Why I’ve Been So Busy Lately

A few days ago, I alluded to some­thing I was working on that I “couldn’t talk about” and so I’m glad that now I am able to tell you about it. I’m very hon­oured to reveal that I’m working for the 2009 edi­tion of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival as an Associate Programmer. I’ve attended the fest­ival each year since 2004, and have always wondered how films are chosen. Director of Programming Sean Farnel has been posting about the pro­cess over on his fairly new blog, and it’s a fas­cin­ating read. It’s even more exciting, though, to be a part of it, and I’m tre­mend­ously grateful to Sean and his whole amazing crew for such a won­derful opportunity.

Though I’m not able to reveal any­thing about the films I’m cur­rently screening, I can let you know that it’s been pretty gruelling so far. Each sub­mis­sion deserves careful con­sid­er­a­tion and I’m happy to report that Hot Docs’ pro­cess gives each film its chance to shine. I’m hopeful that at least some of the films I’ve recom­mended make it into the final schedule, but I won’t know for many weeks yet.

If you live within trav­eling dis­tance of Toronto, Hot Docs really is a can’t-miss fest­ival. Even if you’ve never con­sidered your­self a fan of doc­u­ment­aries, you’re bound to come away with a fresh appre­ci­ation for all the ded­ic­ated and tal­ented film­makers telling stories about real people and places. Free from celebrity hype, man­age­able in size, and an amazing value. What’s not to love?

P.S. Documentary film­maker and blogger AJ Schnack wrote about the fest­ival pro­gram­ming pro­cess yes­terday and cites Sean’s blog as “a primer that any film­maker should read.”

Tagged as: #hotdocs09