6 hot takes on Hot Docs 2016
q has been taking a closer look at some of the films at Hot Docs this year. Listen to our conversations with the creators and subjects of the documentaries.
Here at q we've been taking a deeper look at some of the amazing documentaries at this year's Hot Docs Festival in Toronto. We spoke with the filmmakers and subjects of these films about breaking taboos, finding friendship and art in the face of adversary, and looking back on incredible lives, lived to the fullest.
League of Exotique Dancers gives audiences an inside look at the Las Vegas burlesque scene of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Director Rama Rau, and Burlesque Hall of Fame members and subjects of the film Camille 2000 and Judith Stein, join guest host Gill Deacon to look back on the "golden years" and to look forward to future performances.
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You is a look into the life of subversive television writer Norman Lear. He is the writer behind such tabbo-breaking sitcoms as All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons. Lear joins guest host Gill Deacon to discuss his role in changing the television landscape and on what keeps him going strong at 93.
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You is a look into the life of subversive television writer Norman Lear. He is the writer behind such tabbo-breaking sitcoms as All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons. Lear joins guest host Gill Deacon to discuss his role in changing the television landscape and on what keeps him going strong at 93.
Spirit Unforgettable tells the story of lead singer of Canadian Celtic rock band Spirit of the West, John Mann's battle with early onset Alzheimer's and the band's final tour in light of the diagnosis. In an emotional interview with guest host Gill Deacon, Mann's wife Jill Daum and filmmaker Pete McCormick explore the idea of "making art out adversity" and the struggle of losing someone you love right before your eyes.
Strike a Pose is the story of the male dancers on Madonna's' Blond Ambition tour. While their performance on stage may have portrayed progressive stances on gay rights and sexual freedoms, off stage life was far more complicated. Former dancers Oliver Crumes, Jose Gutierez and Kevin Stea join guest host Gill Deacon 25 years after the tour that had such impact on their lives to look back on growing up and finding the courage to tell their truths.
Obit follows Bruce Weber and other obituary writers for the New York Times in an attempt to answer the question, how do you fit an entire life into 500 words? Weber joins host Shad to discuss the rigorous selection process for getting an obituary in the New York Times and the difference between an exemplary life and a newsworthy life.
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru takes the audience behind the scenes of self-help icon Tony Robbins. Filmmaker Joe Berlinger joins Shad to discuss why he was reluctant to attend one of Robbins' seminars and how this film changed his understanding of Robbins' motivation empire.
Have you seen any of this year's films? Let us know below what you thought of them.
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru takes the audience behind the scenes of self-help icon Tony Robbins. Filmmaker Joe Berlinger joins Shad to discuss why he was reluctant to attend one of Robbins' seminars and how this film changed his understanding of Robbins' motivation empire.
Have you seen any of this year's films? Let us know below what you thought of them.