Hot Docs 09: Questions Raised and (some) Answered

Acclaimed documentarian, Jean-Marie Teno, doesn't disappoint his fans with his this latest film. SACRED PLACES that tackles the subject of African film. Who are African directors making films for if the average African cannot afford to see the films in the theatre? Cine Clubs are popping up all over Africa, but the locals do not see a lot of recent African films because they are too expensive; instead, they are consuming the American action films and Bollywood movies. Like the Djembe and its griots, African cinema is supposed to spread the history of the Africa to successive generations, but how can it do this if Africans are not seeing themselves on screen? According to Jean-Marie, these questions are only the beginning of a dialogue that must occur.

SACRED PLACES has its final screening at the Cumberland on Saturday, May 9th @ 1:00 PM


Ticket line for The Jazz Baroness at the Isabel Bader Theatre began almost an hour early for the 1:45 screening of the film, while the rush line snaked down Charles Street heading towards Bay Street. I had first heard of Pannonica Rothschild (Nica) from Straight, No Chaser the documentary about Thelonius Monk. I knew they had a close relationship, but I didn't know if they were lovers or very close friends. All I knew was that she took care of him as she did with a lot of jazz greats at the time, including Charlie Parker (who died in her apartment).

I had always wanted to know more about this rich, white Jewish woman and her penchant for supporting Black jazz musicians at a time of racial segregation in the US. Nica grand-neice had the same curiosity as I did, which is why she made the film. No one in director, Hannah Rothschild's aristocratic British family openly discussed Nica, the rebel who had left her upper crust life to live in New York, so Hannah went digging. How did this zebra-rich (there is a shot carriage on the Rothschild estate that is being drawn by four zebras!) woman end up being intimes with a sharecropper's son from North Carolina? What did they have in common and what was the nature of the relationship? Just who was the real Pannonica?



There are no more screenings of this film at Hot Docs, but if it appears on a channel near you, it is more than worth seeing. You don't even have to be a jazz fan(although the music in the film is pretty fantastic) because the film includes elements of the European and American social issues of the time, World War Two, and human rights. Visit the official website for more details about this film: www.thejazzbaroness.com

Hot Docs 09: Director Heddy Honigmann Honours Ordinary Peruvians

Award-winning director, Heddy Honigmann's new work, EL OLVIDO (OBLIVION) reminds me of an earlier film of hers, THE UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA. In that 1997 documentary, Honigmann followed the lives of a diverse group of immigrants sharing their respective musical talents with users of the Parisian subway system; Her camera also managed to capture the human will to survive. This same human struggle and sharing of talent is reflected in the street scenes of El Olvido, where the children and adults of Lima, Peru ply whatever skills they have in order to subsist--a child does flips between traffic signals and gets coins that she gives to her infirm mother; a blind woman sings on the sidewalk; a vendor sells memory-boosting frog juice; and another takes pride in repairing anything that is broken.

I have never met Honigmann, but it seems to me that she has the documentarian's gift of getting people to reveal their truths, allowing us the privilege of a shared intimacy. Though Honigmann's lens, we are invited into the humble homes of Lima's working class. Many of her subjects have worked for years in places which they cannot afford to eat or stay. They have survived years of economic hardship and political corruption. One amicable bartender, who speaks admits he is speaking out because he is at the end of his career, says that choosing a Peruvian presidential candidate is like choosing whether you would like to have Hepatitis B or AIDS.

Unlike many in the film, this little shoeshine boy had no dreams. His eyes were so sad I wanted to reach into the film and take him home with me, or connect him with the poor mother and her loving daughters, who had lost her eldest daughter to an accident. Despite her poverty and loss her girls always hugged and cared for each other, while this little boy seemed to have no one who loved him. What does it take to kill a child's ability to dream? Even the adults who lived through terrorism, massacres and coups managed to have a bit of hope.

Honigmann was born to Holocaust survivors in Lima, Peru. She has not lived in the city for many years (she's a Dutch citizen), but it's obvious from her films, that she does not take people's lives for granted and this sensitivity shows in her work. Peru is not in the worldwide consciousness as other Latin-American countries, and, it seems to me, that Honigmann brings these ordinary Peruvians to the screen so that they can be honoured for their resilience. Ordinary lives matter and should not be forgotten.

