Molecules by Andrea Segre
Hot Docs announced March 23 the line-up of films selected for the 2021 event, presented online April 29-May 9. From 2,300 film submissions, this year’s selection will comprise 219 films from 66 countries across 12 programs, with 50 per cent of the directors in the Festival program being women.
“Documentaries are vitally important to helping us understand the world we live in, and to build bridges of understanding across cultural, social and political divides, particularly at this unprecedented moment in time,” pointed out Shane Smith, director of programming for Hot Docs. “This year’s Hot Docs program features the best in outspoken, outstanding documentary storytelling from 66 countries, all of which will connect us to each other in ways that inspire, inform and illuminate.”
Highlights of the Hot Docs 2021 programme includes The Changing Face of Europe program which features the world premieres of: Welcome to Spain, which takes us into a Spanish brothel that’s been newly converted into a centre for refugees, and A Marriage, the story of a Czech woman whose Pakistani husband is denied entry into the Czech Republic by the government after five years of marriage.
The Changing Face of Europe program will also feature the international premiere of Raise the Bar, a look into an unorthodox basketball coach in Iceland who empowers his team of eight-year-old girls to push the limits. The Changing Face of Europe will also include the North American premieres of Eatnameamet – Our Silent Struggle, which follows the ongoing struggle of the Sámi people for decolonization and self-determination.
Molecules which recounts how filmmaker Andrea Segre reconnects with his late father’s hometown of Venice, which he explores while free of tourists during the pandemic lockdown. The New Plastic Road explores the impact of China’s reopening of the ancient Silk Road on the lives of people in impoverished former-Soviet states while and Faith and Branko is the story of two musicians united by their love of Roma music who begin to drift apart as their cultural values and lifestyles clash. The Changing Face of Europe program is presented in partnership with European Film Promotion (EFP).
This year’s Special Presentations program features world and international premieres, award winners from the recent international festival circuit, works by master filmmakers and those featuring star subjects. Highlights include the world premieres of: Wuhan Wuhan, in which award-winning filmmaker Yung Chang teams up with a group of intrepid videographers as they capture life in the Chinese city during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic; The Death of My Two Fathers, an unforgettable contemplation of race, death and the importance of family inspired by videos the filmmaker watches that were recorded by his terminally ill father.
The Taste of Desire by Dutch filmmaker Willemiek Kluijfhout is a philosophical and poetic trip around the world that uses oysters as a metaphor to explore humanity’s relationship with nature and desire; Dirty Tricks, a thrilling dive into the cutthroat world of competitive bridge playing, and the ensuing scandal that erupts after the world’s top player is accused of cheating; Come Back Anytime, a delectable doc about self-taught Japanese ramen master, Masamoto Ueda, and his legendary Tokyo ramen shop, Bizentei; and Viral, which shows us COVID-19’s impact on today’s youth through the social media posts of seven young people.
The Special Presentations program also includes the international premieres of: 7 Years of Lukas Graham, an inspiring profile of Danish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lukas Forchhammer, lead singer of the pop group Lukas Graham; With Drawn Arms, which takes audiences back to the 1968 Summer Olympics, when two track stars raised their black-gloved fists on the podium, and the impact of that gesture 50 years later; Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, which explores the legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it, anchored by ACLU lawyer Jeff Robinson’s groundbreaking 2018 talk; Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, which takes us inside the minds and hearts of the creators, artists, writers and educators of the enduring children’s program, Sesame Street; and Hysterical, a backstage pass into the lives of popular female comics, including Margaret Cho, Fortune Feimster, Marina Franklin, Nikki Glaser, Jessica Kirson, Sherri Shepherd, Iliza Shlesinger, and more, who are taking the male-dominated world of stand-up comedy by storm.
In the competitive International Spectrum program, notable films include the world premieres of: Any Given Day, an exploration of the stigma of mental illness told through the stories of three defendants in Cook County Mental Health Court’s probation program; Magaluf Ghost Town, about how the residents of a small, quiet Spanish town cope with the influx of tourists who flock to their low cost haven each summer; The Silence of the Mole, the thrilling story of a journalist who infiltrated Guatemala’s repressive government in the 1970s to expose the truths behind its violence and oppression; Four Seasons in One Day, where passengers on the ferry that runs between British-controlled Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland openly express their opinions about Brexit and the border; Songs that Flood to the River,the hypnotic tale of a woman who uses the melodies of funeral chants she learned as a child to write songs with lyrics that tell the horrors of war; and Gaucho Americano, a light-hearted tale of clashing cultures that see two Chilean gauchos of different generations pursue their cowboy dreams on an Idaho ranch.
International premieres in the International Spectrum program include: People We Come Across, about 700 Finnish research volunteers who travel to West Africa to help with a vaccine study, and the unique cultural exchange that unfolds when they arrive; Threshold, a compassionate film that follows the gender transition of the filmmaker’s adolescent son over three years; Ostrov – Lost Island, about the denizens of a once-vibrant fishing island in the Caspian Sea, whose elders await Russia’s return to greatness while the younger generation seeks a future beyond its shores; and School of Hope, in which Morocco’s Oulad Boukais tribe, suffering from the effects of climate change, sets up a school in a small clay building to ensure their children’s futures.
In the World Showcase program, notable films include the world premieres of: Sunny, which follows a social worker in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi who goes door-to-door asking controversial questions about sexuality, minority rights and nationalism; Neighbouring Moon, a lyrical coming-of-age story in which two teenage girls take refuge with their mother in a cramped Aleppo hospital through the war and the ongoing pandemic; Blue Box, which explores the myth and legacy of Israel’s blue boxes, a global fundraiser set up by the Jewish National Fund to purchase and acquire the historic land of Israel; My Mohamed Is Different, a modern love story about retired European women who flock to Egypt in search of younger men, burring the boundaries between romantic and business affairs; Only I Can Hear, in which the children of deaf parents come together in a world that favours the spoken word to share their struggles and joys; and The Colonel’s Stray Dogs, in which the director looks back on his father’s dangerous life as a political exile from Gaddafi’s Libya.
