Toronto, Canada – Hot Docs Cinema is furthering its dedication to showcasing the best in non-fiction cinema with the introduction of two new monthly series launching later this month.
Stories We Told is a Canadian documentary rewind series, presenting celebrated and award-winning Canadian documentary gems of the past. This new series, curated by Hot Docs Cinema lead programmer Vivian Belik, gives audiences an opportunity to rediscover acclaimed films and filmmaking talent in a theatrical setting, often with filmmakers or special guests in attendance. The series launches on Sunday, January 25, at 6:30 PM, with a 30th anniversary screening of Project Grizzly, Peter Lynch’s iconic 1996 doc that became a cultural phenomenon and one of the most celebrated Canadian documentaries of all time. Lynch will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion about the film, which gained cult status, praise from director Quentin Tarantino, and a loving parody on The Simpsons.
“Canada’s rich and influential documentary filmmaking history is something to be celebrated, and with Stories We Told, we’re looking to do just that,” said Vivian Belik, Lead Programmer, Hot Docs Cinema. “This Canadian doc rewind series seeks to reunite audiences with some of our country’s most iconic non-fiction titles, providing a rare opportunity for filmmakers to bring their work back to the big screen and to share—in-person whenever possible—their craft and their stories with the Hot Docs community.”
After launching this month with Project Grizzly, Stories We Told will continue in February with Unarmed Verses (2016), Charles Officer’s thoughtful and vivid portrait of a community facing imposed relocation, and in March the series will welcome Brett Story’s The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (2016), a film about the prison and its life in the American landscape. For more information on Stories We Told, visit hotdocs.ca/whats-on/cinema-series/stories-we-told
Also coming to Hot Docs Cinema is Jukedocs, a new monthly film series from the musical mind of award-winning writer and podcaster Niko Stratis. Jukedocs will bring to the screen a dynamic blend of boundary-pushing music docs, celebrating the stories that emerge from the foundational culture of our lives. The series launches on Saturday, January 31, at 7:00 PM with The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Jeff Feuerzeig’s captivating 2005 portrait of beloved, influential artist, Daniel Johnston, and his lifelong struggle with the all-too real demons that plagued him. Feuerzeig will participate in a virtual post-screening Q&A.
“Jukedocs is a series about music documentaries that explore beyond songs and their stories,” said Niko Stratis, Jukedocs programmer. “What has always been of interest to me is how music lingers in the world, how artists leave an indelible mark with their work and what it means for those who find it. I started with The Devil and Daniel Johnston because it is a doc that does exactly that—tells the story of a man, his music, his demons, the love he held, and examines what lasting impact it all had on the lives orbiting his own, and ours beyond it all.”
Niko Stratis is an award-winning writer and author of The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman. Along with Tuck Woodstock, Niko runs Girl Dad Press, an independent trans-led literary imprint that released the Lambda Award winning anthology 2 Trans 2 Furious, and Sex Change and The City. Niko is the co-host of The OC, Again, a podcast about The OC, alongside Alex Steed. She has won a Digital Publishing Award for Best Personal Essay, and her work regularly appears in outlets like Spin, Xtra, Paste Magazine and more.
For more information on Jukedocs, visit hotdocs.ca/whats-on/cinema-series/jukedocs
In addition to these two new monthly series, Hot Docs Cinema welcomes several special guests in attendance for screenings at the cinema in January.
On Friday, January 16 at 6:30 PM, join acclaimed filmmaker Atom Egoyan for a post-screening discussion with director Emily Mkrtichian following her film There Was, There Was Not, which tells the collective myth of a homeland lost forever—and four women’s resistance to that loss.
On Wednesday, January 14 at 6:30 PM, the Doc Soup monthly screening series welcomes director Joe Wein, who will take part in a post-screening discussion of his film 76 Days Adrift, a profoundly immersive documentary that plunges you into the heart of one man’s extraordinary survival story.
On Sunday, January 18 at 7:00 PM, director Hui Wang will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion following her film The Gardener and the Dictator, a profoundly intimate and quirky love story offers a unique glimpse into China’s tumultuous last century.
On Thursday, January 29 at 7:00 PM, TikTok sensation Celina Myers – @CelinaSpookyBoo – will be live on-stage to share her new book, Hollow, as part of the Author Talks series.
On Friday, January 30 at 7:00 PM, Tim Wu returns with childhood friend and fellow internet critic Cory Doctorow, for an Author Talks event and deep dive into the woes of the worldwide web.
As announced above, Peter Lynch will be in attendance for the series launch of Stories We Told on Sunday, January 25, at 6:30 PM, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Project Grizzly with a screening of the film and a post-screening discussion.
Additional programming highlights for January include BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions, which merges news clips, social media content, and cultural artifacts into a dynamic stream that reflects the richness of Black life; The Track, a coming-of-age journey of three friends chasing their improbable Olympic dreams in post-war Bosnia; The Python Hunt, which follows the conquests of several memorable competitors taking part in the Florida government’s annual invasive python removal contest in the Everglades; One-to-One: John & Yoko, a bold new take on a seminal time in the lives of two of history’s most influential artists, and Checkpoint Zoo, a daring mission to save thousands of animals trapped behind enemy lines during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The above films join the full line-up of screenings and events taking place this month at Hot Docs Cinema. For more of what’s on at Hot Docs Cinema, visit hotdocs.ca/whats-on/watch-cinema