El Olvido (Oblivion)screens at the ROM on Thursday, May 7th at 7:15 PM or at The Isabel Bader Theatre on Saturday, May 9th at 11:00 AM.

For all things Hot Docs visit http://hotdocs.ca/

Photos courtesy of Hot Docs.

Hot Docs 09: Aspects of Love

There's one more screening of ROUGH AUNTIES on Wednesday, May 6th, 11am at the Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles St.). I'm still too full of emotion to write about these women and the sexually abused children that they help. See the movie if you can, if not visit the film's website to learn more about these women and their dedication to showing children love. Website: http://roughaunties.com/. Also visit the Bobbi Bear organization at http://www.bobbibear.org.za/

Love shines through every frame of this film, and I'm glad my day ended with this screening. The aunties have had to become "rough" in order to stand up for the children, but they are also there to support each other when difficult times impact the lives of one of their circle. Like her work in Sisters in Law, director, Kim Longinotto succeeds in bringing to the screen stories of ordinary women doing extraordinary things.

My day began with a screening of Orgasm Inc, a documentary that explores the business of disease. The rise of "female sexual dysfunction" (FSD) it turns out, shares a link with marketing and research by the pharmaceutical industry. No one seems to be able to define exactly what the term FSD means yet billion dollar companies are in a race to develop a cure for it. When and how did companies obtain the power of diagnosing illness? "Sex for our pleasure not their profit" is the campaign slogan of New View, an organization trying to bring to light the complexities of human sexuality and the fact there is more involved than just the genitals. Even the drug companies have to admit that the placebos (porn, sex toys etc) used were almost as effective as their test drugs, and without any side effects. One such drug, a testosterone patch that also included estrogen had to be administered over a period of time. Is it worth having one more orgasm a week to increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke and breast cancer when a sex toy or someone watching the kids would do the same thing? The documentary also revealed that the popular Berman sisters (seen on Oprah and other talk shows) were paid by such companies, and that Dr. Laura Berman still recommends Viagra for women even though the drug company that was doing research on its effectiveness in women called off the study.

My Greatest Escape is the story of Michel Vaujour, a country boy whose teenage escapades landed him in jail where he became very well schooled in the art of robbery. Despite his many escapes, Vaujour spent 27 years in jail, 17 of which were in solitary confinement. The story drags a bit as we listen to Vaujour recount his life, but you can't help but hang on to every word. Imagine someone decides to tell you the story of how he ended up in jail, how he daringly escaped many times (by helicopter even), was shot in the head, and had two significant romances. There are times you wish he would hurry up with his tale, but you don't dare say that because you don't want to miss any details of the wild, fantastic and true story. Watching the film I couldn't help but cast Vincent Cassel as Vaujour (Johnny Halliday may be too old). Now that this doc has been released I'm sure Hollywood will be lining up to make this action flick, especially since the real protagonist is still alive. Maybe Soderbergh will direct.

Hot Docs '09: Pussycat, Pussycat...Are You Visually Illiterate?

I was disgusted and fascinated by the 4 women who are the subject of Christie Callan-Jones's documentary, CAT LADIES. I was born in Jamaica, where cats and dogs were kept outside in the yard. We loved our pets, but we didn't exchange kisses with them, have them crawl all over our furniture, or save their whiskers in a little tin. Pet hair on clothes? YUCK! So, now that you know where I'm coming from you can imagine the grimaces that rearranged my face as I watched this film. In Toronto you are only allowed 6 cats per home. Only 1 cat lady in the documentary is living within the law (she has four). Of the other women, one has 16 and the other two have over 100 each.

Moving past my disgust and onto fascination: I marvelled at how open the women were about being "cat ladies". They more than live up to the stereotype, are very aware of this fact, and I admired their confessions about being lonely as children and as adults. How do you travel or have people come to your home when your house is full of cats? The hoarders believe that they are rescuing strays and providing them with a safe home. They have good intentions, but at what point does cat rescuing become cat addiction? You, too will empathize with these women's loneliness, but you will also wonder, as I did, if they need the cats more than the cats need them?

