Can you believe it’s almost September already?? Holy crapola. Last year’s Toronto International Film Festival was a great time considering I got to catch a screening of a film that would end up taking the number one spot on my list of top 10 films of 2009; The Wrestler. In terms of non-fiction entries, I didn’t see much outside of Bill Maher’s Religulous. Thanks to IndieWire, we’ve got a sneak peek at what to expect from this years documentary line up. I’ve gotta say I haven’t heard of many of the films on this list and nothing really catches my eye at first glance, but I always find that a simple synopsis rarely represents what a documentary might have to offer. Have a look for yourself and let us know what to look out for in the comments section!
The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights
Emmett Malloy, USA World Premiere
An intimate look inside The White Stripes’ cross-Canada tour, as Jack and Meg White touch down in remote northern communities and surprising city venues.
The Art of the Steal
Don Argott, USA World Premiere
This art-world whodunit investigates what happened to the Barnes collection of Post-Impressionist paintings—valued in the billions—that fell prey to a power struggle after the death of owner Albert Barnes.
Bassidji
Mehran Tamadon, Iran/France/Switzerland International Premiere
For three years, Mehran Tamadon immersed himself into the very heart of the most extremist supporters of the Islamic republic of Iran (the Bassidjis) to understand their ideas.
Cleanflix
Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi, USA World Premiere
The Mormon religion preaches against the content of R-rated films, so several Utah-based entrepreneurs started offering “clean” versions of Hollywood movies at specialty DVD stores. But the thriving industry runs into legal problems and its own sex scandal.
Collapse
Chris Smith, USA World Premiere
From the acclaimed director of American Movie, this portrait of radical thinker Michael Ruppert explores his apocalyptic vision of the future, spanning the crises in economics, energy, environment and more.
Colony
Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell, Ireland World Premiere
Several beekeepers around the U.S. cope with colony collapse disorder – the phenomenon that has caused millions of bees to mysteriously disappear – in this beautifully shot debut from a gifted directing duo.
Google Baby
Zippi Brand Frank, Israel International Premiere
In India, the latest form of outsourcing is surrogate mothers who carry embryos for couples who can’t have a child. Director Zippi Brand Frank follows an entrepreneur who proposes a new service – baby production for western customers.
How to Fold a Flag
Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein, USA World Premiere
The makers of Gunner Palace follow U.S. soldiers as they create new lives post-Iraq—from a Congressional candidate in Buffalo to a cage fighter in Louisiana—set against the backdrop of the 2008 election.
L’Enfer de Henri-Georges Clouzot
Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea, France North American Premiere
Film archivist Serge Bromberg uncovers a treasure trove of imagery from an unfinished film called L’Enfer starring Romy Schneider and directed by the French master Henri-Georges Clouzot, known for Wages of Fear and Diabolique.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, USA World Premiere
Daniel Ellsberg was a valued strategist inside the American government until he leaked the Pentagon Papers and exposed the lies of the Vietnam War. This thrilling documentary chronicles this momentous chapter in history and how Richard Nixon’s obsession over the case brought down his own government.
Presumed Guilty
Roberto Hernandez and Geoffrey Smith, Mexico World Premiere
Two young Mexican attorneys attempt to exonerate a wrongly convicted man by making a documentary. In the process, they expose the contradictions of a judicial system that presumes suspects guilty until proven innocent.
Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags
Marc Levin, USA World Premiere
Veteran filmmaker Mark Levin (Slam) looks at the past and present of New York’s garment district, from its heyday as a base for immigrant labour and unions to its recent decline.
Snowblind
Vikram Jayanti, USA/United Kingdom International Premiere
Rachael Scdoris, a blind 23-year-old, doesn’t let her disability stop her from competing in one of the most gruelling endurance contests in the world: the Iditarod dogsled race traversing 1,100 miles of Alaska’s most rugged terrain. But being blind is only the start of her challenges.
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
Leanne Pooley, New Zealand North American Premiere
Fun, disarming and musically provocative, the Topp Twins are New Zealand’s finest lesbian country-and-western singers and the country’s greatest export since rack of lamb and the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.
Videocracy
Erik Gandini, Sweden North American Premiere
This penetrating look at the media empire of Italy’s prime minister Silvio Berlosconi reveals how his reality TV shows full of bikini-clad women enriched his friends and beguiled a nation.
Good Hair
Jeff Stilson, USA Canadian Premiere
Rendered speechless by his daughter’s question—“Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?”—comedian Chris Rock embarks on a quest to understand African American hair culture.
Turtle: The Incredible Journey
Nick Stringer, United Kingdom/Austria/Germany Canadian Premiere
Join a logger heard turtle on an extraordinary journey through the fascinating underwater world and witness how changes in the oceans are affecting marine life in this beautiful and spectacular ocean adventure.
Only 4 really stand out from the synopses to me. Those being The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, Cleanflix, Collapse, How to Fold a Flag. Collapse and How to Hold a Flag are on there simply because of how much I liked American Movie and Gunner Palace. The Stripes and Cleanflix docs sound interesting on their own though.
As a fan of the podcast, it is a real honor to hear that my film “didn’t really catch your eye.”
Seriously, though. If you have the chance I’d love to see you guys at the premiere–except for Reed.
Let me try the original summary out on you and see which you like better:
When dozens of Utah businesses are caught stripping films of sex, violence, and profanity in the name of conservative family values, Hollywood’s outrage ignites a fierce legal and moral battle. Provocative and illuminating, CLEANFLIX takes a revealing look behind the scenes of the sanitized movie industry and the Mormon culture that spawned it, before coming to a shocking conclusion.
Maybe mine is just more hyped up, but it feels like the film to me. Anyway, hope to see you there!
Hmmmm….list looks good, but also a little too pat, perhaps, and trendy….Mormons, Muslims, Lesbians, Veterans – and as is more & more common in doc programming, lots and lots of CELEBRITTIES.
I wiSH there were more women directors on this list!
I feel that the selection is not very diverse this year. There are no good docs from / about Asia??
[...] of the previously announced titles for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is Under Great White Northern Lights, a [...]
where is the canadian content? In documentary films? Is there any or did i miss it?
This year’s lineup is packed with celebrities. I personally would like to see Cleanflix and Chris Rock’s “Good Hair.” I’m always a fan of humor within an interesting documentary.