Hot Docs 2012 Midpoint Roundup – A guide to the political stuff at Toronto’s fest
Today is day five of Hot Docs 2012 and unlike last year, a lethal combination of meetings, movies and meanderings have kept me from a daily tally here at Art…
Screen
Just do it (direct action)! – Activist documentary made free for May Day
From our activist and filmmaker friends in the UK: Constellation and Occupy.com present A FREE 24-hour ONLINE SCREENING of Just Do It – a tale of modern-day outlaws, in celebration…
Hot Docs 2012 – The good, the bad, the incomprehensible
The 19th edition of North America’s largest documentary showcase and one of the world’s largest film festivals begins this week, running from April 26 to May 6 in Toronto. With…
That’s a wrap? – Killing Saskatchewan’s film tax credit is economic nonsense
The cast from InSecurity. The TV show will no longer be produced in Saskatchewan. With the announcement of the axing of the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit, we are effectively…
Killed by Canada’s Oil & Gas companies? – Doc subject & eco-activist Wiebo Ludwig succumbs to cancer
Wiebo Ludwig, Canada’s controversial anti-oil patch activist died of esophageal cancer yesterday, leaving behind a legacy of resistance against this country’s dirtiest industry and greediest corporations. The Albertan had his…
Some kind of monster – Film screening cancelled amid unsubstantiated copyright fears
Canadian filmmaker and activist John Greyson is no stranger to controversy — whether haranguing Justin Bieber to pull concerts scheduled for Israel, supporting queer film festivals in hostile environments, or…
News Remix: Mar 23 – April1, 2012 – A bricolage of (some of) last weeks news stories
Nairobi graffiti by artists Uhuru B, Swift, Smokilah and Bankslave Kenyan graffiti artists are painting the walls of Nairobi with reminders of government corruption. Executions are up in the Middle…
Of Waves, Bears and Oil – Friday Film Pick: Tipping Barrels
Tipping Barrels (Ben Gulliver, 2012) is one part surfing movie, one part wildlife documentary, one part guy flick and one part political commentary. It’s for parts two and four that…
Emotionally devastating documentary explores Israeli bombing of Gaza – Friday Film Pick: Tears of Gaza
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed or wounded in Israel’s latest bombing campaign of Gaza, while the Israeli military stubbornly insists the child-killing attacks are necessary to stop “terrorism”. Such…
KONY 2012 and the mischievous media habits of slacktivists
Video still from Kony 2012. I was swamped at work last week, when I took a little Twitter break to see what was going on in the world. My feed…
Artists invited to join Occupy Arts Committee – 3rd gathering in Montreal set for March 17
Bryant Park, Manhattan. Photo by Eric Walton Montreal artists are invited to join the growing collaboration of the Occupy Arts Committee, a gathering of artists from all disciplines who want…
Education versus war – Friday Film Pick: War Made Easy
As students wage a massive strike in Quebec, over proposed tuition hikes that will nearly double rates in a few years, and with police responding like violent fascists—blinding the eye…
Debunking the “asking for it” myth – Scottish anti-rape PSA tackles sexist attitudes toward women
I know I know, this is sooooooo 2010 – but there is a chance you didn’t catch this snappy little PSA by Rape Crisis Scotland as it was circulating way…
Kony 2012: the photographer who shot the hipsters with a proud colonial mindset
Photograph by Glenna Gordon (detail). By now you’ve heard of the Kony 2012 campaign, and I’ve already expended enough energy discussing it on Facebook to bring anything new and arts-related…
It’s International Women’s Day – And we’re digging through the Art Threat archives
Sarah Maple — Signs, C-Type Print, 2007 As today is International Women’s Day, I thought it would be worthwhile to dig though our archives and offer up a selection of…
Farmers fight back against Honduran elite – Friday Film Pick: Resistencia
Produced by Amy Miller, the documentarian behind MYTHS FOR PROFIT and her much-anticipated follow-up THE CARBON RUSH, this week’s Friday Film Pick is the film-in-progress RESISTENCIA. Directed by Jesse Freeston,…
The dirty truth as visual essay – Canada’s govt continues aggressive pro-Tar Sands campaign
In the face of all evidence to the contrary, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government continues to shake the shoulders of critics, eliciting the lonely, pitiful cry: “The Alberta Tar Sands are…
The power of citizens media at Vancouver Olympics – Friday Film Pick: With Glowing Hearts
This week’s Friday Film Pick is a documentary about the power citizen’s media has to diversify representation, tell under-represented stories, and contribute to community. With Glowing Hearts looks at the…
Swedish beats and archival treats – Friday Film Pick: The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
One of the best documentaries to emerge from 2011 is the incredibly inspired, polished and dreamy The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. A treasure trove of hundreds of hours of 16…