Then I suggest a screening of Que Caramba Es la Vida by renowned German director, Doris Dörrie. Her take on mariachi music is refreshing in that it follows the lives of several female musicians who perform in Mexico's Garibaldi Square. Mariachi can be a macho business, but these women, some of whom are daughters of mariachi fathers, have inherited the love of the music and their passion drives them to perform despite some of the negative side effects of their chosen profession. In the square they perform for families or couples who are out for an evening of social activity, but they also have to put up with the drunks and drug users (as well as some men) who hurl slurs at them. As one woman puts it, she has often had to tell men she is a singer, not a prostitute. Dörrie also delves into a bit of the history of female mariachas through interviews with members of Las Estrellas de Mexico and Las Coronelas, some of the first mariachas in Mexico. While the women of today have to deal with leaving their children at home to perform, these women, tell how once they started getting married and the children came along, they had to give up singing professionally. Some also speak of husbands getting jealous because they were performing in bars and their mates would have thoughts that cigarette/cigar smoke on their clothes meant more was going on with their evenings than just singing.
I'm a women through and through
If they try to lasso me
I'll shoot them down
If they shout at me
I'll clear them out of the way
TODAY'S SCREENING
Que Caramba Es la Vida
Scotiabank Theatre 7 Fri, Apr 25 3:30 PM
For additional screening dates/times click HERE
CURIOUS ABOUT ADHD?
Denmark's Erland E. Mo's documentary, Four Letters Apart, takes an interesting look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by introducing us to an alternative school that uses methods other than drugs in the treatment of children with the condition. The children are very much aware of their disorder and talk about ways in which they would like to be treated by society. They are also taught to take responsibility for their actions by talking about how they treat each other. Following the journey of three of the school's students broadens our perspective and understanding of children with ADHD and leads us to ponder where we stand on the grounds of giving Ritalin to every child with the disorder. Does and should one treatment fit all?
TODAY'S SCREENING
Four Letters Apart
TIFF Bell Lightbox 2Fri, Apr 25 3:45 PM
For additional screening dates/times click HERE
HOW ABOUT A GOOD GHOST STORY TONIGHT?
A woman and her family see a young girl in a white dress along the way to Cober Pedy, another feels a hand pressing her face into the floor...these and other tales of Warkwick Thornton's The Darkside are related with fascinating detail. Set in Australia, Thornton's stories are told with backdrops by campfires, in rooms glowing in orange, green, by docks, the ocean, and even while we watch an artist at work on his over-sized canvas. In this film, the cinematography is as important as the storytelling. For viewers this means that we are never bored, and our eyes become captivated by each scene whether we listen to people directly speaking to us about their encounters with the spirit world, or whether we are hear their voice as we watch an image presented to us. By keeping the eye and the brain focused, Thornton delivers a documentary that with each subject makes us think the childlike phrase, "tell us another one!"
TODAY'S SCREENING
The Dark Side
ROM Theatre
Fri, Apr 25 9:00 PM
For additional screening dates/times click HERE
Canadian and International Documentary Festival
April 24 - May 4, 2014
www.hotdocs.ca
