In many countries, living out and proud can be something that puts your life at risk. After seeing the HBO documentary The Legend of the Underground, that risk is more than evident. Living in plain sight but not living their truths, several young people in Nigeria struggle with acceptance due to strict Nigerian laws. Imagine... Continue Reading →
Sound of Violence
A young woman channels trauma, a sensory condition, and obsession into her artistry in producer Alex Noyer’s directorial debut, Sound of Violence. Alexis (Jasmin Savoy Brown) is a brilliant young woman. A teaching assistant in the music department at a college, she creates beats with the help of her roommate Marie (Lili Simmons), who customizes... Continue Reading →
Wheatley Builds Layers with In the Earth
Ben Wheatley has given us some pretty great films. From Kill List to A Field in England to Sightseers, he manages to bring his unique style to every story he tells. His latest film pulls him out of the lockdown and back into his signature folk horror themes with In the Earth. Martin (Joel Fry)... Continue Reading →
Hot Docs 2021: One of Ours
Transracial adoption is a difficult road travelled by well-meaning parents and children constantly looking for acceptance. In Yasmine Mathurin's One of Ours, she follows Josiah Wilson, a young Haitian-born Canadian with Native status due to his adoptive father, Don. Josiah's journey of acceptance in the Indigenous community and by himself is spurred by a human... Continue Reading →
Hot Docs 2021: A.rtificial I.mmortality
Making sentient machines, things that don't classify as human but are autonomous, has been technology's biggest quest. We've seen in for years in film: The Terminator series, Replicas, the TV show Humans, Blade Runner, Westworld, I, Robot, and a slew of others contemplate what a robot, a machine with artificial intelligence, might do if they could... Continue Reading →
Hot Docs 2021: Bangla Surf Girls
From Lawrencetown Beach in eastern Canada, Bondi Beach in Australia, to Senegal and South Africa, surfing is a worldwide sport. While more commonly populated by shaggy young men, women are taking charge and winning on the waves. Marginalized women are also taking their place in the surf with the Black Girls Surf Project, where young... Continue Reading →
Hot Docs 2021: Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra
The Aboriginal culture is unique, beautiful and ancient. With over 65,000 years of customs and traditions passed down from tribe to tribe, the preservation of the Indigenous people of Australia has been a continued struggle for centuries. Three brothers, Stephen, David and Russell Page, decided that they would also do their part to preserve their... Continue Reading →
Hot Docs 2021: Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
I first discovered the magic of Poly Styrene a couple of years ago when I watched Fast Color, a 2018 sci-fi film about three generations of Black women with special abilities. The main character Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), plays an X-Ray Spex song and my partner, a punk rocker for life, recognized the song "Germfree Adolescents."... Continue Reading →
Hot Docs 2021: Subjects of Desire
“Black women have historically been denied the power of beauty,” Ryann Richardson bluntly states. In that moment in time, she was a frontrunner for the 2018 Miss Black America pageant, and she speaks a truth that, in this moment in time, still follows us. Black beauty and culture have been mined for decades, with the... Continue Reading →

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