Kinarthy is a 34-year-old composer and musician from British Columbia. He also happens to have spinal muscular atrophy, which affects the motor neurons and confines him to a wheelchair. But that second attribute isn’t going to get in the way of the most important part of who he is. Directing partners Nathan Drillot and Jeff Lee Petry follow Kinarthy as he writes a song of himself, a musical composition that celebrates both his individuality and his family, whom he describes in musical terms: his sister a drum, his father a cello, his mother a piano and himself a flute. “I loathe pity, but I do like an underdog,” says Kinarthy, who misses playing video games but longs to be seen as more than his disability, and vows to create a composition that will do that. Or as he puts it: “Spread your soul to more than the space that you contain.” I hope this doesn’t count as a spoiler, but mission accomplished, triumphantly. CK
Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity
Sun, Apr. 28, 5:15 pm TIFF Lightbox 2; Tues, Apr. 30, 11:30 am, TIFF Lightbox 3; Sat, May 4, 2:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
One problem documentarians face is funders that demand to know exactly what they’ll be getting for their money when the answer is unclear. The all-over-the-mapness of Larry Weinstein’s ode to Beethoven —and the relevancy 300 years later of his palpably anti-war Ninth Symphony — is further complicated by unforeseen world events that profoundly and personally affect the director as he filmed. And yet, the scattershot portrait of a legacy — a performance of the Ninth by the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra; Charles Schulz’s Beethoven-worshipping Schoeder; a hearing-impaired musician; Leonard Bernstein conducting the Ninth in celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and much more — combine to create a resonant anti-war statement of its own. It’s a doc that seems to have found its feet during filming, which speaks to its authenticity. JS
Thurs, May 2, 2:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 5; Sun, May 5, 7:45 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
As part of the Hot Docs Shorts Program, Big Moves might only be 14 minutes long, but it packs a big punch. A very personal film from Scottish filmmaker Sarah Grant, Big Moves emphasizes that anyone — regardless of shape, size, weight, or height — can have some pretty slick dance moves and should feel good about that accomplishment. The film follows Grant, a plus-size woman, recreating some famous movie, TV and video dances emphasizing there is nothing embarrassing or wrong with how she looks and feels. Grant puts herself in the forefront and shows us that no one needs to be pushed to the back of the line. BL
Mon, Apr. 29, 5:00 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1; Fri, May 3, 8:45 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1.
Riveting documentary from journalist Shiori Ito covers the heavy legal and personal trek involved in speaking out and pursuing justice after she was raped. In 2015, Ito went out for drinks with a famous TV reporter and was assaulted; in 2017 she decided to go public with the story, despite her family's misgivings and a wave of social censure. Simultaneously vindicating and heartbreaking, the film is an indictment of the way the patriarchy still holds sway in Japan. LB
Mon, Apr. 29, 2:45 pm, Scotiabank Theater 5; Sat, May 4, 5:45 pm, TIFF Lightbox 3.
Daughter of Genghis probes a neo-nationalist movement over seven years as it follows Gerel, a feminist influencer in Mongolia who fights to preserve the integrity of her own culture. Chinese industrialists and entrepreneurs buy up Mongolian businesses and have a monopoly on prostitution and sex work in Mongolia, which is illegal. Chinese men are predominantly single, looking to marry, corrupting what Gerel believes is the pure blood of her people. The swastika is the symbol that Gerel uses to epitomize her efforts against this, a decision that some may question given its Nazi connotations and regardless of its historical Mongolian origins. Like the film’s namesake, Gerel is relentless, even if it means the welfare of her son. But Gerel grows over the seven years, and so does her son. The question is: at what cost? JK
Sat, Apr. 27, 8 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 7; Mon, Apr. 29, 11:30 am, TIFF Lightbox 1.
Rachita Taneja is the Bangalore-based political satirist in her late 20s who draws stick figures criticizing what she calls India’s “hate machine” including anti-feminist, anti-LGBTQ crusaders, and Hindu nationalist supporters of prime minister Narendra Modi and his increasingly autocratic regime. Sama Pana’s brisk, 73-minute Drawing a Line animates a few selections from Taneja’s Sanitary Panels comic but mostly finds the filmmaker (who appears only as a cartoon) hanging out with Taneja as she awaits a court date and possible incarceration for the crime of “diminishing the authority of the (Supreme) court.”
Taneja consults with her lawyer, dashes off her funny little cartoons on an iPad, attends an indie comic convention and compares notes with other activists without losing her sense of the ridiculous. Her cartoons hardly seem a threat to a country that routinely prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy. For example: Male stick figure: “What’s it like living in India?” Female stick figure: “Oh, you know, can’t complain.” Male stick figure: “That’s nice.” Female stick figure: “No. I mean I literally can’t complain, or the government will arrest me.” LL
Sat, Apr. 27, 7:45 pm Scotiabank Theatre 5; Mon, Apr. 29, 8:30 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 5; Sat, May 4, 8:45 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
Inspiring and unique, Grand Theft Hamlet is a documentary for anyone determined to perform Shakespeare in unusual places. The film centres around two out-of-work actors attempting to mount a full production of Hamlet inside the ultra-violent world of Grand Theft Auto, shot entirely in game. It’s pretty ingenious, actually. You’ll watch in awe as, during the COVID-19 lockdown with all theaters closed, UK actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen were determined to use a video game to present their artistic craft. There’s no denying the pandemic put many out of work, but this documentary shows the determination of two actors represented by avatars using a popular video game to socially engage and keep their creative juices flowing. BL
Lost in the Shuffle
Mon, Apr. 29, 5:15 pm, TIFF Lightbox 2; Wed, May 1, 8:15 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1.
