Hot Docs 2010 Day 10 - Saturday May 8, 2010

Day 10 we were surrounded by shifty weather started with a real temperature drop and wind and even rain to (though thankfully I missed it). But the festival was awesome, and with the bad weather opened the theatres early when they could. That was sweet - being able to relax in the theatre while it was all craziness outside.

Rather watch & listen? Check out my Day 10 Vlog


Hot Docs prog Gisèle Gordon with Gaea Girls co-director Kim Longinotto

Gaea Girls
Dir: Kim Longinotto & Jano Williams
UK/Japan, 2000

One of the programs at this years Hot Docs is the Outstanding Achievement Retrospective honouring Kim Longinotto, which showcased 10 of her films and after seeing Gaea Girls I am kicking myself that it's the only one I got out to. All of the films in the program feature girls & women, and in the case of Gaea Girls showcases the training process and performances professional Japanese female wrestlers. Now, this is something you don't see every day - the relentless and often brutal training of these girls is almost indescribable. Often times you could feel the audience just wanted the process to stop, to let up, but they didn't - they girls kept going. In a lot of ways it was extremely inspiring to see their strength and resilience, but could also be very challenging to watch. They are a phenomenal forces to be reckoned with and I know I'd certainly never want to face them in the ring! A truly unique viewing experience.

See selections from the Gaea Girls Intro and Q&A with director Kim Longinotto here




Hot Docs programmer Gisèle Gordon with Leave Them Laughing director John Zaritsky and Carla Zilbersmith's son MacLen

Leave Them Laughing
Dir: John Zaritsky
Canada/USA

Leave Them Laughing was one of several films this year that I would not have considered seeing if I hadn't seen a clip of the film which showed amazing humour and awareness in the wake of dealing with illness. I didn't think this could be possible, but the film surprizes us again and again. A portrait on Carla Zilbersmith, performer, singer, actor after she's been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), whom is committed to continue living her life with humour even through the challenges. It was so inspired to see her face everything with honesty and awareness, making fun of everything along with way from really bad death jokes to international condoms to everything and anything in between. This film make me laugh & cry more than any other at the festival this year and is a true example of that we can't always control what happens in our lives, but we can certainly control out outlook and Carla chose to do so with laughter and that is a beautiful thing. Truly inspiring & powerful, it's no suprize this documentary is already winning awards. I highly recommend checking it out.

See more about Carla at her blog Carlamuses



To see more about the festival screenings check out the festival schedule online at the Hot Docs website or purchase tickets at the online box office.

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival runs from April 29 - May 9, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada