TIFF

The reel story

Ten sizzling documentaries at this year's Toronto film festival

Last Updated: Friday, September 11, 2009 | 2:07 PM ET

By Martin Morrow, CBC News

Chris Rock takes a humorous look at African-American coifs in the documentary Good Hair. (TIFF)

The non-fiction stream at the annual Toronto International Film Festival has become so strong and varied that it could be a festival unto itself. This year is no exception, with 41 feature documentaries and five shorts screening over TIFF’s 10-day span. As always, some of those films are attracting more than usual interest, either for their subject matter or for the famous names attached to them. Here, in alphabetical order – and with apologies to that other Toronto film festival – are the 10 hot docs at this year’s TIFF.

Bassidji (Iran-France-Switzerland)

The on-camera death of Neda Agha-Soltan during the protests against this year’s Iranian elections gave a face to the victims of the country’s iron-fist theocracy. But who are the enforcers of the ayatollahs’ rule? Iranian-born filmmaker Mehran Tamadon goes inside the Bassidj, the civilian paramilitary group that began as a volunteer militia during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and today is deployed to help quash reformist uprisings. Tamadon’s well-timed film is the fruit of three years of pursuing and talking to Bassidji, seeking insight into their extremist mindset.

Good Hair (U.S.)

In this lighthearted doc, comedian Chris Rock runs a comb through African-American hair culture, trying to untangle the mania for distinctive ’dos. Helping him get to the roots of the matter: poet Maya Angelou, Rev. Al Sharpton, actress Nia Long and rapper Ice-T. Directed by Jeff Stilson, a writer on The Chris Rock Show, the film took home a special jury prize at this year’s Sundance Festival.

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (Canada)

Hef, the sybaritic founder of the world’s most famous girlie magazine, an activist and rebel? Yep. Canadian documentary maker Brigitte Berman (who won a 1987 Oscar for her Artie Shaw bio, Time is All You’ve Got) spotlights the crusading side of Mr. Playboy and how he used his publication to fight for free speech, racial equality, women’s and gay rights. All without getting out of his pyjamas.

Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story examines the impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans. (TIFF)

Capitalism: A Love Story (U.S.)

Michael Moore’s flamboyant tactics may have come into question in recent years (see: Manufacturing Dissent ) and his latest target – the failing U.S. economy – is more unwieldy than gun violence (Bowling for Columbine ) or health care (Sicko). But a new film by Moore is always an event and this one is especially intriguing. Can his patented Little Guy with the ball cap and bullhorn cut through the fog of Wall Street?

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (U.S.)

Before Watergate finally toppled Richard Nixon’s government, military analyst Ellsberg delivered the hammer blow that cracked its foundation. His daring leak of the top-secret Pentagon Papers in 1971 revealed the extent to which the Nixon administration had lied to the public about the Vietnam War. Judith Erhlich and Rich Goldberg’s film examines the motives behind Ellsberg’s whistle-blowing and the personal toll it took on him. (Most egregiously, Nixon’s goons broke into Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office to steal files in an attempt to prove Ellsberg was mentally unstable.)

Neil Young Trunk Show (U.S.)

Contrary to earlier TIFF promises, Young won't be returning to his hometown for Sept. 14's free outdoor screening of this new concert doc by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Rachel Getting Married ). However, Demme will still be at Yonge-Dundas Square to introduce the film, which catches a pair of performances in Upper Darby, Penn. during the Chrome Dreams II tour. It's reportedly a lot rougher and looser than the director's previous Young pic, 2006’s Heart of Gold.

Peter Berg Presents Kings Ransom (U.S.)

Berg, creator of the TV series Friday Night Lights, shifts his focus from high school football to pro hockey for this ESPN-produced doc about Wayne Gretzky’s 1988 move from the Edmonton Oilers to the L.A. Kings, and its repercussions for the NHL. It sounds like a skate down memory lane, including interviews with erstwhile Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, coach Glen Sather and the Great One himself.

Petropolis focuses on Alberta's tar sands, where oil extraction results in toxic tailing ponds so large they can be seen from outer space. (TIFF)

Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands (Canada)

Doc maker-cum-media artist Peter Mettler, who gave us 2002’s expansive Gambling, Gods and LSD, now zeroes in on northern Alberta’s controversial oil-extraction industry. Expect some breathtaking imagery as well as some harsh facts – the film draws on the research of Alberta investigative journalist Andrew Nikiforuk, author of Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent.

Reel Injun (Canada)

Hollywood’s historic portrayal of the First Nations people as either vicious brutes or noble savages is one of its most shameful legacies. Canadian Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at the changing aboriginal image on screen, talking to contemporary actors like Adam Beach and Wes Studi, as well as significant figures like Sacheen Littlefeather, the young native actress who endured the wrath of John Wayne and other industry members by appearing at the 1973 Academy Awards and turning down Marlon Brando’s Oscar on his behalf.

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights (U.S.)

Jack and Meg White launched a huge charm offensive on Canada in the summer of 2007, setting out to tour every province and territory in the nation. It worked. After all, how could we resist a top rock act that was not only happy to play far-flung regions, but also popped up continually to give impromptu performances in the most unexpected places, like a Saskatoon bowling alley and a Winnipeg city bus? Director Emmett Malloy was along for the ride and captured their quirky Canadian odyssey on film.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 10-19.

Martin Morrow writes about the arts for CBCNews.ca.