Week in Film Vlog for May 13, 2012

I've decided to re-instate My Week in Film Vlog (possible written version also in the works too) to share the films I've new releases and films seen recently. This week I wrap up Hot Docs 2012 sharing thoughts on films seen at the festivals as well as chatting up my progress on my 2012 Owned/Unseen List.

Please note if you prefer just listening, the Week in Film Vlog are included in the Movie Moxie Podcast. Listen to this weeks episode here.

Mentioned in the Vlog:

• I mention that I will now be vlogging through My Week in Film, DVD Releases & Bondathon separately for visual enjoyment*; or for audio-only fans each of these vlogs will be compiled in the Movie Moxie Podcast. Listen to this weeks episode here.
  
• Hot Docs 2012: Hot Docs preview on last weeks podcast, plus reviews of G-Dog & Ballroom Dancer as well as the Hot Docs Awards
• Check out my 2012 Owned/Unseen List - I'm up to 3/20 seen!
  
• See my other vlogs this week: DVD Releases May 1 & 8, 2012 and The Bondathon: Dr. No
  

Up next week: Hoping to see and review of The Avengers, Dark Shadows and possibly more.

Hot Docs 2012 Award Winners

The Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival came to a close on Sunday May 6, 2012 and although we have to wait a whole year to enjoy the festival again, it does go out with the sweet news to the award winners from this year. I sadly saw no where near as many films as I'd like this year, but that never seems to effect the fact that I almost never see festival winners. I don't know how that happens but for almost every festival of any year, I see other films. Bizarre! At least that means I have an ample supply of titles for my 'to see' list and I did see G-Dog which landed #3 on the Audience Awards and The Boxing Girls of Kabul. At least there were a few!

Here's have a look and celebrate with this years winners including the 2012 Filmmakers Award:

Hot Docs 2012 People’s Choice Award Top Ten
voted on by audience ballot
1. CHASING ICE (dir: Jeff Orlowski)
2. BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* (dir: Fredrik Gertten)
3. G-DOG (dir: Freida Mock)
4. WE ARE WISCONSIN (dir: Amie Williams)
5. LIFE IN STILLS (dir: Tamar Tal)
6. BROOKLYN CASTLE (dir: Katie Dellamaggiore)
7. 5 BROKEN CAMERAS (dir: Guy Davidi, Emad Burnat)
8. JASON BECKER: NOT DEAD YET (dir: Jessie Vile)
9. CALL ME KUCHU (dir:Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright)
10. THE WORLD BEFORE HER (dir: Nisha Pahuja; Canada, Germany)

2012 Filmmaker Award: THE IMPOSTER (D: Bart Layton, UK)

Best Canadian Feature: THE WORLD BEFORE HER (D: Nisha Pahuja; P: Cornelia Principe, Nisha Pahuja, Ed Barreveld)

Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature: PEACE OUT (D: Charles Wilkinson; P: Tina Schliessler)

Inspirit Foundation Pluralism Prize: THE BOXING GIRLS OF KABUL (D: Ariel J. Nasr; P: Annette Clark)

Best International Feature: CALL ME KUCHU (D: Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright; P: Malika Zouhali-Worrall; USA)

Special Jury Prize – International Feature: THE LAW IN THESE PARTS (D: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz; P: Liran Atzmor, B.Z. Goldberg; Israel)

Best Mid-Length Documentary: MY THAI BRIDE (D/P: David Tucker; Australia)
Honourable mention to NESSA (D: Loghman Khaledi; P: Katayoon Shahabi; Iran).

Best Short Documentary: FIVE FRAGMENTS OF THE EXTINCT EMPATHY (D: Anna Nykyri; P: Joonas Berghäll; Finland)
Honourable mention to FAMILY NIGHTMARE (D/P: Dustin Guy Defa; USA).

HBO Documentary Films Emerging Artist Award (tie): Bill Ross and Turner Ross for the film TCHOUPITOULAS (P: Bill Ross, Turner Ross; USA) and Benjamin Kahlmeyer for the film MEANWHILE IN MAMELODI (P: Boris Frank; Germany, South Africa)

2012 Hot Docs Outstanding Achievement Award recipient: Michel Brault

documentary’s Don Haig Award: Mia Donovan (INSIDE LARA ROXX, Hot Docs 2011 Official Selection)
Honourable Mention: Charles Officer (MIGHTY JEROME, Hot Docs 2011 Official Selection)

Lindalee Tracey Award: Jasmine Oore.

JURIES
The Canadian Feature Documentary Jury: Borislav Andjelic (film journalist; director of International Film Festival Belgrade), Maya Gallus (director, THE MYSTERY OF MAZO DE LA ROCHE), Dana O’Keefe (senior executive, Cinetic Media), Basil Tsiokos (programming associate, Sundance Film Festival; film journalist).

The International Feature Documentary Jury: Matthew Akers (director and cinematographer), Avril Benoît (director of communications, Doctors Without Borders - Canada), James Rocchi (film journalist), David Wilson (co-founder and co-director, True/False Film Fest).

The Shorts and Mid-Length Jury: Luis Ceriz (owner, Suspect Video), Marcelle Lean (executive director, Cinéfranco), Chi-hui Yang (film programmer, lecturer and writer).

And the Hot Docs People's Choice Award is determined by audience ballot.

The Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival 2012 ran from April 26 - May 6, 2012 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Hot Docs 2012 Day 5: G-Dog and Ballroom Dancer

Above Image: The crowd files in to the screening of G-Dog at the Cumberland

On Monday night I finally got out to Hot Docs to see my very first film at the festival (see podcast preview here!), and it was so exciting to be out there hitting the festival theatres, seeing fellow festivallers in and around everywhere in the Bloor/Avenue area as I shuffled back from The Bader to The Cumerland. Other people might have been grumpy that it was grey, cold and rainy (there is always one day that is), but was thrilled. Even with the weather tons of people were out and ready to enjoy great documentary film making, and I did just that when I sat down to see G-Dog as well as Ballroom Dancer. My only sad moment was knowing I had a slow start this year, usually I power through from the first Friday to the final Sunday, so to start on Day 5 was a bit strange, but the films were inspiring and insightful which cheered me right up.


Above: An image from G-Dog (with G-Dog himself in the centre)

G-Dog
Dir: Freida Mock
USA

I wasn't quite sure what to expect walking into G-Dog, a film centred on a leading gang interventionist known as G-Dog. Would it be hard to watch? Would there be tales of sorrow, challenges and conflict? Would I be left with a heavy heart? Much to my (joyful) suprize it is heartful, honest and inspiring as it trucks the viewer through the everyday operations and challenges of Homeboy Industries, a place where homeboys and homegirls are welcomed in to train, learn and contribute to enrich life lives. I thought it was interesting that the film worked more around where Homeboy Industries is now and how they run cafe, bakery and silkscreening alongside classes for previous gang members, as opposed to going totally chronologically from the roots to the current. I was surprized because it made me realize how many documentaries really do start at the very beginning, but jumping in in the row can totally work as well - this doubles in reinforcing the focus of the film and of G-Dog's really strong passion for putting the focus and face on the people who are learning from and given a chance by Homeboy Industries. Very inspiring and thoughtful showcase of the power of change and not only giving, but taking a chance to change.

G-Dog screens again on Saturday May 5, 2012 at 4pm at the Isabel Bader Theatre


Above: G-Dog director Freida Mock (left) and Hot Docs international programmer Eli Horwatt


Above Images from Ballroom Dancer: Slavik Kryklyvyy and Anna Melnikova (left) and Competition Performance (right)

Ballroom Dancer
Dir: Christian Bonke & Andreas Koefoed
Denmark

Any time I have the opportunity to see a dance film, I take that opportunity, because I love dance. I love to dance, I love watch dance, I love dance films and getting to see a documentary on dance always shoots to the top of any film festival lists so Ballroom Dancer was clearly a must-see for me. The film centres on partners (in dance and in life) Slavik Kryklyvyy and Anna Melnikova as they train for competition together. That's how I saw the film from watching, although from the title and from description in the program the energy of the film on paper feels like it's more focused on Slavik, especially in the context of the fact that the present world champion is ex-partner Joanna Leunis, but I really saw it about both Slavik and Anna. Their dance relationship, the life relationship, their challenges, thoughts and feelings that arise and swell through the tension and intensity of training and competition. In that light, it feels deeply personal and intimate portray of their relationship, I was impressed that if felt so respectful but maintained this intimate emotional quality where often the energy and emotion spoke volumes over words. There is a lot of interpretation and things going on beneath the surface, that were quite raw and real. That energy does at times can be more prominent that getting to see the dancing, so if you are heading in wanting to see start to finish competition & behind the scenes, fair warning that this isn't that. There is still is lots of dance, particularly rehearsals and training as well as some competition and performance as well, but it's the human drama that comes to the forefront. I had to at times remind myself it was a documentary, not because it didn't feel real but because it felt so real, the emotions were powerful and genuine and it reads through their dancing each and every time they dance together. Ballroom Dancer is an an astonishing film, a beautiful and respectful look into these dancers lives and I am so happy I had an opportunity to see it at this years festival.

Ballroom Dancer screens again on Wednesday May 2, 2012 at 11:00AM at the Isabel Bader Theatre


Above: Ballroom Dancer co-director Christian Bonke (left)

The Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival 2012 runs from April 26 - May 6, 2012 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Movie Moxie Podcast 69: Warriors of the Rainbow Seediq Bale & Hot Docs 2012

On this week episode of The Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares preview insight into Hot Docs and reviews theatrical release of Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale. More awesome included checking out April 24, 2012 DVD release and reviews of The Wicker Tree, The Divide and The Terrorist and as a special bonus podcast listeners are the first to hear of the upcoming epic marathon. It's over 20 films people. Did I say epic? Yes, I did. And it will be epic.

0:00 - 2:00 Intro
2:00 - 10:30 Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale Review
10:30 - 34:30 Hot Docs 2012
34:30 - 40:50 DVD Releases April 24 including reviews of: The Wicker Tree, The Divide, The Terrorists
40:50 - 46:30 Upcoming Marathon Announcement
46:30 - 48:45 Outro

• Hot Docs preview reviews into mini groupings of Euro-vision/Baltic Films (Breath, The Field of Magic and Women with Cows), Fighting Films (Boxing Girls of Kabul, Fists of Pride, Legend of a Warrior and Glow: The Story of the Glorious Ladies of Wrestling) and Activist (We Are Legion: The Story of Hacktivists)
• See more about Hot Docs at their website
• I talk about being Latvian, birth order personality traits and the idea of Persistent Identity
  
• I mention being foiled last year on the Summer of Sci Fi as well as announcing an Epic Upcoming Film Marathon (more details on the site later this week)
• I mention our May Book to Film Club selection Cosmopolis which will play at this years Festival de Cannes which runs this year from May 16 - 27, 2012.
• DVD review of The Divide here
  
• See more April 24, 2012 DVD releases here.
  
• Along with recent Theatrical releases in my weekly Film Fan Fridays also check out DVD Releases in my DVD Tuesdays Post

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Up next week: More Hot Docs 2012, hopefully a theatrical release, more details on the upcoming marathon and more DVD review goodness.