Equal parts celebration of renowned sleight-of-hand artists around the world, in-depth history of playing cards, and a murder mystery stemming back to the 15th century French royal court, Lost in the Shuffle is difficult to distill in a few sentences but vastly more coherent than it has any right to be, given its sweeping narrative scope. On his mission to discover why the King of Hearts and Queen of Spades differ so radically from the other Kings and Queens in the deck (you did notice that, right?), affable Canadian magician Shawn Farquhar traverses Europe, unlocking secrets about playing cards through the ages and positing that coded messages within the cards reveal a nefarious plot that changed history. As if that weren’t spellbinding enough, Farquhar and his cadre of card sharks dazzle with tricks that seem impossible and yet… There are also some very thoughtful musings on why magic has endured for centuries, and how the chaos and order represented by a deck of cards offers clues for navigating real life. You don’t see that every day. KH
Tues, Apr. 30, 1:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6; Fri, May 3, 10:30 am, TIFF Lightbox 2.
Director Kinshuk Surjan’s moving cinéma vérité style documentary provides a brief introduction to the increasing suicide rates of indebted Indian farmers in the state of Maharashtra, who are trapped between debt, drought, and record low prices for their produce. The film follows Sanjivani, the mother of two young children and the widow of a farmer who took his life. The heart of the film is her involvement with a support group for other widows of suicides, under the guidance of a male psychologist. These women struggle with grief, poverty, and historic social stigma where widows are associated with bad luck. We watch as they share stories of abuse, grief, anger and, in the film’s most powerful moments, advise and comfort one another. Surjan achieves a remarkable degree of intimacy with his subjects, so deeply engaged in their emotions that they don’t notice or care there’s a camera recording them. LL
Tues, Apr. 30, 8:45 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1; Thurs, May 2, 11:15 am, TIFF Lightbox 2.
In Me, Michael and I, we meet 25-year-old Quebec native Freddy Duffour, who has devoted his life to Michael Jackson. Duffour is not just obsessed with Jackson from a musical standpoint. As we see in the doc, he takes every step humanly possible to become the King of Pop. From countless surgeries, facial reconstructions, and more, Duffour has devoted his life to becoming his hero and the journey will surprise you. Me, Michael and I is a fascinating look into one man’s obsession and how far someone will go to achieve their life-long dream. BL
Sat, Apr. 27, 8:30 pm Scotiabank Theatre 6; Mon, Apr. 29, 10:15 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1.
Weeks after her laptop is stolen from a café in Madrid, director Patricia Franquesa begins receiving emails threatening to send explicit pictures (of Franquesa) found on her computer to family members, friends, and colleagues. When the hacker makes good on his threats, Franquesa begins an ugly and frightening journey through blackmail hell as she exhausts all legal channels before taking things into her own hands. My Sextortion Diary, despite the threats of exposure intended to shame and embarrass the victim — the film acknowledges one woman's death by suicide because of an exposed sex tape — is unconventionally life-affirming. And clocking in at just 64 minutes, it's also incredibly brief. TE
My Sextortion Diary is part of the Made In Spain program. Read more about it here.
Sat, Apr. 27, 5:15 pm TIFF Lightbox 2; Tues, Apr 30, 6:30 pm Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema; Sat, May 4, 8:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 5.
Never Look Away examines enigmatic New Zealand journalist Margaret Moth and her drive to cover some of the darkest aspects of the human condition. First-time director and countrywoman Lucy Lawless (of Xena: Warrior Princess fame) chronicles Moth’s life, from her start as a camera operator in Dallas to her career with CNN. Hers was a swashbuckling life through the tumultuous 80s, 90s and the early part of the 21st century as she covered the Balkan War and Desert Storm. Moth ran into danger to bring coverage to American viewers at home. So, what was her motivation? Journalistic integrity? Adrenaline rush? Never Look Away brings us a story of a truly fascinating woman who lived her life by her own rules. JK
Sun, Apr. 28, 8:15 pm, TIFF Lightbox 2; Tues, Apr. 30, 5:30 pm, TIFF Lightbox 3.
