Hot Docs 2011: Wrap-up

All told, another fine year at Hot Docs. Even going to movies full-time for a week, it was impossible to see everything I wanted — but when that's my biggest complaint things are arguably going pretty well.

Like anyone, I do have a few petty gripes, though. The website, which seems to be based on the same web architecture over the past several years, is getting pretty creaky. The search function is irritatingly non-functional — quite often, if you type in the exact title of a film, it will be buried on the third or fourth page of results. And more worryingly, there was a lack of quality control on the website — on at least four occasions, I found the wrong time listed for a film. With more people relying on mobile devices for scheduling information, that just won't do. And, of course, I got sick of the car advertisement before the films rather quickly — I took off my glasses at the start of every screening, so I never actually saw the odious thing.

The addition of the Lightbox was a net gain for the festival — and now there's one more planning consideration in the back of my mind, as going to see a subtitled movie in the deeply-tiered seats is so much more satisfying than trying to peer around the back of someone's head at the ROM or Cumberland.

While all the movies are still somewhat fresh in my mind, I did a quick ranking, from most to least satisfying. Despite the programmers' claims at the start of every screening, there are a few duds that make it to the festival, but happily not too many.

I have written capsule reviews for everything I have seen — you can find them if you click on the "hot docs" tag below.

Excellent

How are you doing, Rudolph Ming?

How to Die in Oregon

Give Up Tomorrow

The Interrupters

Flying Anne

Very Good

Redemption of General Butt Naked

Bury The Hatchet

Battle for Barking

Project Nim

Knuckle

Timothy Findley: Anatomy of a Writer

Vinyl

Good

Family Portrait in Black and White

I, Curmudgeon

Two's a Crowd

Koundi and the National Thursday

Magic Trip

45365

At the Edge of Russia

Mama Africa

Matchmaking Mayor

Family Instinct

Cinema Komunisto

Surpriseville

Black Power Mixtape

Something to Tell You

Hand to Toe: An Exploration in the Art of Giving

Vinyl: The Alternate Take

Decent

Bobby Fischer Against the World

Open Secret

The Good Life

Ears, Open. Eyeballs, Click.

Vodka Factory

Out of Reach

Up Against the System

Lumberfros

Love Crimes of Kabul

A Little Dull

Waidmannsheil: Hail to the Good Shooter

Heartquake

Only Sky & Water

At Night, They Dance

Our Newspaper

Flops

Pirate Tapes

The Naked of Saint Petersburg

Housing