2018/19 HIGHLIGHTS Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2018/19 HIGHLIGHTS Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2 “Hot Docs continues to flex its muscles as one of the most significant cultural events in Canada...” POV Magazine 2018/19 Highlights 3 Our Mission Our mission is to advance and present the art of documentary, and to facilitate production, financing and distribution opportunities for documentary makers. Our Vision The organization showcases Canadian and international documentaries to the public, provides educational opportunities for youth, and delivers conference, market and networking opportunities to documentary professionals through the presentation of an annual festival and year-round activities. Hot Docs endeavours to provide the highest quality programs and services to its constituents, and strives to earn an international reputation for excellence. Each presentation confirms our fervent belief that documentary is a vibrant medium for capturing and enriching the critical discourse of our times. In the context of audio-visual culture, documentary is a preeminent form for social engagement and cohesion. Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 4 BOARD OF DIRECTORS HOT DOCS FOUNDATION (U.S.A.), INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lalita Krishna | In Sync Media Co-Chair Vijay Vaidyanathan Lorraine D. Bell Robin Mirsky President Treasurer Secretary Robin Mirsky | Rogers Documentary Fund Co-Chair Barry Avrich | BT/A HOT DOCS TED ROGERS CINEMA ADVISORY BOARD Ric Esther Bienstock | Good Soup Productions Inc. Beth Burgess* | The Andy and Beth Burgess Foundation Avis Sokol Peter Goring Chair Jean-Simon Chartier | MC2 Communication Media Jake Hirsch-Allen Randy Baker Isabelle Couture | Catbird Productions Judy Holm Libby Bandeen Laura Curtis Ferrera | Scotiabank Vahan Kololian Isme Bennie Nicholas de Pencier | Mercury Films Ron Koperdraad Deborah Bernstein Jennifer Dettman | CBC Julie Kumaria Suzanne DePoe Cari Green | Green & Associates Elina Lawrie Charmain Emerson Scott Henderson | Bell Media Maureen O’Donnell Michael Firestone Kevin Johnson | MediaCom Canada Al Scornaienchi Karen Gordon Melissa Lantsman | Hill + Knowlton Strategies Sadia Zaman Lydia Luckevich** | Pemberley Investments Ltd. Teresa Maclnnes | Sea to Sea Productions Ltd. HD30 COMMITTEE Nadine Pequeneza | HitPlay Productions Susan Caskey Molline Green Ram Raju | Kivuto Solutions Co-Chair Janet Heisey Baljit Sangra | Viva Mantra Films Jan Innes Nancy Kennedy Neil Tabatznik** | Blue Ice Pictures, Co-Chair A Blue Ice Group Capital Company Lalita Krishna Barry Avrich Kevin Wong* | Nulogy Corporation Lydia Luckevich Tamara Bahry Michael McMahon * Hot Docs ** Hot Docs Industry Ian Bandeen Robin Mirsky Libby Bandeen Liza Murrell Board Finance Committee Members Colette Barber Florence Narine Ian Bandeen Stacey Barish Julie Osborne Michael Harris Beth Burgess Wendy Pitblado Vincenza Sera Angela Colterjohn Michina Pope Chris Donald Arlene O’Neill | Counsel Susan Watt Hue Foo Paul Jay | Founding Chair Hot Docs was established in 1993 as an initiative of the Documentary Organization of Canada/Documentaristes du Canada, and was separately incorporated as an independent charitable organization in 1996. 2018/19 Highlights 5 A Message from the Hot Docs leadership We’re living in a remarkable time for documentary cinema, unlike any other that has come before. As last year’s flood of documentary blockbusters attests, in these uncertain times of polarizing rhetoric and slippery facts, the public’s appetite for non-fiction is enormous. Filmmakers are responding with inspiring reflections on our world that remind us of the Lalita Krishna core values we must rely on as we engage with this new reality. At our Festival and Co-Chair, Board of Directors year-round at our Cinema, record audiences devoured true-life stories that advocated for justice, equality and empathy more urgently than ever. But this is only part of the story. What makes these times especially remarkable is the diversity of voices and stories that are breaking through and captivating audiences. Hot Docs is proud to play its part in supporting opportunities for these emerging voices that are all too often marginalized. Independent filmmakers still face many headwinds when seeking financing and distribution for their films. This year, we were particularly proud to provide filmmakers with access Robin Mirsky to robust new funding initiatives, workshops in communities across the country and Co-Chair, Board of Directors professional development fellowships. With the support of our partners, we’re investing in Canada’s next generation of filmmakers and ensuring they reflect its vibrant diversity. We’re committed to showcasing these perspectives from home and around the world for our audiences. This headline from The Globe and Mail says it all: Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival doubles