Hot Docs Launches With Babies And Bands
Posted March 23, 2010 12:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Though I’m early, the lobby of the Gardiner Museum is already echoing with the din coming from above.
The Hot Docs press conference will be starting at Jamie Kennedy’s restaurant in just a few moments and the place is already buzzing.
The caffeine- and pastry-fuelled conversations range from which station are your from to what film did you direct to how can I get an interview.
Finally, a man who looks like a former hockey player in crisp blue and white shirt takes the podium.
Chris McDonald, executive director of Hot Docs, is ready to talk about the 17th annual festival. This year, it runs from April 39 to May 9. About 140,000 people are expected to attend.
There will be 166 films, whittled down from 2088 submissions. Twenty of those will be world premiers, and another 48 will have their Canadian premier.
It’s the Canadian debut for Babies (pictured), a film that follows the lives of four infants from around the world. The documentary, directed by Thomas Balmès, will open the festival at the Winter Garden Theatre.
Opening night continues at the Winter Garden with RUSH: Beyond The Lighted Stage. Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, the film chronicles the band’s 40-year career.
McDonald was also quick to praise the outdoor rooftop screenings, which came as a surprise to director of programming Sean Farnel.
“I should have paid more attention at the meetings! I had no idea we were showing films outside,” he said with a laugh.
Farnel was also thankful for the amount of support that Hot Docs has garnered over the years.
“From public and private funding to media, to our famously fantastical film festival audience, the community support has been amazing,” he said.
“I love movies, all types of movies, but I’ve watched more than 300 documentaries a year for the past ten years and they consistently defy my expectations,” added Farnel.
Tickets are available online and at the Hazelton Lanes Box Office.
Hot Docs 2009
CityNews.ca was there last year. Here’s a look back at the films we saw:
Prom Night In Mississippi
Broke
Action Boys
Shadow Billionaire
Forgetting Dad
Black Wave: The Legacy Of Exxon Valdez
Professor Norman Cornett
Bitch Academy
Intangible Asset No. 82
Act Of God Explores The Metaphysical Effects Of Being Struck By Lightning
Ganesh: Boy Wonder
Experimental Eskimos
Invisible City
A Hard Name
Pockets
The Real Place
Alwyn
Interview: ‘Zombie Girl: The Movie’ Co-Director
Interview: How Troll 2 Became The Best Worst Movie
Interview: Winnebago Man Director Tracks Down The World’s Angriest RV Salesman
Interview: Orgasm, Inc. Director Liz Canner Talks Sex, Drugs, And The Cure For What Ails You
Interview: Director James Toback Takes A Swing At Tyson
