HotDocs 2021
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- DirectorRené Sascha JohannsenStarsMark FalgrenLukas ForchhammerMagnus LarssonFrom an outsider's perspective, things are going well for Lukas Graham. Every time lead singer Lukas Forchhammer sets a new goal for himself, he achieves it. He is signed to a major international label, he works with some of the greatest music producers, he is flown around to perform his hit song '7 Years' on the world's biggest stages. On top of this, Lukas becomes a father for the first time. From an insider's perspective, it is a lot to juggle all at once. Dreams can easily transform into nightmares from one moment to the next.
- DirectorAnn ShinStarsBina48Nick BostromLincoln CannonIf you could create an immortal version of yourself, would you? Once the stuff of science fiction, A.I. experts now see it as possible. This feature documentary explores the latest thinking and technological advancements in AI.
- DirectorMaya CuevaStarsAlejandra PablosAlejandra is a criminalized organizer and unapologetic immigrant. While she prepares for one of the biggest events of her life - her deportation case - Alejandra is forced to reckon with a past mistake and a system that could tear her apart from her family and the only home she has ever known.
- DirectorTheo AnthonyStarsTheo AnthonyKeaver BrenaiRobert CunniffA far-ranging look at the biases in how we see things, focusing on the use of police body cameras.
- DirectorVolkan ÜceAt the start of the summer season, Ismail and Hakan are preparing for their new job in a gigantic all-inclusive hotel at the Turkish Riviera. They observe the colourful swimsuits, the unemptied plates, the different ways of addressing other people, and gradually discover new opportunities to move ahead in life. ALL-IN explores the loss of innocence against the backdrop of a fading European dream. Initial kindness turns into indifference as Ismail and Hakan's initiation into the absurd world of Western tourism soon leads them to ask: which dreams are really worth aspiring to?
- DirectorMaxime MartinotStarsMorgane LongIn Marguerite Duras' chilling story, thousands of antelopes from all over the continent gallop towards an inevitable fate. A meeting between humans and nature in mesmerizing drone footage from YouTube slowly raises poignant questions: who is surveilling whom, where are we headed, and what fate awaits us in a world such as this?
- DirectorMargaret ByrneFollows the mental health crisis in Chicago and three participants of the Mental Health Court in Cook County who are working to rebuild their lives after being incarcerated for crimes related to their mental illnesses.
- DirectorJennifer RedfearnIn a Midwestern state caught between the opioid epidemic and increasing incarceration rates for women, three unforgettable mothers - Amanda, Tomika, and Lydia - return home from prison and rebuild their lives after being separated from their children for years. Their stories overlap at a new reentry program for women, run by Malika, an advocate who was formerly incarcerated in the same prison.
- DirectorFélix Dufour-LaperrièreStarsFlorence Blain MbayeMattis Savard-VerhoevenJoséphine BaconA true animated film about invented islands. About an imaginary, linguistic, political territory. About a real or dreamed country, or something in between.
- DirectorMatthew OgensStarsAmaree McKenstry-HallFootball player Amaree McKenstry-Hall and his Maryland School for the Deaf teammates attempt to defend their winning streak while coming to terms with the tragic loss of a close friend.
- DirectorDaniel EdelstynHilary PowellFed up with predatory economic institutions and drastic wealth disparity after the 2008 financial crisis, community-led movements are ready to take aim at archaic economic systems that are beneficial for a few and predatory to many.
- DirectorDorota ProbaStarsMarek BaumanZuzanna WronskaIs there a recipe for a successful relationship? Can love stand the test of time? Three couples, differing in age, seniority and experience, reveal their fears and dreams about living together in front of the camera. Dorota Proba approaches her characters with great sensitivity, and they reciprocate with her complete honesty. The result is a very intimate, warm film that is full of difficult questions, surprising answers, great emotions and humor. Like in life.
- DirectorYael BridgeStarsAdaner UsmaniEric FonerKeeanga-Yamahtta TaylorHistorians, journalists and politicians reveal that, contrary to popular belief, socialism is in fact deeply American.
- DirectorLuca LucchesiFor many centuries, in a small town on the southern border of Europe, people have been worshipping a statue of a black Jesus. 19-year old Edward from Ghana, guest of the refugee center which is the subject of great debate in the village, asks to carry the statue in the annual procession and to stand next to the white locals that bear its cart. The community is divided. On a journey exploring the source of fear and prejudice against "the others", the inhabitants of this small European village are called upon to question their own identity, starting with the very icon of their own belief: a black Jesus.
- DirectorMauro Russo RougeStarsElisabetta BarberoHermes OsnatoHermes and Betta are a middle-aged Italian couple who run the neighborhood pet store by day and organize extravagant sexual encounters with multiple partners by night.
- DirectorMads HedegaardStarsKim Cannon ArmWalter DayShigeru MiyamotoKim Kanoin arm is a guy from Denmark who has played Gyruss so much since the 80s that he one of the biggest experts. I have seen him many times in bipbip bar and can attest to his greatness. He is very good at what he does in Gyruss.
