Toronto film fest reveals documentary lineup
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 | 4:30 PM ET
CBC News
Blood Trail sheds light on the dangerous profession of war photography by following Robert King on assignment. (Toronto International Film Festival)Documentaries exploring turmoil in the U.S., music world icons like Youssou N'Dour and Jimmy Page, as well as titles following activists around the globe have joined the lineup of the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.
Organizers announced on Tuesday a list of 26 non-fiction films that will screen in four TIFF programs.
Biographical films about Senegalese singer Ndour (Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love) and famed fashion designer Valentino Garavani (Valentino: The Last Emperor) will join previously announced films in the Special Presentation lineup.
French filmmaker Agnès Varda's self-portrait Les Plages d'Agnès is a new addition to the Masters program, while A Time to Stir, a four-hour epic examining the 1968 Columbia University student strike, joins the Mavericks schedule.
The remainder of the titles announced Tuesday comprise the documentary-focused Real to Reel program:
- After the Race (Austria) — Following the famous Dakar rally.
- American Swing (U.S.) — A chronicle of notorious New York sex club Plato's Retreat
- At the Edge of the World (U.S.) — Controversial Canadian eco-warrior Paul Watson leads two ships to stop Japanese whaling vessels.
- The Biggest Chinese Restaurant in the World (China) — A look at the massive, theme park-like West Lake Restaurant in Changsha, China
- Blood Trail (U.K.) — A peek at the dangerous world of war photographer Robert King.
- Citizen Juling (Thailand) — An examination of Islamic insurgency in southern Thailand.
- The Dungeon Master (U.S.) — A look at adults wrapped up in the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
- Food, Inc. (U.S.) — Drawing upon the writing of Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and The Omnivore's Dilemma author Michael Pollan, a look at big business's effect on the North American diet.
- From Mother to Daughter (Italy) — The story of a group of women who rekindle their five decade-old relationship through music.
- Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (U.S.) — A film looking back to the tumultuous year of 1968 though the memories of rival football players from Yale and Harvard.
- It Might Get Loud (U.S.) — A celebration of the electric guitar, focusing on three current virtuosos: Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White
- Killing Kasztner (U.S.) — The story of Israel Kasztner, who helped save more than 1,600 Hungarian Jews during the Second World War but was later assassinated by extremists.
- More Than a Game (U.S.) — The journey of a remarkable Ohio high school basketball team that included current NBA superstar LeBron James.
- The Real Shaolin (China/U.S.) — Chronicling a year of rigorous martial arts training at the Shaolin temple in central China.
- Sea Point Days (South Africa) — A look at class, race, gender and religious divide in Cape Town through one public space where everyone seems to unite: the Sea Point Promenade and Municipal Pools.
- Soul Power (U.S.) — A concert film about the performances surrounding the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.
- Unmistaken Child (Israel) — A film documenting a devoted disciple's search for the reincarnation of his Tibetan master.
- Witch Hunt (U.S.) — A portrait of a small California town where for more than two decades, a tough-on-crime district attorney imprisoned dozens of innocent, working class parents on sexual abuse charges.
- Yes Madam, Sir (Australia/India) — The story of India's first female police officer, Karin Bedi.
- Peace Mission (Germany) — A look at the growing Nigerian film industry, dubbed Nollywood.
- Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies (Mexico) — A woman revisits her friendship with a longtime friend after his sudden death.
- Upstream Battle (Germany) — A look at the political battle over water in northern California that has pitted native activist Merv George of the Hoopa tribe against an international power company.
The Toronto International Film Festival takes place Sept. 4-13.
