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Apr.24
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Hot Docs 2012

Posted by in Art Threat, Doc Side, Festivals

This article was originally published on Art Threat. The 19th edition of North America’s largest documentary showcase and one of the world’s largest film festivals begins this week, running from April 26 to May 6 in Toronto. With Charlotte Cook replacing Sean Farnel as head programmer, new directions (fewer films, more focus is the official line), new initiatives (Hot Docs’s very own Kickstarter, Doc Ignite), new sponsors (Nescafé, Dundee Wealth and Sun Life Financial, to name a few of the more spurious corporate inductees) and a gorgeously renovated, and reinvigorated, venue…read more

Courage, candour and inspiration

Posted by in Doc Side

At the end of Steve James’s new masterpiece documentary three words are employed to thank the film’s characters—those who gave incredible, intimate access to their lives and work—for their “courage, candour and inspiration.” These are indeed fitting words for some of the bravest, most committed and selfless heroes ever to be shown on the screen. The film is The Interrupters and the heroes are the interrupters themselves – the courageous individuals in Chicago who interrupt cycles of violence in mostly black and latino youth circles. This documentary is nothing short…read more

May.11
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POV Magazine – Special issue on education

Posted by in Doc Side

It’s a busy month already: a book about to be launched in a few weeks (see last post), finishing up my Second PhD comprehensive exam (hopefully, fingers and discursive tentacles crossed), and the new POV Magazine is out with an article I wrote on documentary as a tool for education. The cover is pictured at the left so you can spot it on the newsstands – it comes out this week across Canada. If you can’t find it in the meat world, you can go to the virtual source and…read more

Feb.04
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Bond ubiquity and the compliance of the “alternative press”

Posted by in Broadsides

On November 19th I began writing a review of the brilliant documentary No More Smoke Signals (pictured) for Art Threat. We had just had a fabulous screening of the film, with the director present, at Cinema Politica here in Montreal, and I was (and continue to be) frustrated at the compliance of so-called “alternative” arts and culture publications in the 24-7 promotion of mainstream cinema crapola. The Bond film was everywhere, and actually, a peruse through our neighbourhood magazine shop yesterday has revealed that this Bond BS is STILL permeating…read more

Nov.30
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