Hot Docs has unveiled the full lineup for its 2019 edition and it’s set to be an exciting one for women filmmakers. According to a press release, the festival will present 234 films and 18 interdisciplinary projects from 56 countries — and 54 percent of the project directors are women.
The fest will open with “nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up,” Tasha Hubbard’s examination of racism in the Canadian legal system. “nîpawistamâsowin” is part of Hot Docs’ competitive Canadian Spectrum program, which spotlights works from Canadian filmmakers.
Another woman-helmed Canadian Spectrum title is Ingrid Veninger’s “The World of Nothing,” a portrait of two brothers who migrate from Cuba to Spain in order to become internet stars.
Among the films screening as part of the competitive International Spectrum program are Nicole Schafer’s “Buddha in Africa” and Pailin Wedel’s “Hope Frozen.” The former is the story of a Malawian boy growing up in a Chinese Buddhist orphanage and his struggle to reconcile his two cultures. The latter is a portrait of a bereaved Bangkok family and their controversial choice to cryopreserve a deceased loved one.
Hot Docs will host the Persister program this year, a showcase of women-directed films “about women speaking up and being heard.” Featured titles include Claudia Sparrow’s “Maxima,” tracing the conflict between an Indigenous Peruvian woman and a multi-billion-dollar mining corporation, and Pachi Bustos’ “Haydee and the Flying Fish,” centering on a Pinochet regime survivor as she waits for a possibly game-changing court verdict to come in.
Julia Ivanova’s work will be honored during Hot Docs’ Focus On program. The film series will screen docs Ivanova made throughout her career, such as “Family Portrait in Black and White,” “Limit Is the Sky,” and “Love Translated.” The program will also feature the world premiere of her latest project, “My Dads, My Moms and Me,” which sees the filmmaker returning to catch up with the four gay men raising children she chronicled in 2007’s “Fatherhood Dreams.”
As previously announced, Julia Reichert will receive Hot Docs’ Outstanding Achievement Award, and the fest’s Special Presentations slate includes Phyllis Ellis’ “Toxic Beauty” and Rachel Lears’ “Knock Down the House.”
Hot Docs will be held April 25-May 5 in Toronto. Head over to the fest’s website for more information and to purchase passes.
