When you’re a documentary lover fully immersed in film-going at Hot Docs, your soul can sometimes get a little squashed. If you’re taking in a lot of pretty heavy material during the festival, it’s helpful to also scope out some more lighthearted counterprogramming to give your heart and mind a bit of a breather between crying headaches.
This year, many of those lighter-fare, more cheerful docs seems to reside in the shorts programs. So, here are six fun-sounding short films (well, five shorts and one mid-length doc) we’re super-excited to see… and which we’re hoping will serve as our refreshing emotional palate cleansers during the fest:
Dear Ani
What happens when creativity and psychosis meet… fan mail? We want to know! Plus, this doc seems to answer to the question many a child of the ‘90s might have: whatever happened to singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco?
Friday Night Blind
Fun, frivolity and friendship are a’foot for a trio of visually impaired women playing in a Milwaukee bowling league.
Savi the Cat
It’s about a cat. ‘Nuff said.
Sisterhood Softball
I’m pretty sure this doc — about the first all-female Muslim softball league in North America — will be packed with stories that could work really well as a feature. For now, I look forward to the short!
Undertaker for Life!
Fun fact: since I began covering the fest 16 years (!) ago, I have yet to be disappointed by any Hot Docs film whose title ends in an exclamation point. So, I have high hopes for this film (technically a mid-length doc) about morticians.
We Ride
If it’s a doc about women who rock, I’m always in. Unsurprisingly, this look at women bikers — and their custom rides — has my name all over it.
For tickets, passes, info and more, visit the official Hot Docs website!
