The Yanomami indigenous people live in Northern Brazil and in Southern Venezuela. They have been there for at least 1,000 years which is 500 years longer that the nation states of Brazil and Venezuela. The greed of gold, oil natural resources and hydro electric projects threatens the indigenous way of life. The processing of goldContinue reading ““The Last Forest” (A Última Floresta): The Next Step Genocide? Toronto Hot Docs”
Category Archives: film
“Any Given Day”: Insider’s perspective on mental illness; Toronto Hot Docs
Director, writer and producer Margaret Byrne takes us down a road that is a long journey where it seems impossible to ever reach a happy destination. The road we travel upon is mental illness in Chicago where Chicago’s Cook County offered a specialized probation for mental illness diagnosed detainees. A special court geared to provideContinue reading ““Any Given Day”: Insider’s perspective on mental illness; Toronto Hot Docs”
“The Doll”: Iran’s Progressive Morals on Display: Toronto Hot Docs
In today’s “progressive” Iran a 35-year-old father Alireza who considers himself a “enlightened traditionalist” considers marrying off his 14-year-old grade 9 daughter Asal to Soroush a medical student in university. If it wasn’t so sad and disgraceful it might be a comedy. As we hear from various relatives about the pros and cons of theContinue reading ““The Doll”: Iran’s Progressive Morals on Display: Toronto Hot Docs”
“Archipelago”: A Dreamy and Poetic Journey: Toronto Hot Docs
Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s “Archipelago” is an animated dreamy poetic journey in which 12 different animators show their style of animation. The narration is at times poetic and very fluid. This in contrast to an old newsreel narrated in a 1950’s style. I think the newsreel was called “Les ÎIes de St. Laurent” taking a voyage fromContinue reading ““Archipelago”: A Dreamy and Poetic Journey: Toronto Hot Docs”
“Kimmapiiyipitssini”: The Scourge of Fentanyl and Opioids in the Kainai Blackfoot Community in Southern Alberta: Toronto Hot Docs
“Kimmapiiypitssini” in Blackfoot in short means empathy and involves giving kindness to each other and feeling for others and you are blessed if you show it. Perhaps for me it is a vital component of mindful living. Aa one police officer on the Blackfoot Reserve in Southern Alberta muses what would our people be likeContinue reading ““Kimmapiiyipitssini”: The Scourge of Fentanyl and Opioids in the Kainai Blackfoot Community in Southern Alberta: Toronto Hot Docs”
“Ostrov – Lost Island”: Misery and the New Tsardom: Toronto Hot Docs
The Russians have perfected the art over the last hundred years of criticizing authoritarian power through allegory in literature and poetry. Sometimes they get away with it but sometimes with novels from Solzhenitsyn like “Cancer Ward” or “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” it goes too far for the authorities to tolerate. InContinue reading ““Ostrov – Lost Island”: Misery and the New Tsardom: Toronto Hot Docs”
“About Endlessness”: Dare I Interpret?
This is a film that the director likes to taunt you into trying to interpret what it means. Yes a Swedish-Norwegian-German production puzzling you and challenging some sort of interpretation. No this is not “The Joker” or “Black Panther”. Instead you may be asking:” What the hell is going on here?” And that can beContinue reading ““About Endlessness”: Dare I Interpret?”
“Perfumes”: Not as Sure as I Thought I Was
Make no mistake French film can produce just about everything from the banal to the complex as far as films go. Having been watching them for 45 years, often late night when I lived in Montreal, hopefully you can take my word on this. For example, there is the classic “Indochine” with Catherine Deneuve whichContinue reading ““Perfumes”: Not as Sure as I Thought I Was”
“Magaluf Ghost Town”: An awkward documentary: Toronto Hot Docs
The promotional material from the film’s distributor leaves the impression that the town of Magaluf will be the subject of the documentary “which during season becomes a Deadwood-like capital of sin and vice”. Magaluf is a beach town on the Spanish island of Mallorca invaded in the summer season by British youth or better saidContinue reading ““Magaluf Ghost Town”: An awkward documentary: Toronto Hot Docs”
“Lady Buds”: Women and Cannabis in California: Has legalization created criminalization? Toronto Hot Docs
Most of this documentary is focused on the Emerald Triangle of California, namely the counties of Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity Counties where over 60 % of California cannabis is grown but mass production seems to be shifting to Santa Barbara and the Mojave Desert. The documentary focuses on women cultivators, distributors, educators and activists. InContinue reading ““Lady Buds”: Women and Cannabis in California: Has legalization created criminalization? Toronto Hot Docs”
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