- DirectorAda UshpizThe painful personal stories of five Palestinian kids, ages 7-17, open a window into the world of Palestinian minors - trapped within the violence, humiliation, and daily confrontations with soldiers and settlers - while remaining children in every way. Each child finds his or her own way to cope and to construct emotional and political worlds in an impossible situation.
- DirectorKhalid ShamisFor over 40 years Ashur Shamis was Colonel Gadaffi's enemy number one in exile with a $1m bounty on his head. His dream of a 'free' Libya almost cost him his life and his family. Ashur's son uncovers a dangerous past and questions the choices his father made to inherit the mess Gadaffi left.
- DirectorJohn DaschbachStarsMasamoto UedaFor more than forty years, ramen master Masamoto Ueda has been serving his legendary Tokyo-style ramen to a community of regulars who are not only his customers, but true friends.
- DirectorYung ChangStarsChuning YinXingli XuXiannian ZhengIn a time when the world needs greater cross-cultural understanding, WUHAN WUHAN is an invaluable depiction of a metropolis joining together to overcome a crisis.
- DirectorAliaksei PaluyanStarsPavel HaradnizkyDzianis TarasenkaMaryna YakubovichAn inspiring and encouraging documentary about the peaceful uprising of a nation against injustice and the brutal oppression of their democracy movements.
- DirectorStanley NelsonStarsElizabeth HintonNelson GeorgeAlan CharlesIn the early 1980s, the crack epidemic tore through America’s inner cities like a tsunami, ravaging all in its wake.
- DirectorMania AkbariA man attempts to reconcile his trauma over the loss of his wife, who was killed when flight PS752 was struck down by missiles.
- DirectorFranz BöhmThree young female activists in Hong Kong, Chile, and Uganda cope with the staggering personal impacts of their activism.
- DirectorNays BaghaiStarsKiki BoschStefan AndrewsMikael KoskiDutch ice freediver Kiki Bosch swims in the world's coldest waters without a wetsuit as therapy for a trauma she experienced, and to inspire others.
- DirectorJoão QueirogaStarsTome AssoueTommy GermainStanley GloverA young Cameroonian attempts to pursue the dream of a better life in post-apartheid South Africa, he instead finds himself trapped as a slave in Angola.
- DirectorElahe EsmailiAfter consulting with his relatives a 35-year-old father consents to the marriage of his 14-year-old daughter. As individuals with differing perspectives his family grapple with the decision.
- DirectorCaitlin DurlakSet on Fogo Island off the coast of Newfoundland, Dropstones is an intimate family portrait that follows a matriarch shortly after she has returned to the home she once yearned to escape.
- DirectorChloe FairweatherOver one in three women in Turkey experience domestic violence. Lawyer Ipek Bozkurt's clients risk their lives while fighting the culture of violence in court
- DirectorSuvi WestStarsSkuvlaalbmá Áslat Niillas ÁslatMihku Ilmára Mika PetraPaavvâl Taannâl TiinaThe indigenous Sámi people are fighting for their existence. Current governmental policies permit their cultural genocide. This is a cry for help for the last indigenous people in the EU.
- DirectorGary LangStarsBarrett BrownAnn CavoukianEdith CabreraThis timely portrait of 21st century activism follows Commander X, an iconic and divisive figure in the "hacktivist" network who spends his days dodging authorities across North America while surfing the web and surviving the streets.
- DirectorJennifer NgoFaceless takes us to the frontline of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong to meet four such young people.
- DirectorCatherine HarteThis intimate story chronicles the relationship between musicians Faith and Branko over 7 years. In 2011, Faith travels from England to Serbia to learn gypsy accordion. She meets Roma violinist Branko and despite language barriers, they fall in love through music. Captivated by their musical chemistry, they marry and take their duo abroad. Their relationship is tested when they realize their differences and that music may be all they have in common.
- DirectorBobbi Jo HartStarsFannyJune MillingtonJean MillingtonFANNY: The Right to Rock reveals the untold story of a Filipina American garage band that morphed into the ferocious rock group Fanny, who almost became the female Beatles. Features Bonnie Raitt, Joe Elliott.
- DirectorWayne BlairNel MinchinStarsWesley EnochDavid PageStephen PageThe story of Bangarra Dance Theatre through the eyes of their long standing and charismatic artistic director, Stephen Page. It is a tale of pride, heartbreak, adversity and empowerment, with the strength of Indigenous dance at its centre.
- DirectorCelina EscherStarsLas 17Teodora VásquezAfter serving ten years behind bars for her miscarriage, considered by her government to be an act of aggravated murder, Teodora Vásquez becomes a spokesperson for the other 16 Salvadoran women behind bars for the same "crime" in this story of sorority, resilience, and solidarity.
