With so much to see and do at TIFF, the five doc titles added to TIFF’s Real to Reel section only reminds me that I’ll probably leave the festival with that feeling of having “missed out.” Word to publicists: keep your screeners handy. Among the five named below, Guo Xiaolu will come to Toronto with a current look on the fascinating country in transition (Once Upon a Time Proletarian: 12 Tales of a Country) and with the buzz of having just won the Golden Leopard Grand Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival for She, A Chinese. Here are the added five.
Ahead of Time Bob Richman, USA
World Premiere
This directorial debut from acclaimed cinematographer Bob Richman (The September Issue, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster) creates a vivid portrait of Ruth Gruber. From the time she became the world’s youngest Ph.D. in 1931 at age 20 to her pivotal news coverage of the refugees aboard Exodus 1947, this energetic and inspiring 97-year-old has repeatedly defied tradition through her fearlessness and love of adventure.
Once Upon a Time Proletarian: 12 Tales of a Country Guo Xiaolu, China
North America Premiere
A subjective anatomy of contemporary China in the post-Marxist era, this is a dark, poetic depiction of people from different backgrounds, living in modern China. Twelve chapters explore the country’s current social and political landscape, from which emerge stories of loss and yearning. This is the latest documentary from director Guo Xiaolu.
Stolen Violeta Ayala and Dan Fallshaw, Australia
International Premiere
Filmmakers Ayala and Fallshaw set out to learn more about the Saharawi refugees who have been living in Algerian camps for more than 30 years. While focusing on a family reunion, the filmmakers uncovered allegations of modern slavery that set them on a journey they could never have imagined. The moral quandaries within the film have stirred significant controversy since its debut at the Sydney Film Festival.
The Sunshine Boy Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Iceland
World Premiere
This is a moving, compassionate portrayal of a mother’s desperate quest to understand autism, the perplexing condition that controls her son. By taking a journey through different countries and cultures, the film deals with autism in a deeply comprehensive way and considers it on a global scope.
Waking Sleeping Beauty Don Hahn, USA
World Premiere
This isn’t a fairy tale, but rather the true story of how the Disney animation team went from stagnation in the mid-1980s to a startling rebirth with a staggering output of hits – Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and more – over a ten year period. Director Don Hahn, who was a key contributor on many of these works, brings an insider’s perspective to the film.
