OMEN
03-23-2007, 02:34 PM
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2007/03/20/13-apollo17-070320.jpg
In The Shadow of The Moon explores the story of the U.S. moon mission and talks to the handful of men who have walked on the moon.
Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary festival, opens this year with the Canadian premiere of In The Shadow of the Moon, a new U.S. documentary about the handful of men who have walked on the moon.Rich with NASA footage, director David Sington's work about a historic time when American ambitions were embraced and celebrated comes in contrast to some of the darker docs that pepper the festival.
Another side of the U.S. is shown in films such as Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Rory Kennedy's potent analysis of the abuses that occurred at the notorious Iraqi prison, and U.S.A. vs. Al Arian, a Norwegian film in its world premiere, about a pro-Palestinian professor held for more than two years without trial.
A total of 129 films will be screened at the 11-day festival, running April 19-29 in Toronto.
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2007/03/09/moore-michael-melnyk-cp-2634110.jpg
Documentary maker Michael Moore and Debbie Melnyk are shown in a scene from Manufacturing Dissent. Manufacturing Dissent, the doc in which Toronto filmmakers Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine turn the lens on filmmaker Michael Moore, already caused buzz at the South by Southwest Festival.
Other films that may be favourites include the humorous Danish film The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun, about a stubborn old bachelor and a young Russian nun who visits his crumbling monastery and War/Dance, winner of the Sundance directing award, which looks at three Ugandan orphans who go to the finals of a dance and music contest.
Toronto filmmakers are well-represented, with Arturo Perez Torres' City Idol, which looks at regular Torontonians competing in a Canadian Idol-like contest to run in the municipal elections, Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel, which explores the gentrification of the Toronto landmark and Let's All Hate Toronto, Albert Nerenberg and Rob Spence's exploration of why Canada indulges in Toronto-bashing.
Other Canadian highlights:
* Chichester's Choice: Simonee Chichester's personal journey to find her father who abandoned her 23 years ago.
* Dark One: Darryl Miller's hallucinatory immersion into the psyche of a morphine-addicted poet.
* The Suicide Tourist: John Zaritsky's documentary about a Swiss company that offers legally assisted suicide services to people from around the world.
In addition to the Canadian Spectrum, the Hot Docs festival includes a Spotlight on Central and Eastern Europe, a Made in Brazil section and focuses on Canadian filmmaker Kevin McMahon and Dutch filmmaker Heddy Honigman.
Among the documentaries making world premieres at Hot Docs:
* Garbage Warrior: Briton Oliver Hodge's film about a visionary American architect who creates eco-friendly homes from refuse.
* Girls Rock: Americans Arne Johnson and Shane King's film about young girls at a rock-and-roll music camp.
* Wings of Defeat: Japanese filmmaker Risa Morimoto's story of the few kamikaze pilots who survived their missions.
* Orange Revolution: American filmmaker Steve York's documentary about Ukraine's
nearly stolen 2004 presidential election.
Other international films include:
* 9 Star Hotel: an Israeli film about two Palestinian friends working illegally in the occupied territories.
* The Devil Came on Horseback: A U.S. film about the American captain who first documented the ongoing genocide in Darfur.
* Echoes from Home: A Swiss-German documentary about three extraordinary Swiss yodelling artists.
* Nanking: An American film that looks at one of the Second World War's worst atrocities.
* Licu's Holiday: An Italian film about a young Bangladeshi living in Rome while preparing for his arranged marriage to a bride back home.
"Given our position on a busy festival calendar, Hot Docs offers an opinionated summary of the season's most compelling work, while introducing many remarkable new or overlooked films into the mix," Sean Farnel, Hot Docs' director of programming, said in a statement.
Filmmakers from 25 countries are expected at the festival, which includes a speaker series and industry conference.
CBC
In The Shadow of The Moon explores the story of the U.S. moon mission and talks to the handful of men who have walked on the moon.
Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary festival, opens this year with the Canadian premiere of In The Shadow of the Moon, a new U.S. documentary about the handful of men who have walked on the moon.Rich with NASA footage, director David Sington's work about a historic time when American ambitions were embraced and celebrated comes in contrast to some of the darker docs that pepper the festival.
Another side of the U.S. is shown in films such as Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Rory Kennedy's potent analysis of the abuses that occurred at the notorious Iraqi prison, and U.S.A. vs. Al Arian, a Norwegian film in its world premiere, about a pro-Palestinian professor held for more than two years without trial.
A total of 129 films will be screened at the 11-day festival, running April 19-29 in Toronto.
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2007/03/09/moore-michael-melnyk-cp-2634110.jpg
Documentary maker Michael Moore and Debbie Melnyk are shown in a scene from Manufacturing Dissent. Manufacturing Dissent, the doc in which Toronto filmmakers Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine turn the lens on filmmaker Michael Moore, already caused buzz at the South by Southwest Festival.
Other films that may be favourites include the humorous Danish film The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun, about a stubborn old bachelor and a young Russian nun who visits his crumbling monastery and War/Dance, winner of the Sundance directing award, which looks at three Ugandan orphans who go to the finals of a dance and music contest.
Toronto filmmakers are well-represented, with Arturo Perez Torres' City Idol, which looks at regular Torontonians competing in a Canadian Idol-like contest to run in the municipal elections, Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel, which explores the gentrification of the Toronto landmark and Let's All Hate Toronto, Albert Nerenberg and Rob Spence's exploration of why Canada indulges in Toronto-bashing.
Other Canadian highlights:
* Chichester's Choice: Simonee Chichester's personal journey to find her father who abandoned her 23 years ago.
* Dark One: Darryl Miller's hallucinatory immersion into the psyche of a morphine-addicted poet.
* The Suicide Tourist: John Zaritsky's documentary about a Swiss company that offers legally assisted suicide services to people from around the world.
In addition to the Canadian Spectrum, the Hot Docs festival includes a Spotlight on Central and Eastern Europe, a Made in Brazil section and focuses on Canadian filmmaker Kevin McMahon and Dutch filmmaker Heddy Honigman.
Among the documentaries making world premieres at Hot Docs:
* Garbage Warrior: Briton Oliver Hodge's film about a visionary American architect who creates eco-friendly homes from refuse.
* Girls Rock: Americans Arne Johnson and Shane King's film about young girls at a rock-and-roll music camp.
* Wings of Defeat: Japanese filmmaker Risa Morimoto's story of the few kamikaze pilots who survived their missions.
* Orange Revolution: American filmmaker Steve York's documentary about Ukraine's
nearly stolen 2004 presidential election.
Other international films include:
* 9 Star Hotel: an Israeli film about two Palestinian friends working illegally in the occupied territories.
* The Devil Came on Horseback: A U.S. film about the American captain who first documented the ongoing genocide in Darfur.
* Echoes from Home: A Swiss-German documentary about three extraordinary Swiss yodelling artists.
* Nanking: An American film that looks at one of the Second World War's worst atrocities.
* Licu's Holiday: An Italian film about a young Bangladeshi living in Rome while preparing for his arranged marriage to a bride back home.
"Given our position on a busy festival calendar, Hot Docs offers an opinionated summary of the season's most compelling work, while introducing many remarkable new or overlooked films into the mix," Sean Farnel, Hot Docs' director of programming, said in a statement.
Filmmakers from 25 countries are expected at the festival, which includes a speaker series and industry conference.
CBC