Ever wonder what you’re reaaaaaaaaaally accepting when you “click accept” online? Or what about what life would be like if you were chosen to be the Secretary of the BEATLES! Believe it or not, these questions and more have been documented and made into films which will be premiering at the 2013 HotDocs Film Festival in Toronto!

It’s a big year for the annual festival as they celebrate 20 years in Toronto with another lineup of interesting an eclectic subjects.  The festival runs from April 25th 2013 to Sunday May 5th 2013 and I’ve somehow managed to go all in this year and book myself 8 films.  For your viewing pleasure I’ve “officially” shortlisted a few films and proudly present my Savel Selection for 2013!

Terms And Conditions May Apply

No one really reads the terms and conditions connected to every website they visit, phone call they make or app they download. After watching this provocative exploration of what actually lies between the lines of those tiny-font agreements, however, you may just hurl your computer out the window and take to a cave. With fascinating examples, comical gags and terrifying facts, filmmaker Cullen Hoback investigates what governments and corporations are doing with your “personal” information. Regardless of privacy settings, data is being collected and behaviour is being monitored—as you read this, in fact—leaving the future of civil liberties uncertain. But are we really living in such a dystopian conspiratorial world? From whistle blowers and investigative journalists to zombie fan clubs and Egyptian dissidents, this disquieting exposé demonstrates how every one of us has incrementally opted into a real-time surveillance state, click by click. Review by Myrocia Watamaniuk

Downloaded

In 1998, teenage hacker Shawn Fanning cracked the code that enabled peer-to-peer file sharing online. In 1999, he partnered with his friend and fellow teen Sean Parker (later of Facebook fame) to launch a little service known as Napster. The music-sharing website transformed not only the music industry, but technology as a whole. It sparked a revolution and became the touchstone of a new, digital generation. Filmmaker Alex Winter provides ideal access to Fanning and his collaborators, as well as to a roster of famous musicians including Henry Rollins, Snoop Lion, Beastie Boy Mike D and Public Enemy Chuck D, who are only too happy to give their opinions and insights on free downloading and copyright infringement. Downloaded deftly charts the rise and fall of Napster’s creators, from idealistic kids to vilified pirates, and places Napster in its rightful context as a pioneering platform that changed the world. Review by Angie Driscoll

12 O’Clock Boys

This is a strikingly beautiful portrait of Pug, a young boy from a tough Baltimore neighbourhood who has a single goal: to join the 12 O’Clock Boys, a gang of illegal dirt bikers who dominate the area. Forbidden to chase them for fear of risking accidents the police attempt to combat the bikers but find themselves continually tormented and provoked. Following along through several years in Pug’s life, we see his vital growth as he inches closer to joining the gang. Marching to his own drum, Pug’s determination has his mother at a loss. She tries her best to tame her child while dealing with the loss of his older brother. In one of the most beautifully and artfully crafted films of the year, director Lotfy Nathan presents an encompassing and unique look at a young boy seeking both inclusion and freedom. Review by Charlotte Cook

Muscle Shoals

Tucked along the Tennessee River, the town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, barely registers on a map. But as Bono explains, there’s something in that mud. Thanks to one visionary record producer and a group of unknown session musicians, the tiny backwater changes the course of modern music. At the heart of this fascinating history lesson is Rick Hall, a dark horse who overcomes a shocking past to found FAME Studios. Together with a band of buddies, The Swampers, he develops the deep, soulful “Muscle Shoals sound” that reinvents the work of legends as varied as Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett to Mick Jagger and Gregg Allman. More inspiring still, Hall and The Swampers create a space where black and white artists work seamlessly together, just down the road from Alabama’s burning racial crisis. Revealing interviews with countless icons serve up one of the greatest untold American music stories. Review by Myrocia Watamaniuk

The Great North Korean Picture Show

Welcome to Hollywood, Kim Jong-il style. For the first time, foreign cameras are allowed into the world’s most secretive state’s only film school. In a country where film is a vital propaganda tool, not entertainment, what room is there for artistic expression? Very little. Filmmakers James Leong and Lynn Lee follow two young actors and a director, handpicked by the regime to become stars, as they hone their craft. Every scene of implored love for the state, each painstaking rehearsal, even a surprise lesson in how to frame a portrait of Kim Jong-un raises the question of whether a gun, either literal or metaphorical, is pointed at the actors from the ever-watchful sidelines. We are never certain whether its rank and file toe the party line with anything like the willingness evinced by the privileged protagonists. Searing critique, objective observation or just fantastic fun, this is an irresistible glimpse behind barbed wire. Review by Myrocia Watamaniuk

Everybody Street

Celebrated filmmaker and photographer Cheryl Dunn turns her lens on the pioneers and masters of New York street photography. Dunn profiles artists spanning six decades, including Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark, Jill Freedman, Jeff Mermelstein and Martha Cooper, revealing that these shooters are as colourful and unique as the subjects they’ve relentlessly documented. Everybody Street explores the passion that compelled Freedman to spend years riding in squad cars during the most violent years in the city; Bruce Gilden’s drive to thrust his camera in people’s faces to capture a moment; and Martha Cooper’s dedication to chasing graffiti on passing subway cars in the Bronx. The film is a definitive look at the iconic visionaries of this often imitated art form. Review by Lynne Crocker

The Last Black Sea Pirates

This is a modern pirate story complete with a captain, a mutinous crew of outlaws, a princess, her wedding dress and untold riches. Only one thing is missing: the ship. According to legend, Vulchan, a 19th-century gypsy pirate, attacked three convoys laden with gold. He robbed them, sunk them and hid his treasure by the coast. Fast forward to present day. Captain Jack, an ex-con himself, leads a motley bunch of homeless outcasts—alcoholics and petty criminals—in a search for the hidden loot. But their hopes of riches and glory are threatened when the brother of the Bulgarian Prime Minister announces plans to build a new mega tourist resort by the Black Sea.

Brothers Hypnotic

For those unfamiliar with the soulful and downright bombastic sound of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, prepare to be musically electrified. The brass horn band is remarkable not only for its raucous street performances, but also because all eight members are from the same legendary family. Sons of anti-establishment Sun-Ra trumpeter Phil Cohran, they were raised on Chicago’s South Side as part of their father’s utopian experiment. Wearing homemade clothes, eating vegan and getting up for family band practice every morning at 5:00, their music was meant to uplift the African-American community. They keep tight control over their talent, distributing their music directly to the masses on the streets. But as their star starts to rise, collaborations with Mos Def and concerts with Prince lead to entertaining the labels they long eschewed. At a crossroads, they must decide whether their father’s principles are really their own. Review by Myrocia Watamaniuk

May 2: Docs At Dusk

Celebrate Hot Docs’ 20th anniversary with a FREE outdoor screening of Brothers Hypnotic in Burwash Quad (next to Victoria College on the University of Toronto Campus).

Join us at 8:00 pm for refreshments and a live performance by Toronto singer/songwriter Bryce Jardine, featuring music from his debut album The Kids Are Gone. The screening will begin at 9:00 pm, and when dusk turns to dark, be sure to look south to the CN Tower as it’s lit green in honour of Hot Docs’ anniversary.

In the event of rain, this screening will be moved indoors to the Rogers Industry Centre at 93 Charles Street West. Hot Docs Staff will be stationed in the Burwash Quad to help direct patrons to the indoor location.