Hot Docs 2017: ‘Spookers’ and ‘Tu as crié LET ME GO’
Spookers (DIR. Florian Habicht) Spookers focuses on the Watsons, a New Zealand family who has run one of the most successful scare attractions out of an old psychiatric ward.
Spookers (DIR. Florian Habicht) Spookers focuses on the Watsons, a New Zealand family who has run one of the most successful scare attractions out of an old psychiatric ward.
Mermaids (DIR. Ali Weinstein) Mermaids takes on real-life issues and shows the beneficial qualities of becoming a real-life mermaid.
Israeli filmmaker Shimon Dotan’s previous efforts have earned him recognition in his home country, where he has won nine Israeli Academy Awards for his work as a writer, producer, and director. Though most of his films are narrative-based, the documentary Hot House (2006) earned acclaim when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Canadian documentary Perfume War captures the story of modern revolutionist Barb Stegemann and how she turned her compassion towards an intimidating circumstance into a passion that helped a country and an industry.
David Fairhead’s Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo shifts its focus from astronauts, and directs it to scientists, engineers, and technicians who played an essential role behind-the-scenes in the success of the Apollo era space program. These are the men that made the moon landing happen from back on earth, but their efforts are rarely as celebrated or glamorized as those of astronauts such as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Let me ask you something: would you like to know more about filmmaker David Lynch? It’s a pivotal question that will make make-or-break your experience watching David Lynch – The Art Life.
What is a settler? An extremist? A visionary fulfilling a spiritual mission? A murderer? An invader? According to the most basic definition offered by Shimon Dotan’s The Settlers, a settler is someone who has built their home “in an area over which the State of Israel has no sovereignty”.
Comedians have it good. Just recently, they were given a master class by multiple jokesters in Dying Laughing, a doc that gave an up-close-and-personal view of comedy. Now, they can watch The Last Laugh, a terrific documentary about how soon is “too soon”.
Dying Laughing, a documentary about the ups and downs of careers in comedy, is chock full of talent. Billy Connolly, Dave Attell, Amy Schumer, Rick Overton, Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Lewis, Chris Rock, and the late Garry Shandling are just some of the famous faces interviewed.