We are proud to announce that we are presenting no less than three films at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto this year: The Distant Barking of Dogs, What Walaa Wants and Dreaming Murakami.
Following the lives of a 10-year old Ukrainian boy caught in a raging conflict, a young girl fighting for her right to train as a policewoman in Palestine, and a 60-year old Danish translator immersing herself in the surreal world of Haruki Murakami, the films speak to the heterogeneity of our output, and in each their own way, offer gripping and poetic stories about personal struggle and perseverance.
Representing Final Cut for Real at Hot Docs 2018 is producer Monica Hellström who will attend the festival alongside the three directors Simon Lereng Wilmont, Christy Garland, and Nitesh Anjaan.
THE DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont.
Set in Eastern Ukraine on the frontline of the war the film follows the life of the 10-year-old Ukrainian boy Oleg throughout a year, witnessing the gradual erosion of his innocence beneath the pressures of war.
The Distant Barking of Dogs had its World Premiere at IDFA 2017, winning the First Appearance Award, and has since won 10 more awards, including top honours at San Francisco Film Festival, Gothenburg Film Festival, Thessaloniki Film Festival and It’s All True in Brazil.
The Distant Barking of Dogs has two screenings during the festival:
Tue, May 1 3:15 pm (with Q&A), Hart House Theatre
Thu, May 3 9:30 pm (with Q&A), TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
WHAT WALAA WANTS directed by Christy Garland
Raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank while her mother was in prison, Walaa dreams of being a policewoman, wearing a uniform, avoiding marriage, and earning a salary. Despite discouragement from her family, even from her beloved brother Mohammad, Walaa applies - and gets in. But her own rebellious behavior and a complicated relationship with her mother are big challenges, as are the circumstances under which she lives.
What Walaa Wants, directed by Christy Garland, had its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival and has three screenings during Hot Docs:
Tue, May 1 6:00 pm (with Q&A), TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Thu, May 3 6:15 pm (with Q&A), TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Fri, May 4 3:00 pm (with Q&A), Hart Hourse Theatre
We are happy to say that the main character Walaa Khaled Fawzy Tanji will also be present at the festival.
DREAMING MURAKAMI, directed by Nitesh Anjaan
When Mette Holm begins to translate Haruki Murakami’s debut novel Kaze no uta o kike (Hear the Wind Sing), a two-meter-tall frog shows up at an underground station in Tokyo. The Frog follows her, determined to engage the translator in its fight against the gigantic Worm, which is slowly waking from a deep sleep, ready to destroy the world with hatred.
Dreaming Murakami, directed by Nitesh Anjaan, had its world premiere at IDFA 2017 and was the most seen film at CPH:DOX 2018.
Dreaming Murakami has three screenings during Hot Docs:
Fri, Apr 27 9:15 pm (with Q&A), Scotiabank Theatre 4
Sun, Apr 29 10:00 am (with Q&A), TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Fri, May 4, 4:15 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
We hope the films are well-received overseas and cannot wait to read the reviews.
Discover the full programme for Hot Docs here