May 18
The Documentary Forum at Hot Docs
In: Reviews and RecommendationsThere are two diverse crowds at Hot Docs. The first is the loyal film fanbase in Toronto–the people who queue up in sunshine or rain for more than an hour to see new films. The second are the imports–the broadcasters, distributors, and filmmakers who “speed date” to find willing matches for their varying agendas. As a filmmaker, I was at the bottom of the social strata. I’m not the money. But hey, I’m potentially the content and that’s got to count for something.
READ MORE »Jul 31
The Business of Film
In: Reviews and RecommendationsWhen we’re the busiest around here, the Citygate blog really suffers. At least the occasional bleats from Twitter let you know we’re still alive! This summer, the Citygate production team has been wrapping up three short films for a nonprofit client (including the Burma and Bahamas pieces mentioned elsewhere) and prepping for an upcoming shoot [...]
READ MORE »Jun 26
Reflections on SILVERDOCS
In: Reviews and RecommendationsThough I enjoy the film line-up at the SILVERDOCS film festival, I think the most valuable aspect of it is the accompanying filmmakers’ conference. The 2009 conference was my second year attending it and I find that the more intimate size of SILVERDOCS makes it easy to schedule appointments and meet-ups with key contacts.
On Monday, [...]
May 01
Throw Down Your War Dance
In: Reviews and RecommendationsIn the past year, as I’ve prepared to launch Citygate Films, I’ve watched a lot of documentaries. I’ve always gravitated to real stories, whether in print or film. Though I deeply appreciate well-crafted narrative films and literature, I am more fascinated by the world around me. It’s no surprise, then, that I ended up in [...]
READ MORE »