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Biography
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A Writer's Words
Tragic Hero
Pierre Rissient: Influential Cinephile
Painting a Family Portrait

Celebrities
Michael Moore on the road again
Demme & Moore docs in Special Presentations!
Yes, it's THAT Phil Donahue
Wyclef Plays at TIFF Party
Celebrities Exposed at Final Doc Talk

Cinematography
Night is not so dark
Reflections on "A Jihad for Love"
Lawrence Johnston heads deep into "Night"
Blindsight Opens Eyes and Hearts
ON CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ghosts of Cite Soleil

Directors
Herzog takes us to the South Pole
SHOWING DOC THE DOC
Reflections
Madina on Farmer's Requiem
Bill Maher on RELIGULOUS

Distribution
Doc Corner: Exchange of Ideas
Industry survey: W. Wilder Knight II
Industry survey: Cara Mertes, Sundance Doc Film Program
Industry survey: Jan Rofekamp & Diana Holtzberg, Films Transit
Industry survey: Peter Broderick, Paradigm Consulting

Editing
Last Minute Finishes
Another Fragment from Iraq

Free Speech
Read more on "Obscene"
TIFF picks from Renew Media's Brian Newman

Human Rights
Young Girls Speak Out
One trip to Iraq, three Real to Reel films
Pakistani Women’s Activist speaks at TIFF
Unorthodox Shooting on SHAME
Desi Docs: South Asian Sensations at TIFF

Humour
Play on Playa'
Sick Humor Makes Us Well

Memories
Back to Reality
Growing up on the Kibbutz
TIFF memory: US vs John Lennon
Memories of Summercamp! at TIFF 06
From TIFF to Congress race

Music
TIFF memory: US vs John Lennon
Getting Close to Philip in "Glass"
Wyclef Plays at TIFF Party
Kurt Cobain Speaks Out at TIFF
Yoko Sits in at Lennon Peace Film Premiere

Panels
Covering War
Complicated Lives
Living to the Fullest
Let's Talk about Darfur
Sunday School with Bill Maher and Larry Charles

Parties
Time to Relax and Mingle
TIFF picks from True/False's David Wilson
Memories of Summercamp! at TIFF 06
Celebrating Office Tigers
Docs Discussed Over Breakfast

Picks
The race begins!
TIFF picks from Michaelle McLean, Hot Docs Forum
Meet the Press
TIFF picks from Sean Farnel of Hot Docs
TIFF picks from Jonathan Rosenbaum

Politics
Read more on "Body of War"
Collaborating with Ariel Dorfman on "A Promise to the Dead"
From TIFF to Congress race
Yes, it's THAT Phil Donahue
Iranian Cinema Part of the Revolution

War & Conflict
Read more on "Body of War"
Collaborating with Ariel Dorfman on "A Promise to the Dead"
From TIFF to Congress race
Yes, it's THAT Phil Donahue
Former US Soldier Speaks at Premiere of Iraq films

Wavelengths
Wavelengths, part III
I'm writing to you from Kuala Lumpur...
Docs in Wavelengths, Part II
Exploring the world of Schindler's Houses
Docs push boundaries in Wavelengths

Feeds
Filtered by Topic: Picks
September 6, 2021
The race begins!
Posted By Heidy Morales At 7:58 AM
File under: Picks
As TIFF begins today, the race to see as many provocative and varied films also begins.

The line up at this year's Reel To Reel program promises to be varied, challenging, and educational. One of the major focus in this year's documentary line up is that of the social and political atmosphere in several countries around the globe.

It will be interesting to see how the films such as Darfur Now, (Don Cheadle; one of the major activists in the area pictured here)Rebellion: the...

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September 2, 2021
TIFF picks from Michaelle McLean, Hot Docs Forum
Posted By Thom Powers At 10:37 AM
File under: Picks
Michaelle McLean oversees the Toronto Documentary Forum, an annual spring event at Hot Docs where doc makers pitch their projects to broadcasters in front of an audience. It resembles a game show, but it's become an effective means for filmmakers to navigate the complex world of international co-productions. From her vantage point, McLean tracks docs long before they're finished. Here are her picks for docs at TIFF this year:

Yahoo, I'll be in town for almost all of TIFF for the first time in several years...

