TIFF 2012: sexual abuse in the Catholic church, how to sell drugs and more subjects in this year’s Documentaries programme
The Documentaries programme at TIFF this year is packed full of interesting subject matter, from Ben Johnson’s record-breaking run at the 1988 Seoul Olympics (and the reality that he took steroids to achieve that feat) to Tomi Ungerer and his subversive art to moon worshippers. For those who want to step away from genre films and works of fiction, these 30 docs are a pretty safe bet.
9.79* (U.K.)
Director: Daniel Gordon
Subject: 1988 Seoul Olympics
Artifact (U.S.)
Director: Bartholomew Cubbins
Subject: Jared Leto’s band 30 Seconds to Mars
A World Not Ours (U.K., Lebanon and Denmark)
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Subjects: Three generations of exile in the refugee camp of Ain El-Helweh, in southern Lebanon
The Act of Killing (Denmark, Norway and U.K.)
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Subjects: Unrepentant death-squad leaders
As If We Were Catching a Cobra (Syria and France)
Director: Hala Alabdalla
Subjects: Arab artists fighting for freedom and justice
Bestiaire (Canada and France)
Director: Denis Côté
Subject: Observing animals
Camp 14—Total Control Zone (Germany)
Director: Marc Wiese
Subject: A man who was born and grew up in a Gulag-style North Korean camp
The Central Park Five (U.S.)
Director: Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns
Subjects: Five black and Latino teenagers wrongly convicted of raping the Central Park Jogger
The End of Time (Canada and Switzerland)
Director: Peter Mettler
Subject: Perception of time
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (U.S.)
Director: Brad Bernstein
Subject: Tomi Ungerer and his subversive art
Fidaï (France, Algeria, Qatar, China and Kuwait)
Director: Damien Ounouri
Subject: El Hadi, a 70-year-old veteran of the Algerian War of Independence
First Comes Love (U.S.)
Director: Nina Davenport
Subject: Husband-free pregnancy
The Gatekeepers (Israel, France, Germany and Belgium)
Director: Dror Moreh
Subjects: Six former heads of the Shin Bet—Israel’s secret service agency—share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions
The Girl From the South (Argentina)
Director: José Luis Garcia
Subject: A young Korean student activist Garcia met in 1989
How to Make Money Selling Drugs (U.S.)
Director: Matthew Cooke
Subject: The lives of those on both sides of the “war on drugs”
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (U.S.)
Director: Jorge Hinojosa
Subject: Iceberg Slim and his transition from pimp to author of seven books
London—The Modern Babylon (U.K.)
Director: Julien Temple
Subjects: London’s immigrants, bohemians, musicians, writers, artists, dangerous thinkers and political radicals
Lunarcy! (Canada)
Director: Simon Ennis
Subjects: Moon worshippers
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (U.S.)
Director: Alex Gibney
Subject: The abuse of power in the Catholic Church
Men At Lunch (Ireland)
Director: Seán Ó Cualáin
Subject: The untold story behind iconic image Lunch atop a Skyscraper, take on the 69th floor of the Rockefeller building in the autumn of 1932
More Than Honey (Germany, Austria and Switzerland)
Director: Markus Imhoof
Subject: Honeybees
No Place on Earth (U.S., U.K. and Germany)
Director: Janet Tobias
Subjects: 38 Ukrainian Jews that spent 18 months living in caves during the Second World War
Reincarnated (U.S.)
Director: Andrew Capper
Subject: Snoop Dogg in Jamaica
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out (U.S.)
Director: Marina Zenovich
Subject: Roman Polanski’s arrest at the Zurich Film Festival
The Secret Disco Revolution (Canada)
Director: Jamie Kastner
Subject: History and influence of disco music
Shepard & Dark (U.S.)
Director: Treva Wurmfeld
Subject: Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark’s friendship
Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky (Canada)
Director: Barry Avrich
Subject: The rise and fall of show business mogul Garth Drabinsky
State 194 (Israel, Palestine and U.S.)
