Image from the documentary Time (2020). It is a black and white image of a couple kissing in a car.

Top of the Docs #36 – LFF Special: ‘Time’ (2020)

By: Joel Whitaker
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Garrett Bradley, a first-time filmmaker, brings us perhaps the most damning indictment of the system yet, with her film Time.

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Image from the film 'The Year of Discovery'. A car is on fire in a city street, with a large gathering of people stood away from it.

Top of the Docs #36 – Berwick Special: The Year of the Discovery (2020)

By: Joel Whitaker
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Luis Lopez Carrasco’s second feature explores this supposedly glorious year in Spanish history through the lens of Cartagena.

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Image from the film The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On. A man peers out of a window holding a microphone.

Top of the Docs #35 – The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On (1987)

By: Joel Whitaker
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The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On follows Kenzo Okuzaki, a sixty-two-year-old veteran, who took part in Japan’s campaign in New Guinea during World War Two.

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Image shows Mayor Marty Walsh delivering a press conference.

Top of the Docs #34 – TIFF Special: City Hall (2020)

By: Joel Whitaker
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Veteran documentarian Frederick Wiseman takes his unique lens and applies it to his home-town of Boston, taking us right to the heart of City Hall.

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Image shows Ruth (Jessy Barden) standing in front of an industrial plant.

TIFF INDUSTRY SELECTS REVIEW: ‘Holler’ (2020) Impresses With Biting Criticism

By: Joel Whitaker
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Precariousness of employment in America is something of a hot topic at the moment. With a President repeatedly promising more jobs despite record unemployment, Nicole Riegel’s debut Holler (2020) looks into the heart of industrial America and creates a coming of age film that captures the essence of Trump’s presidency.

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Image depicts a pregnant woman being filmed giving birth in a small apartment.

Top of the Docs #33 – Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974

By: Joel Whitaker
Columns, Top of the Docs, Leave a Comment on Top of the Docs #33 – Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974

In his film Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 (1974) Kazuo Hara throws this general rule out of the window, creating an intensely intimate portrait of his ex-wife, radical activist Takeda Miyuki.

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Image shows a protest march for the victims of asbestos related illnesses in Sennan, Japan, with family members holding banners and pictures of loved ones.

Top of the Docs #32 – ‘Sennan Asbestos Disaster’ (2016)

By: Joel Whitaker
Columns, Top of the Docs, Leave a Comment on Top of the Docs #32 – ‘Sennan Asbestos Disaster’ (2016)

In his 2016 documentary Sennan Asbestos Disaster, Kazuo Hara tracks the eight-year long struggle of people seeking state compensation for asbestos related damage in Sennan, Osaka.

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Image shows DJ Spooky performing in front of three large screens.

Top of the Docs #29 – ‘Rebirth of a Nation’ (2004)

By: Joel Whitaker
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Perhaps the most innovative exploration of the film has been DJ Spooky’s live performance remix of the film, Rebirth of a Nation.

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