The passion of those who dedicated themselves to a career in magic is explored in Magicians: Life in the Impossible. For many people, it can be hard to comprehend a career in magic as a way to make a living. However, there are a number of individuals who are prepared to make enormous sacrifices in […]
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Returning to Hot Docs this year is DocX, which consists of a variety of interactive installations, and virtual reality and 360° video experiences. I ventured into the upper floor of Hot Docs House (610 Markham Street) and tried out a number of this year’s DocX experiences. Cardboard Crash (Canada) Presented by the NFB, this Virtual Reality experience
CIA agents conspire to fake the moon landing in Operation Avalanche. Matt Johnson and Owen Williams are two 1960s-era CIA agents, who are assigned to infiltrate NASA under the guise of a documentary crew, with the objective to find a Russian mole within the agency. When Matt listens into a phone call by director James Webb,
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A man with Asperger’s Syndrome spent more than 30 years impersonating train conductors in Off the Rails. Since childhood, Darius McCollum has loved trains. Trains were a place where he could find solace from the bullying he experienced in school. He befriended the subway operators in New York City and at the age of 15 he
American gun culture is dissected in Under the Gun. In the aftermath of mass shootings, such as the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, there is a push for more strict gun control laws in the United States. However, guns rights lobbiests fight against such rulings, since it is their constitutional right to bear arms and they
The hunger strike of Irish Republican Bobby Sands is recounted in Bobby Sands: 66 Days. By 1981, the troubles in Northern Ireland have been going on for more than two decades. Imprisoned IRA members, such as Bobby Sands, demanded to be considered political prisoners, rather than common criminals. Inspired by ancient Gaelic laws, Sands and
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The mistreatment of refugees seeking asylum in Australia is revealed in Chasing Asylum. Australia has some of the harshest asylum policies in the world, with the country being ranked 67th in refugee intake. With politicians in the country determined to stop “illegal asylum seekers” from arriving to Australia via boat, those seeking asylum are sent
Werner Herzog examines our increasingly technology dependent world in Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World. It is hard to remember a world without the Internet. First created at UCLA in 1969 as a means of connecting with distant computers, the Internet has become ingrained into every aspect of human society. Despite the many
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The cultural impact of the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz is explored in The Slippers. While gathering items for MGM’s famed 1970 auction, costumer Kent Warner discovered the original ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, which sold at the action for $15,000 and was later donated to the Smithsonian Museum. However, the story doesn’t
An autistic man strives to be a pinball champion in Wizard Mode. Robert Gagno is one of the world’s best pinball players, who dreams of one day being the best in the world. Robert also happens to be a man on the autistic spectrum, which results in many challenges in his life, such as finding employment
