Feature documentaries may get the bulk of the attention at Hot Docs, but documentary shorts are often some of the best and most memorable of every fest, due largely to their often uncannily brilliant ability to tell compelling stories under much tighter time constraints. This year’s festival is offering up a robust crop of short docs, and these seven are at the top of my to-see list!
Bloody Mess
Maybe it’s because I’m a woman of a certain age, or maybe it’s because perimenopause and menopause have become trending topics across mainstream media in recent years — whatever the reason, I’m looking forward to this cheeky animated exploration of midlife menstruation run amok.
Delta Dawn
Discovering the stories of trailblazing women is one of my fave things about the films I see at Hot Docs, so this profile of Canadian First Nations pro wrestler Dawn “Princess Delta Dawn” Murphy as she reflects on her heyday in the 1980s and 1990s immediately landed on my roster.
Into the Dark
I love nature docs. I love contemplative docs. This short about one man’s quest to capture the perfect photo of fireflies seems like it’ll tick both those boxes.
It’s Different for Girls
Condoms, schmondoms! This short explores the scientific and medical advances in creating a new pharmaceutical birth control for men, the pushback from Big Pharma, and the potential societal repercussions of this groundbreaking innovation.
Mother of Chooks
Sometimes, I choose to see a doc based solely on its title. Sometimes, because of its program-book photo. Other times, it’s the subject matter. This film about one woman’s passion for raising chickens won me over in all three ways, and I have a sneaking suspicion it may wind up being one of my fave fest films this year.
Plongeurs
I can’t resist documentaries about extreme sports, so this look at cliff-diving teens from poor neighborhoods in Marseille, France, has my name all over it.
A View from Home
Something about the charming trailer for this Toronto-set doc — which features footage of the goings-on at a local park through the seasons. set to voiceovers of the director’s phonecalls to relatives in China — immediately struck a chord. It drew me in, and I hope the film does the same!
Click here for the full lineup of films screening at the fest!
And click here to snag your tickets!
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