Docs opening this week

Cat people, rejoice! A purrrfect documentary prowls into theatres this week at Kedi hits the screen. This ‘catumentary’ profiles the street cats of Istanbul, Turkey and the surrogate owners who tend to them. The doc lets audiences take a tour of the city from a cat’s eye view and the perspective is a surprisingly life-affirming lesson on kindness and compassion. Kediis sure to be one the year’s best docs. Read the POV review of Kedi here.

Fans of Tickled might want to catch this week’s other new opener My Scientology Movie from John Dowler and Louis Theroux. In the vein of Tickled, this doc takes a comical investigation into a secretive pocket of society as the filmmakers probe the controversial Church of Scientology. More enjoyable than enlightening, this darkly funny exposé invites more questions than answers and offers far more laughs on the subject than one finds in Alex Gibney’s recent doc Going Clear. Read the POV review of My Scientology Movie here.

February’s offering for Doc Soup Sundays at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema is Floyd Norman: An Animated Life. The film pays tribute to prolific animator Floyd Norman in a fun talking heads piece that lets the iconoclastic octogenarian tell his story as Disney’s first African-American animator working on hits such as Sleeping Beauty and Mary Poppins. The doc is a smart serving for Doc Soup given that it’s both Black History Month and one week until the Academy Awards. An Animated Life is necessary viewing in the era of #OscarsSoWhite. Read the POV review of Floyd Norman: An Animated Life.

On the Canadian front, the Gordon Pinsent doc River of My Dreams expands to additional markets, while KONELĪNE: our land beautiful lands in Ottawa at the ByTowne for a fundraiser event.

Opening this Week:

All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone
Dir. Fred Peabody | Canada | 91 min.
-Ottawa, ON: Landmark Kanata – Fri, Feb. 17 – Thurs, Feb. 23
-Whitby, ON: Landmark Whitby – Fri, Feb. 17 – Thurs, Feb. 23

Floyd Norman: An Animated Life
Dir. Michael Fiore, Erik Sharkey | USA | 94 min.
-Toronto, ON: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema – Sun, Feb. 19
—>Filmmaker Michael Fiore will be in attendance for a Skype Q&A with Floyd Norman.

Kedi
Dir. Ceyda Torun | Turkey/USA | 79 min.
-Toronto, ON: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema – Fri, Feb. 17 – Wed, Feb. 22
—>Family Day special: Tickets are free for those 16 and under on Monday, February 20.

KONELĪNE: our land beautiful
Dir. Nettie Wild | Canada | 96 min.
-Ottawa, ON: ByTowne Cinema – Wed, Feb. 22

My Scientology Movie
Dir. John Dowler and Louis Theroux | UK | 100 min.
-Toronto, ON: Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema – Fri, Feb. 17 – Thurs, Feb. 23

The River of My Dreams: A Portrait of Gordon Pinsent
Dir. Brigitte Berman | Canada | 104 min.
-Calgary, AB: Cineplex Eau Claire – Fri, Feb. 17 – Wed, Feb. 22
-Halfiax, NS: Cineplex Park Lane – Fri, Feb. 17 – Tues, Feb. 21
-Ottawa, ON: South Keys – Fri, Feb. 17 – Wed, Feb. 22
-Vancouver, BC: Cineplex Park Lane – Fri, Feb. 17 – Tues, Feb. 21.

Retro Screenings:

Good Hair
Dir. Jeff Stilson | USA | 2009 | 96 min.
-Edmonton, AB: Metro Cinema – Mon, Feb. 20

Last Chance
Dir. Paul Émile d’Entremont | Canada | 2012 | 84 min.
-Ottawa, ON: Mayfair Theatre – Thurs, Feb. 23
—>Panel discussion with representatives from Ottawa LGBTQ and refugee organizations to follow.
—>FREE!

Pina
Dir. Wim Wenders | Germany/France | 103 min.
-Winnipeg, MB: Winnipeg Cinematheque – Fri, Feb. 17

Rivers & Tides
Dir. Thomas Riedelsheimer | Germany/Finland/UK/Canada | 90 min.
-Cobourg, ON: Cobourg Loft – Fri, Feb. 17

Enjoy a week at the movies!

Via: POV Magazine