Cat Ladies final screening is Saturday, May 9th at 9:45 PM at The Royal Cinema. It screens with the Norwegian short film Statistics.

It had its final screening today, but given the cult stature of director, Peter Greenaway's the experimental documentary, REMBRANDT's J'ACCUSE will probably appear on a television screen near you.

Greenaway's film is part detective story and part conspiracy theory. It examines Rembrandt's famous painting "The Nighwatch" as if it were a period murder mystery. Using actors, visual effects, and an imposing journalistic narration by Greenaway himself (a la Stone Phillips)we go through the 31 points of who and why? Is the young girl in the painting a transvestite dwarf? Is the central figure in the painting issuing a challenge or is he a replica of Satan? And what of the secondary figure with the phallic sword? Art history meets the murder mystery in this documentary that will could turn your next visit to the art gallery/museum into an investigative report. A growing force of visual detectives would please Greenaway, who thinks that our educational system has left us visually illiterate with its emphasis on words as the only form of communication.

For all things Hot Docs go to http://hotdocs.ca/
Photo Credit: Hot Docs

Hot Docs 09: And Then There Was One

If you have time on the morning of Monday, May 4th at 11:30 AM, then drop into the Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles St) and buy a ticket to ONE MAN VILLAGE. This will be you last chance to see the Lebanese doc about Semaan El Harbe at Hot Docs. Director, Simon El Habre (Semaan's nephew) tells a simple story, revealing the complexities one by one as the film unfolds.

Semaan is the only resident of a village that used to be inhabited by 45 families (civil war drove the residents to Beiruit). Tired of the crowds and pollution of the city life, Semaan returns to Ain el-Halazoun where he lives very contentedly with his cows--I liked Rabiaa, the Stubburn. There is snow on the ground when we first meet Semaan, and the morning sounds of the animals and the dark, cold morning was enough to make want to run to my corner coffee shop.

As the film progresses, we move from the silence of Semaan's solitude into the history of the village, and come to the realization that he is never really alone. Semaan lives with the past in the form of the ruined houses and land of people he knew. Every time he delivers milk, he passes by these invisible people. From time to time he is visited by relatives and old neighbours who come back to see him and to cultivate the land. The village's beauty is revealed as the temparatures warm, but we can't help but feel a twinge of loss ourselves, not for Semaan, but in the knowledge that eventually the village will die.

Click Here to buy tickets to The One Man Village.

For all things Hot Docs visit http://hotdocs.ca/

Photo Courtesy of Hot Docs

Hot Docs 09: What's Hot, What's Not

I have screened 4 films playing at Hot Docs this year, and the reggae documentary, RiseUp, if by far my favourite. I had the opportunity to interview the film's Argentinian director, Luciano Blotta today (he called in from L.A.). Blotta followed 3 subjects from various economic strata of Jamaican life, as they try to break onto the Reggae scene. The 3 year journey is well-documented and each subject is fascinating in their own way: Hungry Town's Turbulence dreams of having his face painted on street walls and buildings along with other reggae superstars but is stuck in the ghetto; Uptown Kingston's Ice has all the money and women he needs but is hungry to make it big in the reggae business; and country girl, Kemoy, loves composing and singing songs, but Clarendon is hardly the place to become a reggae queen. Throughout the film we get introduced to a variety of music industry players including the legendary Sly and Robbie and Lee Scratch Perry. For someone who didn't really listen to reggae music, Blotta's serendipitous encounters, connections and talent as a cinematographer turned director, results in a very engaging documentary about reggae and the socio-economic conditions in Jamaica. Upcoming screenings May 8th, 9th, 10th various times and venues.


I appreciated Hair India's contrasting images of poor Indians offering up their hair at Temples in exchange for good wishes with images of rich, style-conscious women who create images of the new India with hair extensions (and a booming cosmetics industry), but in the end, the pace of the film was too slow for me. Bombay superstars and Hollywood movie stars alike use Great Lengths hair extensions, but images of the Roman hair mogul in his helicopter (a la La Dolce Vita), and the Indian factory owner lording it over rows of silent, bangled women could have been edited--really, we got the picture. Pare the film down from 75 minutes to 45 minutes and it would have more of an impact. Final screening: Tuesday, May 5th, 7PM at the Cumberland.

