#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: A New Kind of Wilderness (Best of Hot Docs 24)

On a small farm in a Norwegian forest, the Paynes live off the land, aiming to be wild and free. Maria and Nik, along with their four children Ulv, Falk, Freja, and Ronja are self-sufficient. They practice home-schooling and strive for a closely-knit family dynamic in harmony with nature. However, when tragedy unexpectedly strikes the family, it upends their idyllic world and forces them to forge a new path into modern society.

 In A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS, filmmaker Silje Evensmo Jacobsen captures an intimate and soulful portrait of love, life, and growing up. The Paynes’ journey, their triumphs and struggles, invite reflection on our own life choices, our responsibility to the planet and our children, and how we navigate life after loss.

Review:

Losing a parent is one of the most de-stabilizing experiences one encounters in their lifetime. Within the backdrop of a gorgeous farm and serene countryside, grief breathes in the heart, minds, and bodies of the Payne family. A father with the strength of an ox weaves in care and compassion into every moment with his children. Yet there is a blank space in every room and moment. A space once filled with maternal love that cannot be erased over night. As a result of the loss of a parent, even more loss follows. The nourishing and wholesome home environment begins to transform itself almost overnight. By doing so, it encourages growth, new beginnings, and moments of acceptance. This film is riveting and well worth sticking with. One of the best films of Hot Docs 2024!

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#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: Fragments of a Life Loved (Best of Hot Docs 2024)

Over the course of our lives, we fall in love with the most diverse people.

Teenage crush, physical passion, long-distance relationship, profound bond: every story is different, every experience unique.  Since she was 16 years old, between Paris and Rome, Chloé Barreau has filmed her lovers. 

While in a relationship, she was already creating the memory of it, writing letters, snapping photos, obsessively filming…

But every story has two points of view. What about her exes? What do they remember?

Fragments Of A Life Loved reconstructs the life of a woman, the director, based solely on the interviews of the people who loved her: Sébastien, Jeanne, Laurent, Ariane, Rebecca, Anne, Jean-Philippe, Anna, Bianca, Marina, Marco, Caroline…

Intimate first-hand accounts, mixed with private found footage… an astonishing trip down memory lane, for helpless romantics.

Review:

“Can we prevent someone from having memories of us?”

Fragments Of A Life Loved should be the documentary that plays after Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunset” Trilogy. It is a true and meaningful account of love found, love lost, the in between’s and a reflection of one’s lifetime of love stories. It is a delicate documentary which will open up a memory box of imagery that has been left behind, neglected, filled with hurt, a hopeful second chance, and glossed over film. “Even if I’m sorry that we are not dating anymore, I’m happy we are still friends. I think of you a lot”, one subject notes in a weathered letter to a highschool 90’s lover. The viewer may see themselves embedded within the film and wonder when that part of them disappeared. Are they still inside of them? Is it possible to address what happened in that love story from the past? Is it worth connecting with that loved one to make things right? One of Hot Docs 2024’s best views.

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#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: XIXI

In my last summer in Europe after studies, I befriended XiXi, a Chinese improvisation artist. For a time, we were free from the ideologies we grew up in. Over years of correspondence between Europe and Asia, our friendship that was a window to freedom, evolved into a room where what was silenced found its voice, forcing us to face the vulnerability that comes with the autonomy we realize we have always possessed. Through video diaries, moments from our everyday lives, the film makes a sincere attempt to unearth generational wounds, and challenge inherited beliefs, creating a space for dialogue on the political questions of society’s acceptable values and how all these affect the innermost part of a person’s life.

Review:

“What kind of woman am I?”

A touching portrait of XiXi, as she explores her identity through creative mediums whilst also living her life with a child like freedom. The viewer explores periods of time from the beginning of XiXi’s relationship with a romantic partner, giving birth to her daughter and her bohemian like journey between China and France. Video diaries explore beautiful snapshots embedded in lullabies, painted manuscripts in Berlin forest landscapes, wading in water, dancing in the moonlight, hitchhiking without money in Marseille, Geneva, Barcelona, Brussels, Amsterdam and Prague. These moments are worksheets within Xixi’s personal growth portfolio. The adventures come at a cost. The viewer bears witness to a fracturing relationship with her child as she tackles the world. A documentary which inspires moments of reflection and a deep compassion for Xixi.

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#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: The Bones

“The Bones” traverses the globe alongside paleontologists on a quest to unearth dinosaur fossils that may hold the key to save humanity from extinction. It’s a race against time before the bones disappear into the hands of fossil dealers, who stand to make millions by selling them on the open market. A cinematic adventure that reaches from the Mongolian Gobi Desert to the floor of a Paris auction house, “The Bones” exposes the clash between science, post-colonial reckoning, and hard-nosed capitalism

 Review:

“Fossils, bear witness to the history of life and evolution.”

