“Microplastics are possibly the most serious type of pollutant our society has ever created.” That’s quite an opening statement from Rick Smith, executive producer of Plastic People, a new documentary that explores how every human on earth became pol

“THIS IS A CAREER-CHANGING FILM FOR ME,” proclaims filmmaker Shannon Walsh while reflecting on her new documentary Adrianne & the Castle (2024). An award-winning filmmaker, author, and educator known for her films that cover a range of topics that sp

IF THERE’S ANYTHING MORE FUN to write about than movies, it’s wine. Critiquing the perfect wine—taking a deep sniff, swirling the glass to let the air release the depth of flavour, and indulging in its bouquet—offers great practice for exploring crea

EAGERLY ANTICIPATED documentaries by Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard and Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson are finally being released this spring. Hubbard and Jackson take Indigenous experts as their subjects, one focusing on the conservation of buffal

THE STORY OF NORWEGIAN DEMOCRAZY might be specific to one nation, but its message about freedom of speech is universal. The film, which screens in The Changing Face of Europe, a partnership between European Film Promotion and Hot Docs, offers a rivet

EVERY YEAR, IN EVERY AMERICAN STATE, the American Legion invites groups of young people to form a mock government. Part summer camp, part political nerd-fest, the event comes complete with campaign posters and speeches, elections, and the passage of

AS DOC BEGINS ITS 41ST YEAR, our sector is in the midst of several seismic shifts: massive cuts at TVA, CBC/SRC and Bell, restructuring at the NFB, a slowdown at American streamers, not to mention the ongoing overhaul of the broadcasting sector. All

I MET LEONARDO TELLO AT A FESTIVAL of censored films in Lima, Peru’s smog-ridden capital city. It was a laid-back event in a bohemian neighborhood. Audience members lounged on blankets on the grass and directors sat on a broken-down sofa drinking bee

LET US NOW PRAISE Charles Officer, a lovely talent with a generous soul who left us way too soon. Director, writer, actor, model, hockey player—what couldn’t he do? Those who met him were in awe of his talent, but he was too gentle a person to lord i

FOR BRETT STORY, it’s all about connection. She makes documentaries to connect to her subjects, to help audiences connect to ideas, and, most important, to connect her viewers to possibilities for political change. And when it comes to the last, she’

“When we return to the water, a primitive reflex reignites, making us all natural-born freedivers.” So begins 7 Beats Per Minute (2024), a film that sees freediving not only as an extreme sport that challenges physical limitations, but also a transfo

I WAIT UNTIL THE END OF MY INTERVIEW with Ken Lum to ask about a comparison he had made over a decade ago. In a 2011 interview, the eminent photographer had said, regarding the early days of his artistic practice: “To me, at the time, conceptual art

ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY, the new film by Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, bears wit-ness to terrifying, transcendent beauty. Through a vibrant blend of archival clips, interviews, contemporary footage, and unique rotoscope anima

I HAVE JUST DIRECTED A FILM which has inadvertently become the most personal that I’ve made by far. What was to have been a glowing tribute to the greatest of all classical composers took a violent turn that has affected me and all of my family in a

FOR DECADES, producer Ina Fichman has brought to life some of the most powerful and successful documentaries to come out of this country. From her extensive work documenting the complexities of the Middle East, through rock docs celebrating iconic ba

DISTINCT PERSPECTIVES are molded on the East Coast. Director John Walker, one of DOC’s founders who now lives in Nova Scotia, cites many driving factors for our independent ways: a spirited storytelling tradition, a density of educational institution

“I TAKE DOCUMENTING THINGS TO THE EXTREME,” says Vancouver-based filmmaker Kat Jayme. “I don’t just document things through film and photos. I write things down. I can tell you what I did every day since I was in grade 8.” The practice of documenting

SPEAKING at the University of Toronto’s Innis Town Hall this summer, Canadian media artist Mike Hoolboom articulated the ethos behind his newest film Waves, an aesthetically restless mix of 16mm found-footage documentary, experimental cinema, and ess

ONE COULD ARGUE that the Documentary Organization of Canada’s greatest achievement in its 40 years is the creation of Hot Docs in 1993. Ask veteran DOC members about the early days of Hot Docs, which has operated as an independent entity since 1996,

GRÂCE À L’INVENTION DU CINÉMA DIRECT qui a donné lieu à des œuvres majeures comme Pour la suite du monde de Pierre Perrault dans les années 1960, le documentaire est associé de près à la naissance du cinéma québécois. Outre sa contribution à l’animat

IT’S AN UNDERSTATEMENT to say that, from the moment of its formation in 1983, the Canadian Independent Film Caucus (renamed DOC in 2003) was hardwired to become a cultural lobby force. Its focus was as much on matters of policy as it was on figuring

FOUR YEARS ON from a game-changing global pandemic, members of the Ontario chapter of DOC, the organization’s oldest and largest, find themselves in a challenging place. With inflation stinging, broadcasters downsizing, and distributors retrenching,

ARTIFACTS are wonderfully problematic. They are liminal entries: physically present, but what do they represent? In this case, the image you see beside this note is of the CIFC’s newsletter for the 1988 Festival of Festivals (now TIFF). To Rudy Butti