down on gender parity and diversity with 2019 lineup. Of course we doubled down. It’s a sure bet. Ask any documentary lover and they will tell you that it is through these lenses that we often find the most memorable people, compelling stories and revealing truths. Brett Hendrie Executive Director Chris McDonald President Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 6 This year Hot Docs… Exiled artist, activist and humanitarian Ai Weiwei brought his raised latest film, The Rest, to Hot Docs, moving audiences with his outspoken urgent plea for compassion and understanding for the ongoing plight of refugees and his dedication to advocacy through his art. voices. More Hot Docs Festival highlights on page 10. cultivated record-breaking audiences. Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema welcomed record audiences over 255,000—including close to 10,000 members—all attracted to its dynamic program of outstanding documentary films and series, special events, speaker series, podcast presentations and more. More Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema highlights on page 14. 2018/19 Highlights 7 enriched young minds. Willie O’Ree, Hockey Hall of Famer and the first player to break the NHL’s colour barrier, spoke with students after a Docs For Schools screening of Willie during the Festival, inspiring them with his story of persistence and dedication in the face of injustice. More Docs For Schools highlights on page 18. celebrated our filmmakers’ successes. championed Nanfu Wang’s One Child Nation, a Hot Docs Forum critical Canadian alumnus project and $30K first look Prize winner, stories. received its world premiere at Sundance where it won the Grand Jury Prize for US Documentary A recipient of a Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund production before making its Canadian debut at Hot Docs. grant, Tasha Hubbard’s nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, More Hot Docs Industry Programs highlights on page 20. a devastating account of the death of Colten Boushie and his family’s pursuit of justice in a legal system rife with inequity and racism, premiered to acclaim as Hot Docs’ opening night selection. More Hot Docs Production Fund Portfolio highlights on page 22. Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 8 The Year in Review September 2018 The Doc Ignite filmmaker training program hosts a workshop at Nova Scotia’s Lunenburg Doc Fest, followed by workshops in Toronto, Whitehorse, Vancouver, Kamloops, Edmonton, Saguenay and Yelllowknife throughout the year. June 2018 Already an Academy Award qualifying festival for shorts, Hot Docs is named a qualifying festival for feature-length documentaries. July 2018 Crave Hot Docs Showcase weekend presents Festival favourites in Vancouver, followed by Edmonton and Winnipeg. Ontario Hot Docs Showcase screenings begin in October in Aurora and six other locations across Ontario. Hot Docs-Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund recipients The Master’s Plan, How to Steal a Country and Cheese Girl win at Durban FilmMart. October 2018 Hot Docs and Bertha DocHouse partner for a second edition of Hot Docs London, featuring six hits from the 2018 Festival. Doc Soup Toronto opens its 18th season with The Woman Who Loves Giraffes. Docs For Schools runs October to April, with screenings at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, and with partners in Hamilton, Dryden, Belleville, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. 2018/19 Highlights 9 March 2019 Hot Docs presents the third annual Curious Minds Weekend in partnership with The Globe and Mail, which brought influential thought leaders such as Donna Brazile and Leah Daughtry, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and David Miller to sold-out crowds. November 2018 In partnership with CBC Podcasts, the third annual Hot Docs Podcast Festival welcomes over 7,000 attendees to more than 10 live presentations of critically acclaimed shows and expands to include a dynamic Creators Forum. January 2019 April/May 2019 Hot Docs Forum alumni One Child Nation, Cold The 26th annual Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Case Hammarskjöld and The Infiltrators, as well Festival welcomes audiences of 228,000. as CrossCurrents Doc Fund recipient Midnight Traveler, win awards at Sundance. Hot Docs Partners announces the first two projects co-financed through the new initiative. October 2018 February 2019 $360,000 is awarded to 20 documentary projects through the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund, CrossCurrents Doc Funds and the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund. Photos by: Sophia Burke, Joseph Michael Howarth, Taku Kumabe, Christian Peña. Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 10 Hot Docs Festival 1 Queen Lactati, Suzanbee Anthony, and Bracken at Drag Kids. Hot Docs celebrated its 26th anniversary Festival with record-breaking