Director: Dan Setton
Subject: Palestinian statehood
Storm Surfers 3D (Australia)
Directors: Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan
Subjects: Two surfers seek out the world’s biggest waves
The Walls of Dakar (Senegal)
Director: Abdoul Aziz Cissé
Subject: Street art in Dakar
 to Tomi Ungerer and his subversive art to moon worshippers. For those who want to step away from genre films and works of fiction, these 30 docs are a pretty safe bet.
9.79* (U.K.)
Director: Daniel Gordon
Subject: 1988 Seoul Olympics
Artifact (U.S.)
Director: Bartholomew Cubbins
Subject: Jared Leto’s band 30 Seconds to Mars
A World Not Ours (U.K., Lebanon and Denmark)
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Subjects: Three generations of exile in the refugee camp of Ain El-Helweh, in southern Lebanon
The Act of Killing (Denmark, Norway and U.K.)
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Subjects: Unrepentant death-squad leaders
As If We Were Catching a Cobra (Syria and France)
Director: Hala Alabdalla
Subjects: Arab artists fighting for freedom and justice
Bestiaire (Canada and France)
Director: Denis Côté
Subject: Observing animals
Camp 14—Total Control Zone (Germany)
Director: Marc Wiese
Subject: A man who was born and grew up in a Gulag-style North Korean camp
The Central Park Five (U.S.)
Director: Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns
Subjects: Five black and Latino teenagers wrongly convicted of raping the Central Park Jogger
The End of Time (Canada and Switzerland)
Director: Peter Mettler
Subject: Perception of time
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (U.S.)
Director: Brad Bernstein
Subject: Tomi Ungerer and his subversive art
Fidaï (France, Algeria, Qatar, China and Kuwait)
Director: Damien Ounouri
Subject: El Hadi, a 70-year-old veteran of the Algerian War of Independence
First Comes Love (U.S.)
Director: Nina Davenport
Subject: Husband-free pregnancy
The Gatekeepers (Israel, France, Germany and Belgium)
Director: Dror Moreh
Subjects: Six former heads of the Shin Bet—Israel’s secret service agency—share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions
The Girl From the South (Argentina)
Director: José Luis Garcia
Subject: A young Korean student activist Garcia met in 1989
How to Make Money Selling Drugs (U.S.)
Director: Matthew Cooke
Subject: The lives of those on both sides of the “war on drugs”
Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (U.S.)
Director: Jorge Hinojosa
Subject: Iceberg Slim and his transition from pimp to author of seven books
London—The Modern Babylon (U.K.)
Director: Julien Temple
Subjects: London’s immigrants, bohemians, musicians, writers, artists, dangerous thinkers and political radicals
Lunarcy! (Canada)
Director: Simon Ennis
Subjects: Moon worshippers
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (U.S.)
Director: Alex Gibney
Subject: The abuse of power in the Catholic Church
Men At Lunch (Ireland)
Director: Seán Ó Cualáin
Subject: The untold story behind iconic image Lunch atop a Skyscraper, take on the 69th floor of the Rockefeller building in the autumn of 1932
More Than Honey (Germany, Austria and Switzerland)
Director: Markus Imhoof
Subject: Honeybees
No Place on Earth (U.S., U.K. and Germany)
Director: Janet Tobias
Subjects: 38 Ukrainian Jews that spent 18 months living in caves during the Second World War
Reincarnated (U.S.)
Director: Andrew Capper
Subject: Snoop Dogg in Jamaica
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out (U.S.)
Director: Marina Zenovich
Subject: Roman Polanski’s arrest at the Zurich Film Festival
The Secret Disco Revolution (Canada)
Director: Jamie Kastner
Subject: History and influence of disco music
Shepard & Dark (U.S.)
Director: Treva Wurmfeld
Subject: Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark’s friendship
Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky (Canada)
Director: Barry Avrich
Subject: The rise and fall of show business mogul Garth Drabinsky
State 194 (Israel, Palestine and U.S.)
Director: Dan Setton
Subject: Palestinian statehood
Storm Surfers 3D (Australia)
Directors: Christopher Nelius and Justin McMillan
Subjects: Two surfers seek out the world’s biggest waves
The Walls of Dakar (Senegal)
Director: Abdoul Aziz Cissé
Subject: Street art in Dakar){kind=link}
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