HotDocs in Toronto is the most important documentary film festival in North America (IDFA in Amsterdam is the European equivalent).
Eleven days and thousands of people, over 170 films in the cinemas, more than double that at the online DocShop, a major pitching forum, many seminars and more than enough social events. It sounds overwhelming, but actually being there it felt friendly, manageable, and most of all interesting and inspiring, both on and off screen.
The variety of documentaries at HotDocs is enormous, from the opening film Babies (France) – 80mins chronicling four of the world’s newest inhabitants, with no commentary - to Disorder (China) – a disturbing experimental film about the underside of rapid urbanization - and The Inventions of Dr Nakamats (Denmark) – about the inventor, holder of 3300 patents and quirkiness of a man who fully intends to live until he is 144.
The first four or five days of the festival are quieter, time to dedicate to watching films and holding longer meetings. My cinema experiences included Bhutto (USA) - a major project portraying Benazir Bhutto’s life, death and politics - and Devil Operations (Canada, Peru) about a US mining company that resorts to shocking tactics including murder and torture to intimidate the local Peruvians. In the DocShop I must have seen over 30 films, some gripping enough to sit back and savour, others given pretty short shift as they failed to impress. My favourites included Mercedes Sosa Cantores (Argentina), Disorder (China), Congo in Four Acts (DR Congo and S Africa) and Addicted in Afghanistan (Afghanistan). Other good films to look out for are Citizen Boilesen (Brazil), Budrus (USA, Palestine, Israel), The Peddler (Argentina), My Life with Carlos (Chile, Spain, Germany), Secrets of the Tribe (UK, Brazil) ad of course Wasteland (Brazil)… the list could go on. Hopefully several of these will come to Film Fra Sør – there are undoubtedly many to follow up on.
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