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September 1, 2021
Meet the Press
Posted By Thom Powers At 3:05 PM
File under: Picks
Click these links quick because they may turn into pay per views in the next couple weeks. Early previews of the Festival are starting to begin. Time magazine's dedicated cineaste Richard Corliss offers up his top ten titles to watch out for, including the doc Body of War. Roger Ebert jokes that he feels paralyzed looking at the new TIFF catalogue - the biggest ever - and all its offerings. The Toronto Star publishes its annual survey by Peter Howell of film insiders picking the most "buzz-worthy"...

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August 30, 2021
TIFF picks from Sean Farnel of Hot Docs
Posted By Thom Powers At 5:01 PM
File under: Picks
Sean Farnel was my esteemed predecessor as TIFF's doc programmer through the 2005 festival. Since then, he's been programming the Hot Docs festival in the spring. Last year he was out of town for most of TIFF. So this will be his first time enjoying the fest as a civilian. I asked him what he anticipates.

FARNEL: Of course I'm looking forward to seeing much of the doc programme (well, the ones I can squeeze in between Galas), but let me put in a little plug for a few of...

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August 28, 2021
TIFF picks from Jonathan Rosenbaum
Posted By Thom Powers At 3:10 PM
File under: Picks
Jonathan Rosenbaum is one of the most thoughtful film critics writing today. If want to read a penetrating essay on documentary, look to his pieces on "Crumb" in the book Movies as Politics; or "Fast, Cheap & Out of Control" in  Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons, among his other writings. Here he responds to our poll of doc aficianados identifying three titles that he anticipates in TIFF's 07 doc line-up.

1) USELESS (because I'm interested in everything Jia Zhangke does)

2)...

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August 17, 2021
TIFF picks from Renew Media's Brian Newman
Posted By Thom Powers At 12:17 PM
File under: Free Speech, Picks
Brian Newman is a shrewd observer of the documentary scene from his position as a funder at Renew Media and on his personal blog Spring Board Media . Here he shares his picks from this year's Real to Reel:

I always feel that the best thing about attending the Toronto International Film Festival is that I really can’t go wrong with the films I see. You can literally walk into any screening randomly (perhaps because another film sold out)...

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August 15, 2021
TIFF picks from Full Frame's Phoebe Brush
Posted By Thom Powers At 10:45 AM
File under: Picks
Phoebe Brush, a programmer for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, chimes in with her Real to Reel picks below. In the past year, I've enjoyed two collaborations with Full Frame. Last fall, they co-presented an evening with documentary pioneer Richard Leacock at the Stranger Than Fiction series I host in New York City. Then at their festival in April, I presented the first annual Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant to first time filmmakers Robin Hessman and Lee Lynch. The award is in memory of...

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August 14, 2021
TIFF picks from True/False's David Wilson
Posted By Thom Powers At 4:22 PM
File under: Parties, Picks
David Wilson, who collaborates with Paul Sturtz to program the plucky True/False Film Festival in Columbia, MO, weighs in with three picks from the Real to Reel titles announced so far. In this photo from TIFF 06, he appears with Blindsight director Lucy Walker at the aforementioned Summercamp! party (snapped by Indiewire). David says:

One of the great things about seeing the film lineup from a fest like Toronto is knowing that, as a viewer, you're...

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August 13, 2021
TIFF picks from Tom Hall
Posted By Thom Powers At 11:30 AM
File under: , Picks

We're back after a weekend break with a fresh answer to our survey of doc aficianados picking their three most anticipated titles from the TIFF list announced so far. (Remember more announcements coming on August 21). Today, we hear from Tom Hall, programmer for the Sarasota Film Festival and scribe of the well-written blog Back Row Manifesto. Tom says:

Thanks for the...