- DirectorAnnabel VerbekeIn the North-West of the isle of Ireland, the border between the Republic of Ireland and the UK runs in the middle of a beautiful glacial fjord, the Carlingford Lough. The Carlingford Ferry crosses the Carlingford Lough on a daily basis, bringing people from one side to the other. We meet several characters from North and South, with different points of view, making this soothing journey through the magnificent, green Irish landscape. The short journey is breaking the rush of the day and provokes moments of inner reflection while crossing the invisible border, deep down in the lough. The film explores the concept of identity and community on an isle divided by not one, but 2 borders: a physical one between the UK and Ireland, and mental border between seemingly incompatible opinions on the role and signification of the border. Opinions that often tend to change when personal factors surpass the ideological. The water between each side may be very deep, they all have the unpredictable weather in common. But does the local expression '4 seasons in one day' only reflect on the weather?
- DirectorPhilippe BéziatStarsLeonardo García AlarcónClément CogitoreBintou DembéléOn the stage of Paris's legendary Opéra Bastille, 30 dancers from non-traditional genres reprise and remix Jean-Philippe Rameau's baroque masterpiece Les Indes galantes, offering a dynamic take on the landmark opera.
- DirectorShannon WalshApp developers lured a massive labor force by promising flexible hours with no offices or bosses-but with gig workers from Uber, Amazon, Lyft and more in front of the camera, the human cost of disruption runs deep.
- DirectorJohn GianvitoStarsNoam ChomskyCarolyn ForchéAuthor, activist, lecturer, and crusader for those with disabilities, the extraordinary Helen Keller was unable to see or hear, yet through hard work became highly accomplished and famously outspoken. Her autobiography The Story of My Life and its dramatic adaptation The Miracle Worker made Keller's name a household word. John Gianvito's new film Her Socialist Smile is a spare, pure, and beautifully composed account of her political life as a supporter of progressive causes. Incorporating footage of her home life, her surroundings, and her teacher Anne Sullivan, the film's focal point shifts to Keller's own words-her many speeches-as she ardently advocates on behalf of the causes in which she so firmly believed.
- DirectorMaria Carolina TellesAleksei AbibStarsAndre LiohnAs filmmaker Maria Carolina Telles comes to terms with the death of her father, a man who regretted never making it to the frontlines of World War II, she focuses her lens on the life of another man who had his own unique experience as a civilian in the midst of combat: award-winning war photographer André Liohn.
- DirectorPeter NicksStarsDwayne DavisDenilson GariboLibby SchaafOakland as a tantalizing case study. In a city that struggles with rising crime and health care woes, its public school systems aren't exactly equipped to prepare youth for the travails of young adulthood.
- DirectorMatthew WalkerStarsWanita BahtiyarIn a last ditch effort at fame, an Australian Country Music singer with autism saves hard, grabs her friend Archer, ropes in an unsuspecting "manager" in Gleny Rae and heads to Nashville to record an album.
- DirectorJohn GreysonStarsShady HabashSarah HegaziOn International Dawn Chorus Day (May 3, 2020), birds from six continents join an online video call.
- DirectorRaquel CepedaStarsLorine PadillaA documentary about a beloved South Bronx matriarch and former "First Lady" of the Savage Skulls gang struggling to remain visible in a rapidly gentrifying community she helped rebuild in the 1980s.
- DirectorItaru MatsuiHeath CozensStarsNyla RobertsJessica WeisMcKenzie EdwardsIn the American Midwest, three hearing teenagers come of age in the vibrant Deaf community. With feet in two worlds, yet fully at home in neither, they seek identity through their shared experience as CODA: Children of Deaf Adults.
- DirectorSushmit GhoshRintu ThomasStarsMeera DeviShyamkali DeviSuneeta PrajapatiIn a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful.
- DirectorDavid Henry GersonStarsMedhat AldaabalTammam AzzamDiala BrisliTHE STORY WON'T DIE, from Award-winning filmmaker David Henry Gerson and Academy Award winning producer Odessa Rae, is an inspiring, timely look at a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to protest and process the world's largest and longest displacement of people since World War II. The film is produced by Sundance Award-winner Odessa Rae (Navalny). Rapper Abu Hajar, together with other celebrated creative personalities of the Syrian uprising, a Post-Rock musician (Anas Maghrebi), members of the first all female Syrian rock band (Bahila Hijazi and Lynn Mayya), a breakdancer (Bboy Shadow) and choreographer (Medhat Aldaabal), and visual artists (Tammam Azzam, Omar Imam and Diala Brisly), use their art to rise in revolution and endure in exile in this new documentary reflecting on a battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression. It is an uplifting and humanizing look at what it means to be a refugee in today's world, and offers inspiring and hopeful vantages of a creative response to the chaos of war.
- DirectorSigve EndresenAslaug HolmStarsKamzy GunaratnamLine HoemIna LibakFour young women who survived the atrocious right-wing terror attack at Utøya Island have chosen to continue their political engagement. They were all severely wounded, but had to deal with losing so many of their friends.