Hot Docs 2009 Review: Ganesh: Boy Wonder, Experimental Eskimos, Invisible City

Title: Ganesh, Boy Wonder
Director: Srinivas Krishna

One of the most arresting images in Ganesh, Boy Wonder – and there are many – is that of terrified father Krishna standing in a hospital in Hyderabad, India wearing a shirt with “Canada” emblazoned across the chest.

Krishna sells milk door to door and yogurt from a stand but it’s not enough to provide for his wife Jayamma and their three children. Times have become especially more difficult since the birth of their second child and only son, Ganesh.

Before Ganesh was born, his parents prayed to his namesake, the Lord of Obstacles. In a horrible irony, the newborn Ganesh resembles the elephant god. A growth on his face obscures most of his nose and has pushed his eyes outward. Doctors could do nothing for the poor family and by the time Ganesh is six years old, his face is disfigured. He has trouble seeing and cannot go to school unaccompanied. Still, he is determined to become a doctor and Jayamma insists he learn English.

The brother of a local reporter spots Ganesh and things begin to change for the family. Soon, his face gains worldwide attention – including that of a plastic surgeon in Sarnia, Ontario. The government becomes interested in funding the surgery, as does hugely successful film producer Ramoji Rao.

The operation is 12 hours and the camera spares nothing, leaving little to the imagination. But the family’s woes are not over when Ganesh is finally allowed to come home.

Title: Experimental Eskimos
Director: Barry Greenwald

In the early 1960s, the federal government in Ottawa decided that young Inuit men might benefit from schooling in the capital city. But they weren’t sure, so they started small.

Three 12-year-old boys were taken from their families and sent to high school in Ontario. They were selected based on their performance in IQ tests and all of them had learned English on their own. According to the trio – Peter Ittinuar, Zebedee Nungak and Eric Tagoona Hanna – they weren’t asked to go, they were told. And they didn’t find out for decades that it was a social experiment.

They meet up many years later to discuss with director Barry Greenwald whether the endeavour was a success.

All three went to university and became politically active. Ittinuar was the first Inuit MP. In his maiden speech in 1979, he made the case for Nunavut. Twenty years later, the territory came into existence.  Nungak and Hanna were also political activists. There is amazing archive footage of the men on Parliament Hill, speaking with then-Minsiter of Affairs and Northern Development Jean Chrétien, and traveling to England.

But their success came at the cost of their roots. After just one year away, Hanna notes, he had lost his language so completely he was unable to speak with his parents. Nungak explains that at the time he was sent away, his main ambition was to become a good hunter and own his own dog team.  Ittinuar is kicked out of the Liberal party. The three struggled with addiction, and only two of them seem to have overcome the battle.

Title: Invisible City
Director: Hubert Davis

Welcome to Regent Park, where the sun never shines – at least according to filmmaker Hubert Davis. His version of the community is constantly overcast and mist seems to hang over every frame.

Invisible City follows Kendell and Mikey as they progress through high school. There isn’t a place for secondary education in the 70-acre community, and both boys attend more than one school in their quest to escape a life that beckons from every street corner.

Canada’s first ‘block,’ as both the opening title cards and the song played over the closing credits remind the viewer, are currently being torn down. One of the first – of many – title cards describes the rebuilding as a “revitalization,” quotation marks the filmmaker’s own.

When the documentary begins, Mikey already has a criminal record and Kendell is facing a judge after a hall monitor accused him of throwing a juice bottle at her.  Kendell has basketball to bring him to a more affluent high school (Eastern), while Mikey sticks closer to home.

Neither one of the boys sees their father much.

But they do see Ainsworth Morgan. Morgan taught both Mikey and Kendell in elementary school. He grew up in and then made it out of Regent Park, but returned to help other boys do the same. He now works for Pathways To Education, mentoring young people in the community. Morgan ends every chat with, “but I still love you.” But that might not be enough for Kendell and Mikey.

Additional screenings have been added for this homegrown film. 

Hot Docs 2009 runs from April 30 – May 10. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.hotdocs.ca.

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