Docs opening in Canada this week

Get ready to tour the most beautiful house in Toronto with the theatrical release of popular Hot Docs hit Integral Man. Integral House opens its doors to director Joseph Clement, who offers a silent walking tour of this meticulously and musically composed feat of architecture tucked away in Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood. The film profiles the home’s late owner Jim Stewart simply by giving the audience a full appreciation of the home that the mathematician, musician, and philanthropist left behind. Clement makes sumptuous use of natural light thanks to the unique design of glass and open space of Integral House. Intergral Man emphasizes free movement through this space with cinematography that draws inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Mark Lewis’s experimental works. This unconvenitonal biography gives audiences an all-seeing eye that explores the home and evokes a meditative reflection on life and legacy as Stewart’s spirit hangs throughout the rooms. Read more about Integral Man in the feature ‘The Freshmen.’

Doc fans looking for comic relief in the era of fake news will want to catch Tickling Giants, Sara Taksler’s film about Bassem Youssef, aka ‘The Jon Stewart of Egypt’ and his fight for free speech in the face of censorship. This funny and timely documentary illustrates the power of satire to challenge and destabilize elected officials as Youssef finds his late night comedy programme The Show drawing increased scrutiny from executives at the station. “Taksler balances enlightenment and entertainment with a hand that should do the late night comedy crowd proud,” we wrote in the POV review for Tickling Giants. “The director takes a note from her subject and knows realises that the best way to connect to an audience is through humanity and humour.” Read the POV review of Tickling Giants here.

Doc fans on the west coast will want to catch the Best of Hot Docs series at the Vancity Theatre, which includes festival favourites such as Whitney: Can I Be Me?, Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World, Chasing Coral, and Ramen Heads.

Opening this Week:

The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Photography
Dir. Errol Morris | USA | 75 min.
-Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13
-Victoria, BC: Cinecenta – Wed, July 12 – Thurs, July 13

Bill Frisell: A Portrait
Dir. Emma Franz | Australia | 114 min.
-Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13

Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees
Dir. Jeff McKay | Canada | 85 min.
-Toronto, ON: TIFF Bell Lightbox – Thurs, July 13
—>Introduced by scientist/author Diana Beresford Kroeger

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Dir. John Scheinfeld | USA | 99 min.
-Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13

Chasing Coral
Dir. Jeff Orlowski | USA | 98 min.
-Toronto, ON: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema – Thurs, July 13
—>Associate professor Julia Baum from the University of Victoria, Department of Biology will participate in a post-screening Skype Q&A.

The Gardener
Dir. Sébastien Chabot | Canada | 88 min.
-Kingston, ON: The Screening Room – Sat, July 8; Thurs, July 13
-Kitchener-Waterloo: Princess Cinemas – Tues, July 11 – Thurs, July 13
-London, ON: Hyland Cinema – Sat, July 8 – Sun, July 9; Tues, July 11; Thurs, July 13
-Ottawa, ON: Mayfair Theatre – Sat, July 8 – Sun, July 9

In the Name of All Canadians
Dir. Ariel Nasr & Aisha Jamal; Patrick Reed & Andréa Schmidt; Karen Chapman; Khoa Le; Jérémie Wookey, Annick Marion; Vivian Belik | Canada | 88 min.
-Guelph, ON: Bookshelf Cinema – Thurs, July 13
-Vancouver, BC: Vancity Theatre – Tues, July 11

Integral Man
Dir. Joseph Clement | Canada | 62 min.
-Toronto, ON: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13
—>Features select guests after screenings on July 7-9

Kedi
Dir. Ceyda Torun | Turkey/USA | 79 min.
-Montreal, QC: Cinema Beaubien – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13
-Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13

Kiki
Dir. Sara Jordeno | USA | 96 min.
-Victoria, BC: Cinecenta – Sun, July 9 – Mon, July 10

Manifesto
Dir. Julian Rosefeldt | Australia/Germany | 95 min.
-Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13
-Toronto, ON: Carlton Cinema – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13

Mermaids
Dir. Ali Weinstein | Canada | 80 min.
-Regina, SK: Regina Public Library Theatre – Fri, July 7 – Sun, July 9
-Victoria, BC: The Vic – Fri, July 7 – Sun, July 9

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
Dir. Morgan Neville | USA | 96 min.
-Cobourg, ON: Cobourg Loft – Mon, Sept. 10

Quebec My Country Mon Pays
Dir. John Walker | Canada | 90 min.
-Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13

Strangers on the Earth
Dir. Tristan Cooke | USA | 90 min.
-Cobourg, ON: Cobourg Loft – Wed, July 12
-Winnipeg, MB: Winnipeg Cinematheque – Fri, July 7 – Sun, July 9; Wed, July 12

Tickling Giants
Dir. Sara Taksler | USA | 111 min.
-Toronto, ON: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema – Fri, July 7 – Thurs, July 13

Retro Screenings:

Jandek On Corwood
Dir. Chad Freidrichs | USA | 2003 | 89 min.
-Edmonton, AB: Metro Cinema – Tues, July 11

Monterey Pop
Dir. D.A. Pennebaker | USA | 1968 | 78 min.
-Cobourg, ON: Cobourg Loft – Fri, July 7
-Kitchener-Waterloo: Princess Cinemas – Thurs, July 13
-Vancouver, BC: Vancouver Cinematheque – Fri, July 7 – Sun, July 9; Wed, July 12
-Victoria, BC: Cinecenta – Tues, July 11

Stop Making Sense
Dir. Jonathan Demme | USA | 1984 | 88 min.
-Montreal, QC: Cinema du Parc – Fri, July 7 – Sun, July 9

This Movie is Broken
Dir. Bruce McDonald | Canada | 2010 | 85 min.
-Toronto, ON: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema – Sat, July 8

West Wind: The Vision Of Tom Thomson
Dir. Michèle Hozer, Peter Raymont | Canada | 2012 | 95 min.
-Ottawa, ON: ByTowne Cinema – Sat, July 8

Via: POV Magazine