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August 10, 2021
TIFF picks from Anthony Kaufman
Posted By Thom Powers At 11:00 AM
File under: Picks
Anthony Kaufman writes with great commitment and insight about docs - and film in general - for the Wall Street Journal on-line, Indiewire, and his own blog. Last year he moderated one of TIFF's Doc Talks. Here he picks three doc titles that jump off the 2007 TIFF list. Make no mistake: cineastes love their Herzog (pictured).

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD Werner Herzog's resurgence in the annals of filmmaking -- and documentary-making -- is a wonder to behold....

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Spouting off on Doc Blog
Posted By Thom Powers At 12:12 AM
File under: Picks
Hey, Karina Longworth, I'm an avid reader of Spout blog and was just looking up your email address to ask your opinion of the 2007 Real to Reel line-up, when I saw that you beat me to it. Karina wrote a thoughtful posting about Doc Blog, including this comment:

No one’s asked me what I think, so of course I’m going to chime in anyway: the film on the Real to Reel program that I’m most looking forward to is probably Obscene, Neil Ortenberg and Daniel...

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August 9, 2021
TIFF picks from Agnes Varnum
Posted By Thom Powers At 10:49 AM
File under: Picks
Agnes Varnum writes with such enthusiasm and insight about documentaries on her blog "doc it out" that I asked her to identify the three TIFF docs she's most eager to see. Her picks:

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE by Arthur Dong (pictured)
Dong reminds me of Les Blank in some ways--he's out there doing his own thing, and while he has lots of awards, his fabulous body of work isn't that well known. This subject sounds intriguing and perhaps...

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August 8, 2021
TIFF picks from Sky Sitney
Posted By Thom Powers At 4:32 PM
File under: Picks
More documentaries will be announced for Festival's line-up at the August 21 press conference. Meanwhile, we continue to survey opinions on the first announcement. Sky Sitney, programmer for the Silverdocs Film Festival, submitted this list of three titles that she most anticipates:
 
SURFWISE (pictured)
We recently presented Doug Pray's BIG RIG at SILVERDOCS, where it was a huge hit. No matter what the subject - whether it be the Seattle grunge scene (HYPE!), hip-hop DJs (SCRATCH), or big rig truckers - Pray finds the unexpected in the material, reveals...

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TIFF picks from David Nugent
Posted By Thom Powers At 10:13 AM
File under: Picks
I asked other fest programmers to pick three docs they were most anticipating at TIFF this year. We already heard from Matt Dentler of SXSW. Now comes David Nugent (aka "the Nuge"), the handsome over-achiever (pictured here) who programs for two festivals: Newport International Film Festival and the Hamptons International Film Festival. And David's picks are:

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD Werner Herzog, USA
I echo what Matt said about this one. I can't wait to see it

OPERATION FILMMAKER Nina Davenport, USA
This is one that...

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August 2, 2021
Matt Dentler's TIFF picks
Posted By Thom Powers At 4:06 PM
File under: Picks
After announcing the Real to Reel line-up on Tuesday, I asked programmers from other film festivals to name three docs they were anticipating and why. The first response comes from Matt Dentler, an active blogger and programmer of the wonderful SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX:

1. ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Werner Herzog
I'll see anything Herzog does. But when it's his first big  
documentary after the brilliant GRIZZLY MAN, consider me first in line.

2. MY ENEMY'S ENEMY by Kevin Macdonald
Ditto what I said...

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September 16, 2021
More Internet Coverage of TIFF Docs
Posted By Thom Powers At 12:28 AM
File under: Picks
On Tuesday, Anthony Kaufman (left) interviewed Michael Tucker (The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair) in the first of the Doc Talks series, sponsored by HBO Documentary Films, held at Toronto's Fifth Elementt restaurant.

Kaufman wrote several dispatches from the festival for Indiewire, including this blog entry on Blindsight and Killer Within.

Here are other recent Internet reports on TIFF docs...

Dave Kehr reviews the Chinese documentary Dong

Twitch interviews director JT Petty on S&MAN.

Director AJ Schnack chronicles his TIFF...

