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Hot Docs 2014 Films

interchange42

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The occasional article on the front page will highlight films which include architectural or urban issue themes, but this thread is here for anyone to post anything about any Hot Docs film they see this year.

42
 
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

Should be of interest to all of us. Not like the internet isn't important to everyone, but as we are all here benefitting from the net and enjoying what it has added to our lives… so this is an important film for anyone who spends as much time online like us!

The opening night film. Quite effecting. One of those experiences that will have you telling yourself 'I knew that, and I knew that, but I never knew all that stuff'. You'll feel better informed about one of the serious issues of our time, and more ready to respond next time your right to online freedom is challenged.

One more screening on Wednesday next week. Will be in theatres in the US in June, and hopefully here too.

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Pipeline

Follows the route of a natural gas pipeline from Siberia where is gas comes out of the ground, to Cologne in Germany where final distribution of the gas is made to customers. Stops in many places in between, detailing many aspects of life along the route. Spends a lot of time on how despite Gazprom's sloganeering, many Russians are failing to find any direct economic benefits.

Beautiful photography. Glimpses of life you will see nowhere else. No narration. Those being filmed sometimes speak directly to the camera, but more often than not the film is simply observational. Interesting, but may be a challenge if you're feeling a bit dozy (but don't actually want to doze off).

Three more screenings coming up: Saturday the 26th, Saturday the 3rd, Sunday the 4th.

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Return To Homs

Wow. Quite the powerful film about the devastation of Homs at the hands of Assad's Syrian Army. Very compelling stuff, especially when touring through the city with the rebels who have created walkways through abandoned buildings to avoid being caught by the army on the street. You're there with a band if rebels as the army attacks. Fascinating. Heartbreaking. I'll never forget this one.

Two more screenings: Saturday the 26th and Saturday the 3rd.

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Everyday Rebellion

While the website says the film is 112 minutes long, it feels longer than that, and maybe because it was my fourth film of the day, it felt much longer than that. There's a ton of material here about rebellion around the world, shot over 4 years in many countries, non-violent protest specifically. Very interesting, I learned a lot, I appreciate it all, but it felt like I was watching at least 2 films here, maybe even more, and in fact I want more, but I'd rather see it split up as I think this would play better as a mini-series. That said, great start. Anyone wondering about 'the system' and it's failings would be well served to check out the remaining screenings. Activist much? Get a ticket!

Two more screenings: Sunday the 27th and Sunday the 4th

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The Songs of Rice

Shot all over Thailand, rice is everything in this land. It shapes both landscape and lives to such a degree that rice is revered beyond all other things. More than forming the core of every meal, rice is also central to celebrations and religious festivals. Gorgeous scenery, mesmerizing music, extraordinary culture, definitely niche, but more stuff that you'll never have seen anywhere else before.

Two more screenings: Sunday the 27th, Friday the 2nd.

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Slums: Cities of Tomorrow

One in six people on earth now live in slums or shantytowns of some type. While these places are sometime bulldozed for apartment block neighbourhoods, Slums: Cities of Tomorrow argues that the slums themselves are often the better solution. This fascinating and thought-provoking film travels across the world (including Canada, so we don't get to be smug) and looks at what works and what doesn't, while considering the advice of planning experts and architects who do not accept the conventional wisdom on how best to deal with housing for the marginalized.

Two more screenings: Saturday the 26th, Thursday the 1st.
 
Divide in Concord
(and as this is the MA town, it's pronounced 'Conquered'

If you've ever been to City Council, maybe to oppose or support a development near you, you'll know that planning issues are not the only motions that citizen activists take on with their Councillors. In Concord, Massachusetts, octogenarian Jean Hill wants single-serve plastic bottles banned; it's her contribution to making the world a less-littered place. Divide in Concord chronicles Hill's fight and those who oppose her in the name of freedom of choice. Will Concord make the choice that Toronto City Council did for water sales on its property? What can an individual citizen do to make the world a better place?

I'd trim 10 minutes from this one, but then I'd trim 10 hours from most Council meetings and yet I still watch them.

Three screenings: Saturday the 26th, Monday the 28th, Saturday the 3rd

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The Creator of the Jungle

Just outside a Catalonian village, a recluse has been building elaborate tree houses and more in a bid to life as he chooses, as Tarzan. Forced by local officials to tear down his architectural creations in the name of modernization, The Creator of the Jungle rebuilds as soon as he can. Years later an American curator discovers Garrell, our self-styled Tarzan, and his creations, and records them. Now, with the curator's footage and Garrell's homemade Tarzan films, director Jordi Morató explores the mind and creations of a man uniquely driven to build and inhabit a world of his own making.

This guy is fascinating, a true eccentric, an irrepressible offbeat hero. Very glad I saw this.

Three screenings: Saturday the 26th, Sunday the 27th, Saturday the 3rd.

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The first To Be Takei screening went rush the first week tickets went on sale. I'm going to the Sunday afternoon screening (also rush).
 
The Overnighters


You may think that Toronto is booming, but Williston, North Dakota is a real boom town. Ever since the area was opened up for resource extraction by fracking, people have been pouring into the town of 10,000 looking for work. Many find work, but can't find a place to live, they just can't build quickly enough. In steps a local pastor who opens the church doors for 'the overnighters' to sleep (while others sleep in RVs in the church parking lot), but some parishioners, the neighbours, and the town council are not happy. While a town tries to cope with the economic boom, people's lives are in turmoil.

This film left the audience somewhat stunned. Compassion, intolerance, reasoning, and baser instincts are all thrown into the mix, and director Jesse Moss has an unforgettable film on his hands, but maybe not the one he thought he was going to get…

One more screening: Friday the 2nd, but will be coming to theatres near you (in the fall if I remember correctly)
 
The Malagasy Way

In Madagascar, people consider their life's turn through proverbs they've learned and then pass on to the next generation. This is a culture of storytellers, and resourcefulness in the face of hardship. I went in wondering if we'd be pondering the deforestation of this huge island, but this is a more intimate film that chronicles the unique way that Malagasies see life.

Two more screenings: Sunday the 27th, Saturday the 3rd.
 
To Be Takei

Everything you hope it will be, To Be Takei chronicles actor and activist George Takei's lifetime of breaking down walls, first as an Asian-American actor bringing a Japanese character to tv when any other asian character was an embarrassing stereotype, then as a witness to the injustices of the World War II internment camps for Japanese Americans, and finally as a civil rights activist sweeping away anti-gay bigotry and legislation through humour and the power of positive thinking. So much fun!!! Oh yeah, and you get to meet the hubby Brad too. An endearingly quirky couple.

One more screening: Sunday the 27th, but opening at theatres near you soon enough
 
Saw this last night. Beautifully shot and super interesting. The observational aspect can be tedious at times, but is worth it in highlighting the 'little things' that change as one moves west through Europe. It also features Ukraine quite extensively which makes it quite timely.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend this!
 

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