Wait. WHAT? Hot Docs has already announced its prize winners for this year’s fest. With two days of screenings left! Again, I ask, how can the audience award be decided already when there are still do…
Today was my final day at Hot Docs 2013, and I’m pleased to report that it ended on a high note. It’s always nice when your final screening is a good one, and equally nice when you’re seeing it while …
Today’s Hot Docs query: the crowd-funding of the Audience Award. I understand the point of the program – namely, to boost the dollar figure given to the winning filmmaker, and to spread some of that w…
It was a sunny, warm, film-filled day!
First up was Menstrual Man (7/8), which surprised me (in a good way) before it even began – the screening (10:30am at the ROM on a Wednesday) was PACKED! To be h…
Let me begin with a quick open letter to the Scotiabank Theatre: Perhaps, in future, it would be nice if you would notify filmgoers that your water has been shut off – and, thus, all of the washrooms …
Today was interesting. Films that I thought would be awesome were meh, films that I chose just because they fit into gaps in my schedule turned out to be quite good, and the best film I saw all day wa…
Sometimes, the fest doles out harsh realities to its filmgoers on screen. And, sometimes, it happens at the box office. Such was the case today for my mom, who wanted to join me for my 4pm screening b…
Two days into the festival and I am reminded again why I love Hot Docs so much – the films, the people, the conversation, the camaraderie and the energy. Every venue is literally buzzing! Speaking of …
First day of official Hot Docs film-going and I am hobbled by a foot injury! Good times. The doctor says I need to take it easy for a couple of days, so I’ll be heading to fewer screenings over the we…
With the potentially rich and colorful backdrop of New York City’s gay scene in the late-1960s through the ‘70s, I thought Continental (4/8) was going to be a lot more interesting a film experience th…
One of the perils of seeing a large volume of films at Hot Docs is the inevitable emotional exhaustion that can set in, especially if you find yourself seeing one sad story after another. Garden of Ed…
Once in a while, you stumble upon a seemingly simple documentary that surprises you with its quiet strength and unexpected depths. For me, We Always Lie to Strangers (8/8) is one such film, and I was …