You won't be blown away by Laughology (or its screenmate, Amerika Idol) but you will learn something about why we laugh (babies around the world begin laughing around 2 months of age), the health benefits of laughter, and why, at some points in history, laughter was thought of as seditious. You will laugh at Amerika Idol, which documents a Serbian town's decision to erect a statue of Rocky. The beleaguered town needs an economic as well as psychological boost. For the town, the modern icon of Rocky Balboa is the perfect tourist attraction and embodiment of the everyman dream. Sly Stallone and the creator of the Philadelphia Rocky sculpture make appearances in the film. Final screening for this film package is Sunday, May 10th, 7:15PM at the Isabel Bader Theatre.


There are no more screenings of the opening night film Act of God, but considering the director is Jennifer Baichwal, odds are that it will be coming to a channel in your living room. Baichwal's latest film is not her best work, in my opinion, but it does have some interesting moments about the randomness of lightening strikes and the difficulty of not having someone to blame.

For all things Hot Docs visit http://hotdocs.ca/
Photo Credit: Hot Docs site.

Rhoma Spencer Directs "Our Lady of Spills"

The closed set of Our Lady of Spills (designed by Sylvia Temis and Monika Geresz) Photo by donna g


Rhoma Spencer founded Theatre Archipelago (she is also its Artistic Director) in 2004 in order to present plays from the Caribbean and its Diaspora to Canadian audiences. Playing until May 10th, Edwige Jean-Pierre’s OUR LADY OF SPILLS, a two-hander with Jean-Pierre and Lorna Wilson. According to Spencer, the new home of Theatre Archipelago is Toronto’s “best kept secret”. Situated inside the Todmorden Mills Museum and Art Centre, the Papermill Theatre is the pleasant surprise at the end of a gallery showcasing some very lovely artwork. (Left: Spencer poses for me in front of one of my favourite pieces.)

Getting to the Papermill takes a bit of work if you don’t drive. Walking down Pottery Road’s decline to number 67 takes about 5 minutes (walking back up you’ll strengthen your thighs), but it’s well worth walk to see Jean-Pierre and Wilson’s duke it out in the boxing ring of a stage. Wilson plays a racist client (Lillian Holt), who has been placed unwilling in a nursing home. Jean-Pierre is the Haitian nurse (Sandrine) who must care for Lillian, all the while calling upon her Catholic upbringing and cultural respect for elders in order to deal with Lillian’s deprecating remarks about non-Canadians.

Other characters in the play are brought to life through dialogue with individuals that we do not see, but can easily imagine. Lillian Holt has conversations with her son (he’s married to a Japanese woman) and Sandrine tells stories and admonishes her daughter, Chloé, for fighting at school. We are also introduced to other clients at the home. These exchanges allow us to see into the private lives of Lillian and Sandrine even though the action takes place on the same set. The women share similarities and differences, but the characters themselves never realize this because of the barriers they construct to demonstrate control over their respective situations.

If the play has a weakness it's in the fact that Jean-Pierre as the playwright has created such a strong character in Lillian Holt, and Wilson gives such a powerful performance that Jean-Pierre (in the role of Sandrine) often gets knocked out by her own creation.

Despite its serious subject matter, Our Lady of Spills, offers enough observational laughs to move the play along. We recognize the racial conflict but never feel as if we are being hit over the head with pedantic lessons.

OUR LADY OF SPILLS
(Presented by Theatre Archipelago)
April 28th - May 10th
Papermill Theatre
67 Pottery Road
Tickets: $25, Sundays pay-what-you-can ($10 suggested minimum)
Box Office: www.meowfilms.com/in person at TO TIX Dundas Square or at the theatre (1 hour before show time)
Show Times: 8PM (weeknights and Saturdays); 2:00 PM
http://theatrearchipelago.ca