Hoop Dreams set a documentary bar, but it wasn’t the last word on young men playing basketball as an escape route from their lives. Hamoody Jaafar gives us a portrait of Michigan’s River Rouge, a high school team that’s seen better days, a gym that’s seen better days, and a town that’s seen better days. The ghost of a nationally famous team that won a gobsmacking 14 state championships in the 1960s, 70s and 90s hovers over everything. Somehow this team, having lost talented seniors and led by their one seemingly can’t-miss prospect Legend Geeter, finds ways to succeed. Without playing spoiler, this isn’t Hollywood, and life isn’t fair. Past and present meets with the segments featuring the amiable dad-bods who last won the state championship in the ‘90s. It still helps to be a sports fan, but the truisms about sports and life are there. JS
Fri, May 3, 10:45 am, TIFF Lightbox 3; Sun, May 5, 1:45 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
Director Kumjana Novakova’s film concerns the rape camps set up by the Serbs during the Bosnia War. Fear, trauma, denial, and even shame have kept the atrocities a secret. But then, women began opening up about the daily abuse and humiliation they endured. Silence of Reason is defined as a video essay. Novakova assembles a series of grainy, over-exposed, and under-exposed visuals—a town, a landscape, a building. Beneath the images are the voices of women telling their stories in their native language. Above the images are transcripts of the dialogue written exactly as they are spoken. The cadence of their voices adds to the strength of their words, making for a heartbreaking chronicle of unchecked war crimes. For the audience, Silence of Reason is a tribute to the women who came forward. For the women, it's the chance to be heard. TE
Singing Back the Buffalo
Fri, Apr. 26, 5:30 pm, TIFF Lightbox 1; Mon, Apr. 29, 12 pm, TIFF Lightbox 3.
Writer-director Tasha Hubbard is a Cree woman who, in addition to being a gifted filmmaker, is also a buffalo activist and academic with a PhD in buffalo consciousness, no less. So, it’s fair to say her contemplative and beautifully shot documentary mapping the symbiotic relationship between these giant, doe-eyed creatures and the Indigenous peoples of North America is very much in her wheelhouse. Made over eight years, Singing Back the Buffalo spotlights the buffalo and those fighting to protect them from nearing extinction once again. A mix of animation, vintage photographs, and stirring interviews with myriad stakeholders bring this inspiring story about buffalo repatriation to the Great Plains vividly to life. KH
Fri, Apr. 26, 5:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 6; Wed, May 1, 1:45 pm, TIFF Lightbox 2.
Like an Instagram post writ large and better edited, The Here Now Project stitches together citizen video captured in 2021 of the devastating fallout from climate change: deep freezes in Texas, torrential floods in China, Sudan, B.C., and New York City, raging fires in Greece, Turkey, and Russia, hurricanes in Louisiana. Scenes are presented without voiceover; only the words of those in the moment doing the filming, and occasional news readers, offer greater context. But the message is clear — climate disaster is unfolding everywhere on Earth and no place is immune. Filmmakers Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel make an undeniably powerful statement, though one senses it could have been more powerful had they used conventional filmmaking techniques to shape a story already being told this way literally every day on social media. KH
Fri, May 3, 5 pm Scotiabank Theatre 6; Sun, May 5, 12:45 pm, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.
From auditions to their opening night jitters, director Thomas Charles Hyland's film follows the journey of a group of neurodivergent students from a rural high school in Victoria, Australia, as they prepare to mount a high school musical production of a famed Australian folk singer. For the students—Halle, Chelsea, Josh, and Elyse—taking part means stepping far beyond their comfort zone. This is Going to Be Big is a life-affirming testament to the power of belonging and being part of something. Filled with warmth, charm, and humour, the film is destined to be a Hot Doc ‘24 crowd-pleaser. TE
Sat, Apr., 11:15 am, Scotiabank Theatre 6; Sat, May 4, 2:30 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 5.
Hamilton filmmaker Luke Mistruzzi’s short is a mesmerizing, layered interpretation of his uncle’s experiences after being declared dead for a moment, and then put into a medically induced coma. While his uncle tells the story of the what he saw, did, and experienced, Mistruzzi fills the screen with a riot of images—mixing splashes of colours, animation, stop-motion animation, plus Super 8 family footage —creating lively and beautifully edited scenes that feels like something Guy Maddin might have made. In the end, this isn’t a journey into the mystical, but rather an affectionate celebration of his uncle and the doctors and nurses who cared for him. A visual and auditory feast. KG
Sun, Apr. 28, 4:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 5; Tue, Apr. 30, 8:15 pm, Scotiabank Theatre 5; Sat, May 4, 11:30 am, Scotiabank Theatre 6.
It’s a familiar paradox that the people who seem most free and unconstrained by social rules may be acting out of compulsion rather than choice. Taiwanese director Fan Wu’s thoughtful film is the story of her fascination with a woman named Xixi, a Chinese improvisational dancer she saw in Europe, on the director’s year abroad after finishing school. For Fan, Xixi represents freedom, a multifaceted artist who married a French exchange student in Beijing. As the film begins, she is separated from her husband, with whom she shares custody of a daughter. Still, Xixi thinks nothing of hitching rides around Europe without money or a set destination or dancing nude in public, which her ex considers improper. Combining the two women’s video diaries, the film gradually reveals a common sorrow between their family histories with reflections on the political and personal meaning of emancipation. LL
Be sure to check back tomorrow for another round of Hot Docs capsule reviews.