In Werner Herzog's 3-D documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the German auteur examines humankind's earliest drawings in France.In Werner Herzog's 3-D documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the German auteur examines humankind's earliest drawings in France. (TIFF)

Documentary veterans Werner Herzog, Errol Morris and Kim Longinotto are a few of the names returning to the Toronto International Film Festival with their latest offerings.

The centrepiece of the Real to Reel documentary lineup announced by the festival Wednesday is Herzog's 3-D film, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, in which the German filmmaker was given exclusive access to shoot inside the Chauvet caves of France. The caves contain the earliest drawings created by humans, dating back 30,000 years.

Meanwhile, another veteran of realism, Frederick Wiseman, explores the world of boxing in Austin, Texas, in Boxing Gym.

Kim Longinotto's Pink Saris follows an anti-violence pioneer in India.Kim Longinotto's Pink Saris follows an anti-violence pioneer in India. (TIFF)

The U.K.'s Longinotto, known for her films focusing on female causes, returns with Pink Saris, following Sampat Pal Devi as she spearheads a campaign to stop violence against women in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

U.S. director Morris, whose Fog of War (2003) captured an Oscar, brings Tabloid to Toronto audiences — billed as a bizarre tale of an ex-Miss Wyoming's search for true love.

His countryman, Alex Gibney, who made the highly acclaimed Taxi to the Dark Side, focuses on the sex scandal that forced a New York governor to resign in The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer.

Exclusive footage of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band shot in the mid-1970s unveils the creative process behind the band's fourth album, The Promise: Darkness on the Edge of Town, in Thom Zimny's The Promise, which is set to have its world premiere at the festival.

From Europe comes Erotic Man by Jorgen Leth of Denmark. The director travels the globe in a filmic essay about his search for the nature of the erotic.

TIFF also introduced its lineup for Wavelengths, which presents the best in international avante-garde film.

The program, running from Sept. 10-13, is divided into six themes:

  • Soul of the City
  • Plein-Air (natural light and colour)
  • Blue Mantle (oceans)
  • Coming Attractions (old and new experimental work)
  • Pastourelle (films by Nathaniel Dorsky)
  • Ruhr — the title of James Benning's high-definition portrait of the Ruhr Valley in Germay, known for its industrial sector.

China's Guo Jing and Ke Dingding take a personal journey in When My Child is Born, which follows young university teachers who experience an unexpected pregnancy, while casting an eye on the changing society of China and themes of love, tradition, modernization and family ties.

Other notable offerings in documentary include:

  • !Women Art Revolution — A Secret History (Lynn Hershman Leeson) tracks the cultural history behind female artists from Judy Chicago to the Guerilla Girls.
  • Tears of Gaza (Vibeke Lokkegerg) examines the devastating impact of the 2008-2009 bombings of Gaza on the civilian population.
  • The Pipe (Risteard O Domhnaill ) chronicles the battle between Shell and Irish farmers and fishermen over a natural gas pipeline.
  • The Game of Death (Christophe Nick and Thomas Bornot) recreates an experiment conducted in the 1960s pushing the limits of obedience and punishment. But instead of a university lab, it's a TV game show in France where people are asked to inflict pain on someone else in order to win money.
  • Cool It (Ondi Timoner) looks at The Skeptical Environmentalist author Bjorn Lomborg, who is challenging the issue of climate change.

More documentaries will be announced later this month. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept 9-19.