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September 14, 2021
Bloggers Cover TIFF Docs From All Angles
Posted By Thom Powers At 8:29 AM
File under: Picks
Mainstream Internet reporters and bloggers have been going strong on docs at TIFF. Here are just a few of the sites with news and reviews.

David D'Arcy reports on the Dixie Chicks: Shut Up And Sing for Greencine. Earlier he covered The US vs John Lennon here.

Pictured: Dixie Chicks co-directors Cecilia Peck (left) and Barbara Kopple (right) flank band members Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Robison at yesterday's press conference for the film's world premiere Gala.

Sarah Jo Marks reflects on The...

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September 13, 2021
VARIETY: "Stars Left in Docs Dust"
Posted By Thom Powers At 3:20 PM
File under: Picks
Today, Variety reporter Steven Zeitchik writes about the dominance of documentaries at this year's TIFF. The piece begins...

It's political docs and genre pics that are making noise in Toronto -- and the stars who are getting left behind.

In the second notable deal for a political pic in two days, Abu Ghraib expose "The Prisoner, or: How I Tried to Kill Tony Blair," [above] pacted with Netflix in a deal that will see movie get theatrical distribution through an as-yet undetermined partner.

Movie will be released in the spring to...

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September 7, 2021
Early Rave for GHOSTS OF CITÉ SOLEIL
Posted By doc blog reporter At 12:11 AM
File under: War & Conflict, Picks
Todd McCarthy wrote a wrap-up of the Telluride Film Festival for Variety. Here's what he had to say about the sneak preview of a film that will have its official world premiere at TIFF...

"One docu ... that grabbed viewers by the throat and wouldn't let go: Asger Leth's Ghosts of Cité Soleil, a film whose very existence is amazing as it portrays up close and first-hand the lives of gun-waving Haitian gang leaders in the world's worst slum."
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September 4, 2021
Globe and Mail Tip Sheet
Posted By Thom Powers At 2:35 PM
File under: Picks
Globe and Mail writer Guy Dixon surveyed Canadian notables about the TIFF films they're awaiting.

Sook-Yin Lee, star of John Cameron Mitchell's much-discussed Shortbus, highlighted the doc Yokohama Mary (right). Read more here.

Lee will serve as the moderator of a discussion between Mitchell John Waters for the Mavericks session on Vanguard Cinema.
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Toronto Star Industry Picks
Posted By Thom Powers At 2:02 PM
File under: Picks
The Toronto Star critic Peter Howell polled several industry luminaries about the TIFF films they're most looking forward to seeing. There were 49 picks in all. Here are some of the documentaries named...

[Right : Sugar Curtain, one of B. Ruby Rich's picks to watch]

Matt Dentler, festival producer, South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival:

Kurt Cobain About A Son, AJ Schnack: "I've been following this film for months and, in so many ways, it sounds like an amazing anti-rockumentary.

Office Tigers, Liz Mermin: "An East meets West look at...

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September 3, 2021
Toronto Star's Early Festival Round-Up
Posted By Thom Powers At 10:28 AM
File under: Picks
The Toronto Star's movie critics Peter Howell and Geoff Pevere, joined by Malene Arpe, Peter Goddard, Martin Knelman, John Terauds and Susan Walker, have previewed 80 of the entries at the Toronto International Film Festival here. Below are some of their doc entries....

[Left: from Allan King's new documentary EMPz 4 Life]

Deliver Us From Evil To the adoring and faithful members of his various California parishes, Roman Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady was simply "Father Ollie," a man they could count on. And so it went for some 30 years, until the public learned...

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August 22, 2021
Final Titles Announced
Posted By Thom Powers At 1:21 PM
File under: Picks
Adrian Grenier will be coming to TIFF with his deeply personal documentary Shot in the Dark (left). That was one of seven new titles announced at TIFF's major press conference held today near Toronto's City Hall. These titles round out the rest of the Real to Reel line-up announced in July.

Grenier, best known as an actor for his starring role in HBO's Entourage, shows off his skills as a director in this first person documentary about searching for his father, who was a distant figure...

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