The dinosaur bones found in Mongolia are of the most beautiful condition. When found their condition is illustrates an artifact that is pristine. The film takes the viewer to Mongolia, France, and to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada to bear witness to stolen dinosaur bones and the ghost like hands that linger upon them. The viewer re-considers the dinosaur’s artifacts that greet them in their favourite museums. What is their true story? How did they get here? Are they a fake skeleton? An interesting touch point discussed reflects on the point of view of collectors, paleontologists, and dinosaur bones punters – all with a hand in poached dinosaur bones. A fascinating view on the legal aspects of selling fossils is explored.

www.hotdocs.ca

#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: So This Is Christmas

It’s the most magical time of the year – under the magnifying glass that is the holiday season, joy and pain lie close together. While a small Irish town prepares for a fast approaching Christmas, some struggle with the stress and expectation that comes with it. Shot on 35mm, Ken Wardrop creates a different kind of holiday movie with compassion, Irish humour and a lot of heart. 

Review:

“My mom has been gone for ten years. Christmas was everything to her. Even in our thirties we would get a Selection box and a stocking at our bed. And me Dad in his 80s would be putting lights on the trees in the garden.”

A wonderful ethnographic documentary which provides a respite from the heaviness of the festival hum. So This Is Christmas invites the viewer into the toasty homes of Irish folks. Religious artifacts adorn dusty walls, vintage holiday ornaments dangle on fake trees by the front window with the hint of memories of Christmases past in the air. Subjects speak of their solitude at Christmas, others with children wish they could financially do more, some speak of how the holiday brings grief, a quieter voice whispers about the triggers related to the eating of a holiday meal, and others speak of the loss of loved ones. Loneliness is one thing – but being invisible and forgotten is something else, a subject says in their quiet home whilst eating a ham sandwich by their fireplace. The portraiture of an Irish way of life is woven into the narrative. The simplicity and love for an Irish way of knowing, being, and doing is alive and well as Christmas hymns echo in the background.

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#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: Lost in the Shuffle & Red Fever

Lost in the Shuffle

In the hands of a skilled magician, a simple, everyday deck of cards transforms into a vessel of wonder and (im)possibility, so it’s little surprise that for almost as long as there have been cards, there have been card tricks.

Seen through the eyes of some of the world’s best sleight-of-hand artists, Lost in the Shuffle is a multi-faceted look at this remarkable 400-year relationship that’s seen these simple playthings provide an endless source of miraculous inspiration for magicians throughout time

Review:

A sleeper hit with a whole lot of heart! Lost in the Shuffle will provide you with a wonderful snapshot of the history a deck of cards, the symbolism behind the art work, and card play as currency. A fun game one would play as kids – is worth a revisit as an adult with friends and family. The beauty of the card paper that you hold in your hands reveals a deep history worth reflecting on in meditative moments.

www.hotdocs.ca

Red Fever

Red Feveris a witty and entertaining feature documentary about the profound — yet hidden — Indigenous influence on Western culture and identity.

The film follows Cree co-director Neil Diamond as he asks, “Why do they love us so much?” and sets out on a journey to find out why the world is so fascinated with the stereotypical imagery of Native people that is all over pop culture.

Why have Indigenous cultures been revered, romanticized, and appropriated for so long, and to this day? Red Fever uncovers the surprising truths behind the imagery — so buried in history that even most Native people don’t know about them.

Review:

One of the best kept secrets of Hot Docs 2024. A beautiful portrait of Neil Diamond a Cree Indian from Quebec. Neil takes us on a journey into cultural appropriation that is woven into American politics, sport and fashion. A touch point worth considering is that American politics, sport and fashion is very much connected to Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. A highlight is being taken to Igloolik to first hand where the first parka was made! The breath Indigenous storytelling embedded within the documentary makes this film a must see!

http://www.hotdocs.ca

#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: A French Youth

Not far from France’s famed bullfighting arenas are stadiums along the Mediterranean coast where young men are pitted against fierce bulls in the traditional sport of the Camargue race. Rather than harm the beasts, these men elude being trampled through sheer athleticism while attempting to grab a ribbon from between the bulls’ horns before another competitor does. It’s not a sport for the faint of heart, and young North African immigrants risk everything to take their place in the ring and gain a foothold in French society. The stakes are very real for Jawad, who must overcome a serious injury to compete again, and for Belka, who is following in his father’s footsteps and seeking his own path to glory. Director Jérémie Battaglia immerses us in the rituals and routines of this little-known tradition that is both poetic and heart-stopping, drawing subtle parallels between the challenges of fighting for survival in the ring and overcoming racism outside it.

Review:

“The first time a bull enters the ring, you test it, to see if it’s a crazy one. It’s like when we are young. We are crazy and so is the bull.”

The discipline of a raseteur is that of a ballet dancer in the bull ring. Indeed a beautiful sport, but for the subjects the viewer observes them alluding vicious bulls with only steps before their bodies hit the boards. Think of a Swan Lake with the same amount of drive, artistry and love for the art. The film is like a poem where the brushstrokes demonstrate the journey of subjects Jawad and Belka. “He creates danger, strikes fear into the hearts of the raseteurs.” A French Youth illustrates how the subject’s holds space as North Africans in French culture while strengthening their ancestral line, sense of family, and the infusion of cultural humility inside and outside the Camargue bull fighting ring.

www.hotdocs.ca

#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: The National Film Board of Canada Hot Picks (Best of Hot Docs 2024)

The National Film Board of Canada brings only the best gems to Hot Docs 2024. Make time to watch each of their offerings over the festival season. Must see’s include: 7 Beats Per Minute, A Mother Apart, AM I THE SKINNIEST PERSON YOU’VE EVER SEEN?, and Seguridad.

