Brigitte Truong hosts The Watchlist. When she isn’t hobnobbing with celebrity film-makers she’s spreading her cheer online. Here are her top 9 picks for Hot Docs 2015!
WORLD SHOWCASE: While their mother is imprisoned, young Toto and his teenaged sisters strive to raise themselves in this raw and astonishing look at drug abuse, lost innocence, and the dawning realization of a world of possibilities beyond a Bucharest slum. Directed by Alexander Nanau.WORLD SHOWCASE: A Korean husband and wife known as the “100-year-old lovebirds” inhabit a fairy-tale romance; but with love comes loss, and as death looms over one, the other holds tightly, not ready to let go. Directed by Moyoung Jun.WORLD SHOWCASE: Florida Justice transitions trailer park is home to 120 convicted sex offenders. With unprecedented access, this Sundance winner exposes unspeakable acts and tragedies and questions whether, even in this sheltered community, freedom can, or should, exist. Directed by Lasse Barkfors and Frida Barkfors.
WORLD SHOWCASE: Brutally kidnapped at 14, a young Guatemalan woman survives when many others do not. Now her family and those of other victims are bravely fighting back and demanding justice amidst a chilling climate of violence and impunity. Directed by Jean-Cosme Delaloye.NEXT: This moving and fascinating portrait of pioneer DJ AM takes us through his meteoric rise to stardom, long-time battle with addiction, dedication to recovery and miraculous plane crash survival less than a year before his untimely death. Directed by Kevin Kerslake.SCREEN ON SCREEN: Legendary actor Marlon Brando recounts his life through his private audio tapes in this beautifully crafter and highly artistic portrait that allows the viewer inside the mind of the elusive and acclaimed movie icon. Directed by Stevan Riley.NEXT: When a four-year-old boy is diagnosed with terminal cancer, his father begins working on a new kind of video game to honour the life of his son: a profound and immersive virtual experience of hope. Directed by Malika Zouhali-Worrall and David Osit.CANADIAN SPECTRUM: Passion, talent and tragedy combine in the performances of five transient musicians who busk for change on Toronto’s streets. Their songs of survival and stories of life on the margins deeply resonate, with help from The Parachute Club’s Lorraine Segato. Directed by Shelley Saywell.WORLD SHOWCASE: As the Mexican drug wars rage on, thousands of mothers ceaselessly search for their children who’ve vanished in the senseless conflict.Choosing different paths, three brave mothers confront the uncertaintyof their inquiries in this powerful film. Directed by Alicia Calderón.
