Hot Docs 2009 Day 9 - Friday May 8, 2009

Day 9 was all about putting the pieces together as the day started of one way and switched gears to another rather quickly. Amazing that both of the films of the evening also had themes of combining efforts!

Rather watch than listen? Check out my Day 9 Vlog!


pereSTROIKA - reCONSTRUCTION of a Flat director Christiane Büchner

pereSTROIKA - reCONSTRUCTION of a Flat / PERESTROIKA - UMBAU EINER WOHNUNG
Dir: Christiane Büchner
Germany

The process of moving is never an easy one, so many options to weigh and usually it requires making decisions before having all the information that you'd like. Now, imagine trying to move but have 4 groups of people that are all involved in the process and require agreement to make it happen. This is the take of pereSTROIKA - reCONSTRUCTION of a Flat where a series of room owners (yes, owners - not tenants. Of rooms.) embark on the journey to sell their flat. The result is a jovial stride to a collective goal even though not all steps along the way are happy ones, everyone does wish to create for themselves a brighter future.

Highlights with Q&A with pereSTROIKA - reCONSTRUCTION of a Flat director Christiane Büchner
-at the fall of the Soviet Union you recieved the deed to the living space, and if that was a room (like in the film) you got a deed to a room
-when they researched the project it was possible to go from a room to a small flat to increase your living situation but soon after afterwards this was not possible
-the music from the film came from 2 composers and a choir


One of Another Perfect World directors Femke Wolting with Hot Docs Programmer Angie Driscoll

Another Perfect World
Dirs: Jorien van Nes & Femke Wolting
The Netherlands

With 70 million people worldwide visiting a virtual world daily, Another Perfect World asks the immenent question of how the virtual world and real world interact or in cases collide. Focusing on an economic and social level we see trending patterns in virtual worlds and how they effect people behaviour in real world from buying products or services from one world to another to forming relationships beyond the screen. I've seen a fair amount of films on gaming and was impressed by Another Perfect World as it takes it's subject seriously but not without humour. Many films on gaming tend to highlight some of the oddness of gamers, but not here where they are shown as they are, often as professionals, business owners and gaming participants. With the focus on games like Eve and Second Life that have, or have developed a social, economic and/or political structure from within, interesting analogies are formed especially depending on the games depth of control by the game masters. It's a pretty comprehensive look at the worlds growing around us from the point of view of gamers, sellers and developers. Impressive all around.

Another Perfect World website

Highlights with Q&A with one of Another Perfect World director Femke Wolting
- No patterning was found between gamers in terms of being the same or opposite of extroverted or introvered when online vs. offline
- When creating there own online governments, they tend to replicate the governement of the country they are in
- There are economists involved in the online worlds to watch and experiement with the online economies



Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival ran from April 30 - May 10, 2009 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada