Hot Docs Begins!

Hot Docs 2007 will officially kick off with an opening gala tonight! It seems like only a few months have passed since last year's festival. My winter subscription to Doc Soup ensures that I see good documentaries on the big screen for at least half the year. I love my Doc Soup but the main event is really what gets the film nerd in me excited. This year Hot Docs anticipates a 25% increase in ticket sales (same as last year). That means bigger venues and longer lines. At least the weather may actually hold out and we can avoid the chilly wet cold that always seems to accompany the last week of April. As with every year I also anticipate eagerly enjoying buttery popcorn and Pepsi for the first 3.5 films. Then, inevitably, I get sick of it but keep eating popcorn because I don't have time for dinner and it's more filling than a chocolate bar. Also inevitably I end up going to the gym more frequently in early May.



My first film is not scheduled until Saturday evening which gives me a little time to brush up on my mad reviewing skillz. From Saturday until Sunday, April 29th we've scheduled ten films; most on the weekends. It is my fifth year attending Hot Docs. Next year perhaps I'll finally be able to do the full Festival Pass but for now I'm scheduled to work and I can't take the week off. One day I'm going to know the butt numbing bliss of watching five documentaries a day for ten days straight. Oh yes. My butt will be numb with happiness.

Anyway, another big improvement this year is the Hot Docs website which features an interactive schedule. I usually have to send an email out to film friends with my picks, but this year I can merely post a link to my personal Hot Docs schedule. Nice touch Hot Docs! In terms of film selection, well, this year doesn't have many "wow, I HAVE to see that" films for me. I am looking forward to watching Michael Moore get his comeuppance in "Manufacturing Dissent", and the strangely comedic take on global warming "Everything's Cool" sounds fantastic. "Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel" and "Let's All Hate Toronto" will be interesting because I live in Toronto, and the very popular but inconceivable "Helvetica" promises to be the most fascinating two hour film ever made about a font. I'm sure these and other selections will surprise me. Every year I choose films based on a paragraph summary and every year I'm impressed by something I didn't think I'd like all that much. Seeing a movie without an advertising campaign and a trailer that gives away the entire plot is one of the best parts of a film festival. You can just walk into a dark theatre and be taken somewhere you never thought you'd go.

Last minute seats are available to many Hot Docs screenings so check out last minute additions on the Hot Docs website. You can also view my personal festival schedule. Finally, keep checking Midnight Herring during the festival for updates and reviews. I'll be blogging so hard my fingers will get cramped. I'll be writing so much criticism I'll need a sarcasm injection. I'll be.... well, you get the picture.