The Made In Colombia program includes the world premieres of: On the Other Side, about two brothers who embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind their mother’s two years spent as a FARC captive and to confront her captors; Rebel Love, the story of two former guerillas who fell in love while in ranks of the FARC, but struggle to build their lives together in the outside world. The program also includes North American premieres of: Between Fire and Water, about a boy adopted by an Indigenous couple who embarks on an existential journey to find his mother and his true identity; and Option Zero, about hundreds of Cubans left in migratory limbo in Panama after the abrupt ending of a longstanding policy that expedited US residency for Cuban nationals.
The Artscapes program, which showcases creative minds, artistic pursuits and inventive filmmaking, includes the world premieres of: Bank Job, the captivating story of a filmmaking duo who challenges the accepted economic system by creating and selling their own currency; No Hay Camino – There Is No Path, the self-reflective journey of legendary Peruvian-born Dutch filmmaker, Heddy Honigmann who, facing terminal illness, revisits the beloved people and places of her past; Cezanne, an art lover’s escape inside the atelier of famed French artist Paul Cézanne; The Story Won’t Die, the powerful story of a rapper, tortured by Bashar Al-Assad, and other artists who come together to explore resilience, resistance and love for their homeland through art, dance and music. Set! is a hilarious glimpse inside the offbeat world of competitive table setting while I’m Wanita is the story of a renegade middle-aged country music singer and her lifelong dream of becoming a star.
The Persister program, which features female-directed films about women speaking up and being heard, includes the world premieres of: Bangla Surf Girls, about three rebellious working-class teenage girls in Bangladesh who escape stifling family lives by riding waves and chasing a thrilling sense of freedom; Only the Ocean Between Us, an exploration of growing into adulthood amidst the uncertainty of displacement told through video letters between two Indigenous filmmakers in Lima, Peru, and two Syrian refugee filmmakers in Za-atari Camp, Jordan; Lady Buds, where we meet six small businesswomen seeking to break into California’s legal cannabis trade; and FANNY: The Right to Rock, the story of ferocious female rockers Fanny who, after shattering glass ceilings in the ’70s and amassing fans like David Bowie, reunite with a new record deal and a chance to rewrite history. The program will also feature the international premieres of: Fruits of Labor, a coming-of-age story about a California teenager who takes on multiple jobs after ICE raids in her community threaten to separate her family and force her to become the breadwinner; The Spokeswoman, the story of Maria de Jesus Patricio, the first Indigenous woman aspiring for the Mexican presidency whose revolutionary platform for unity is mired by structural racism; and La Madrina: The Savage Life of Lorine Padilla, in which the former ‘First Lady’ of the Savage Skulls gang emerges as a healer and matriarch, fiercely leading her South Bronx community through the perils of gentrification and gun violence.
The Systems Down program, featuring films that capture the zeitgeist in their calls for systemic change through stories of people challenging the status quo and seeking new paths forward, includes the world premieres of: It’s Not Over Yet, about a ‘controversial’ new treatment for dementia being practiced in a Danish retirement home that includes physical touch, hugs, talking, humour, and eye contact; Faceless, about four youth embroiled in protests against a controversial extradition bill during Hong Kong’s 2019 uprising; Dead Man’s Switch a Crypto Mystery, a riveting cryptocurrency thriller that unravels the story of a Canadian blockchain wizard who mysteriously died on his honeymoon and the fate of his investors’ millions; and The Face of Anonymous, a timely portrait of Commander X, an iconic and divisive figure in the “hacktivist” network. The program will also include the international premieres of: Apart, which tells the story of three mothers who return from prison to rebuild their lives and reconnect with their children; Generation Utøya, a look into the lives of the young people who survived Norway’s deadly 2011 terror attack on a Youth Labor Party event, and their continued fight against right-wing extremism; and Sieged: The Press vs. Denialism, about Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s relentless media campaign of misinformation about COVID-19, which has undermined the efforts of journalists to keep people safe and informed.
The Deep Dive program features two long-form documentaries told over multiple episodes. The program includes the international premieres of: Philly D.A., a gripping episodic saga that takes us into the offices of Philadelphia’s newly elected district attorney who, before his new appointment, spent 30 years suing police for misconduct as a civil rights attorney; and The Caviar Connection, a fascinating investigative series that exposes the dysfunctions of European institutions and the corrupt systems that bolster and launder the reputations of dictatorships in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The Markers program features experimental films that take bold liberties with the documentary form. Named in tribute to revolutionary filmmaker Chris Marker, the program includes the North American premieres of: Rift Finfinnee, which takes the viewer on a journey around the periphery of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, revealing its rapid urbanization, socioeconomic disparity and the blooming seeds of civil war; Zaho Zay, in which a young female guard in a Madagascar prison daydreams of her murderous father until an inmate brings frightening news about him; A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces, a beautiful cinematic letter from the filmmaker to her hometown of Wuhan and its evolving urban landscape. The program also features the Canadian premieres of: Users, a Sundance award-winning essay that ponders how our addiction to technology may end up changing us and our planet forever; Just a Movement, a vibrant tribute to West African revolutionary Omar Blondin Diop through the reimaging of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1967 film ‘La Chinoise’ in which he starred; and Her Socialist Smile, an experimental essay that resurrects the political imagination of the iconic deaf-blind author Helen Keller, a passionate socialist and disability rights advocate.
