Michael Moore, Concerts, Free Screenings & A New Prize Highlight TIFF Docs for ‘09

TIFF documentary programmer Thom Powers with the festival’s co-director Cameron Bailey in New York last year. Photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE

Public screenings, concerts, a Doc Conference and more set for TIFF ‘09

In addition to the prize and the fest’s main doc-focused Real to Reel line up, TIFF’s Powers is also touting this year’s roster of other documentary offerings, which he has spearheaded for the event’s 34th edition, including a live conversation with comedian Chris Rock (who explores African-American hairstyles in “Good Hair”), concerts and free public screenings in addition to a “Doc Conference” focusing on issues relating to non-fiction filmmaking. As anyone who’s attended the festival can attest, getting tickets to TIFF’s public screenings can be a challenge and even with the economic downturn, TIFF says ticket sales continue to be brisk for this year’s offerings of over 300 films.

“This year, we will screen three new documentaries in the outdoor space,” said Powers this week during a conversation with indieWIRE about the festival’s screening area in Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square. “Jonathan Demme’s new Neil Young documentary (‘Neil Young Trunk Show’) will debut, and both will be there.”

Also on tap is a doc on singer Joan Baez by Mary Wharton, “Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound” which will also feature a performance by the artist. In addition to new work, offerings at Yonge-Dundas include feature screenings of “Shut Up & Sing,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Monterey Pop,” “U2: Rattle & Hum,” “Truth Or Dare” and more. Check out the full schedule for TIFF’s varied Yonge-Dundas Square line up.

Beyond the public realm, doc insiders will have a day devoted to a series of panels and discussions focusing on “new challenges and opportunities for documentary financing, distribution and impact” on Sunday, September 13 at the University of Toronto’s Victoria College. Industry vet Liesl Copland of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment will give the key note address at the event, which is open to Guest Relations, Sales & Industry and Press pass holders. Among the offerings at the conference is what Powers describes as a “declaration of independence” given by Paradigm Consulting president Peter Broderick, whose outfit works with filmmaker and media companies to develop strategies to “maximize distribution, audiences, and revenues.” Financing, always an issue no matter how great the economy is especially in non-fiction, will be given a large focus during the day, while doc ethics will have a forum, headed by Professor Patricia Aufderheide (American University in Washington, D.C.), author of Documentary: A Very Short Introduction and other work. Jonathan Demme will close the day with a discussion on his doc work, including his latest Neil Young film.

A scene from Violeta Ayala and Dan Fallshaw’s “Stolen.” Image courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Back to screenings, ESPN will debut work from Barry Levinson and “Friday Night Lights” director Peter Berg at TIFF, as part of its “30 for 30” series, in which the sports network has commissioned thirty filmmakers to create sports docs seen throughout the year in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Levinson’s “The Band that Wouldn’t Die,” about the stalwart marching band for the Baltimore Colts who refused to disband even after the owner moved the team away from Baltimore is on tap. Said Powers about the film, “Even if you don’t give a shit about [American] football, this film really connects on a particular level about people fighting for something they truly love.” Peter Berg’s “Kings Ransom,” meanwhile, profiles the Los Angeles Kings’ Wayne Gretsky and his decision to leave Canada for L.A. The film is sure to scream attention in hockey-crazed Canada - if not some controversy…

Real to Reel and “Capitalism: A Love Story”

Among the nearly two dozen films selected for this year’s Real to Reel, Powers pointed to a few to spotlight for indieWIRE earlier this week. “Stolen,” which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in June, is by two Australian filmmakers exploring modern slavery in northern Africa, and the film, according to Powers, raises issues beyond its targeted subject matter. “Filmmakers can get caught up in the story itself,” he said. “It raises a lot of moral quandries that filmmakers face. If there’s an underlying aspect to the documentaries screening this year, it is that they’re conversation starters.”

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Will Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story” be the media juggernaut reminiscent of his other films?

	Yes, he is by nature a media firestorm.
	No, it may get play but the style is tired.
	Of course, he is a media manipulator and the media craves the sensation.
	There may be an initial rush, but people are getting tired of this firebrand approach to politics.
	Thank God for Michael Moore who can turn the spotlight away from the media conglomerates who ignore the issues of the poor in the U.S.

Read & React: Michael Moore, Concerts, Free Screenings & A New Prize Highlight TIFF Docs for ‘09