AM I THE SKINNIEST PERSON YOU’VE EVER SEEN?

WARNING: This film contains imagery of anorexia and eating disorders that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. “Hey, let’s go on a diet together.” As kids in a small Quebec town, Eisha and Seema were more than sisters, they were soul mates, and a joint diet offered a shared sense of purpose. But their carefree project would take a dark turn, pushing Eisha to the very brink of death. Consumed by anorexia, she found herself battling her own fragile body—stranded between childhood and adulthood. Decades later, she revisits her past in an exquisitely crafted work of auto-ethnography, evoking her unusual youth with aching lyricism. In addressing a tender love letter to the troubled girl she once was, she reaches contemporary audiences with a timely reflection on body image and self-acceptance.

Review:

“Yes I am too skinny, but what does it matter?”

Weaving in threads of Alice in Wonderland and the theme of holding onto one’s youthful body is a common theme with our youth. In Eisha’s case, the viewer witnesses her experiencing the tug of war between Indian culture and the assimilation into Canadian culture as one knotted thread of many. AM I THE SKINNIEST PERSON YOU’VE EVER SEEN? illustrates a narrative often missed in the media representation of youth with eating disorders discourse – that is a youth of colour’s relationship with an eating disorder and how it affects their life and lives of their loved ones. The portraiture that is framed within the film paints moments of time in a childhood filled with new beginnings, photographic smiles which eventually disappear, maintaining one’s ancestral roots while also embracing Jordache jeans, fashion magazines, and nods to Canadiana in the 80’s. The viewer breathes in Eisha’s parents issues with homesickness, adjustment into Canadian culture and racism at the hands of institutional systems which she absorbed as a growing teen. The residue of these issues impacted young Eisha, only to support a friendship with an eating disorder to bloom. A beautifully crafted film which speaks to advocacy for one’s self, overcoming adversity, and the importance of family when coping with mental issues as a youth.

Check out!:

7 Beats Per Minute

During a world-record attempt, free diving champion Jessea Lu blacked out and was lifeless for four minutes. Director Yuqi Kang’s documentary captures the descent of a lifetime, when Jesse returns to the site of her near-death experience to face the traumas of her past and find a way back to connection.

A Mother Apart

An emotionally sweeping tale of healing and forgiveness, A Mother Apart accompanies powerhouse Jamaican-American poet and LGBTQ+ activist Staceyann Chin as she re-imagines the essential art of mothering—having been abandoned by her own mother.

Seguridad

In Seguridad, Cuba’s “youngest soldier” uncovers a family secret that compels her to explore her father’s troubled past and its connection to the Cuban Revolution.

http://www.hotdocs.ca

#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: Fishing with Timbó

An eye-opening he said/she said perspective on timbó fishing, a traditional practice of the Indigenous Yanomami people that involves the entire community and a vine used to stun fish, seamlessly blends preservation documentary, origin myth, magic realism and the reality of mining and economic threats to Yanomami culture in this formally inventive reclamation.

Review:

“Now days we are very worried, since our land has been invaded by white people who spoil our forest. The invasion of illegal mining destroys our forest; it brings disease, violence and death to our people. We, the Yanomami people, want to live healthfully in a good forest.”

This film albeit 10 minutes in length provides a beautiful but painful reminder of colonialism, capitalism, and the disrupting of traditional and ancestral lands for profit. The viewer is taken into the deep forest of Brazil where the traditional life of Indigenous Yanomami people is observed from a lens of respect and reverence. A beautiful gem of a documentary filled with activism, love, and respect for those individuals and their ancestors who yearn to maintain a way of life that is steeped in spirituality, love for the land, and one another.

www.hotdocs.ca

#HotDocs24 @hotdocs: Marching In the Dark

“Marching in the Dark is a poignant film set against the backdrop of farmer suicides in India. The story revolves around Sanjivani, a young widow who discovers strength, joy and companionship among a group of resilient women who have experienced the same loss of a partner. Through peer-to-peer sessions with a local psychologist, Sanjivani finds the courage to confront her grief, challenge social taboos, and strive for financial independence and a brighter future for her children. As she navigates deeply patriarchal Indian society, the film explores themes of resilience, healing and the power of community. Despite facing new tragedies within her community, Sanjivani’s determination does not waver as she finds solace in helping other women farmers and addressing her own grief. Marching in the Dark offers a compelling portrayal of personal growth, empowerment and the strength found in collective support.” – Hot Docs Winner Special Jury Mention, CPH:DOX – Human:Rights Award

Review:

“If we stand strong, our children will stand strong”.

One of the most beautifully filmed documentaries you will see during Hot Docs 2024. The humanity the viewer see’s in the eyes of the families left behind by suicide is similar to that of Western families. The ache is palatable. Yet – there is something more there. A quiet resiliency, where grief must take a back seat to survival.

http://www.hotdocs.ca