With so many film festivals changing their programming from in-person to virtual, it can make it difficult for viewers to access and be exposed to vibrant upcoming and established short filmmakers simply through word-of-mouth recommendations. I had the pleasure of being connected to filmmaker Tanmay Singh about her recent award winning film I am Vrinda, […]
If you need to be reminded about how toxic masculinity can be used as a business model, then the documentary The Pickup Game should be essential viewing. Or if you are simply fascinated by human behavior, and how mating has been influenced by social media than this piece is also for you. Sibling filmmakers Matthew […]
One aspect of the documentary films I’ve seen this year at Hot Docs and Inside Out Festival, is the use of musical score to add drive and liveliness to the overall storytelling. While feature films are turning to cheaper synth style music for their scores, there are a few documentary films that manage to use […]
The Guardians is an alarming new documentary from Toronto director-journalist Billie Mintz about the American public and private guardianship scam which captures unsuspecting elderly out of their home by court order. At first it seems implausible, but Mintz carefully investigates this ongoing issue in the region where this scam started: Clark County, Nevada a suburb […]
Toronto’s HotDocs Festival is in full swing, and if you are craving a spectacular nature documentary look no further than Grant Baldwin’s love letter to British Columbia, This Mountain Life. Baldwin follows several subjects lust for adventure, solitude or inner peace. He travels alongside a mother and daughter team, Martina and Tania as they take […]
For a year I anticipated the release of my friend Andrea Werhun’s memoir Modern Whore, about her experience working as a sex worker in a Toronto escort service. I was excited because I knew my friend as a particularly hilarious performer so I was sure her book would explore a humorous and complex approach to […]
This year marks the 150 Centennial of the colonial founding of Canada and if you are like me, this year you may feel very uneasy about celebrating the occupation of Indigenous lands. Thankfully, a new commission series of short documentaries appearing now at HotDocs till July 18th is the right fix for your social justice […]
This year marks the first year of the Syracuse Contemporary Irish Film Festival, and closing out the festival is a charming and moving film by Alex Fegan called, Older than Ireland. In 2016, Ireland celebrated their 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, which led to Irish independence from Great Britain. To commemorate the occasion, […]
Being a producer is tough. I know this from my experience self-producing my solo shows across the fringe theatre festival circuit in Canada. It’s a grind, it’s necessary for your show to succeed and it’s not entirely rewarding. The only pay off is the witnessing the show actually happen or the project completed, but most […]
This year’s International HotDocs Festival in Toronto, is made up of eclectic array of documentaries divided into different categories. Part of the collection this year is an emphasis on the Asian perspective with docs like Tokyo Idols, Still Tomorrow and Ramen Heads. Other documentaries explore niche subcultures in society like, Mermaids and Shiners. However the […]
Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada, however it’s nearly impossible for people to buy property due to the high housing prices. Charles Wilkinson’s documentary Vancouver: No Fixed Address examines the many reasons why buying property in Vancouver is so difficult. Whether it is offshore buyers moving in or lack of regulations […]