Hot Docs 2014: Films to Watch
We are just a couple days a way from the start of the 2014 edition of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. I have been quite busy over the course of the last month preparing my self for my coverage of the festival, which is shaping up to be the most in-depth film festival coverage I have ever done. Before my coverage officially begins tomorrow, I thought that I will take the time and offer some early recommendations, all of which are playing within the first few days of the festival. I shall start off with the the festival’s opening film The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, which is well worth checking out. While, the opening night and Big Ideas screenings of the film have gone rush, there still seem to be tickets available for the screening of the film on Friday afternoon. The Overnighters is a film that has been receiving a lot of advanced buzz and is already generating Oscar talk. Tickets are still currently available for all three screenings, including the premiere on Friday night. Also, if you are a fan of the TV show Community, you should check out the film Harmontown, playing late-night on Friday. If you are a fan of nerd and geek culture, Saturday night at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema is the place to be, with the triple bill of To Be Takei, The Sheik, and Doc of the Dead. While the first two have gone rush, there are still tickets available for the zombie doc. Another recommendation for Saturday is Denis Côté’s Joy of Man’s Desiring. If you are looking for a film to watch on Sunday night, I’d recommend either David & Me, Meet the Patels or Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. Arguably the headliner of the festival is the Hot Docs Live presentation of Super Duper Alice Cooper. While the premiere screening on Monday (with Cooper in attendance) has gone rush, there are still tickets available for the repeat screenings. One of the more interesting selections this year is the art forgery story Art and Craft, of which tickets are still available for the premiere on Tuesday night. Finally, I would recommend checking out Sleepless in New York on Wednesday, just make sure to bring some tissues.
