Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival + Conference and Market
April 26 - May 6, 2012
Toronto / Canada
Save for Estonia's Breath by Kullar Viimne that is part of the East Silver catalogue, the International Spectrum is regrettably thin on East European docs this year but there are some familiar titles. A handful of notable films make their North American or Canadian premiere, e.g., Life in Stills (dir. Tamar Tal, Israel 2011, included in East Silver 2012). The World Showcase boasts 37 docs, including Pomorksie iluzje by Jakob Dammas and Helge Renner (included in East Silver 2011), The Field of Magic by Lithuanian director Mindaugas Survila (East Silver 2011) and finally, The Tundra Book. A Tale of Vukvukai, the Little Rock by Aleksei Vakhrushev is one of the highlights in the 2012 East Silver catalogue.
12 documentaries are included in the Hot Docs Spotlight dedicated to films from and about Southeast Europe. Here you'll find one of the gems touring international festivals in the East Silver Caravan - Strong - A Recovery Story by Hungarian director András Kollmann - and also Mama Illegal by Ed Moschitz (East Silver 2012), My Mate Manchester United by Stefan Valdobrev, Yugo, A Short Autobiography by Mina Dukic (both East Silver 2011), and the world premiere of Dragan Wende - West Berlin by Lena von Muller and Dragan Petrovic that attended the Ex Oriente Film and East European Forum back in 2009.
With its mind-blowing scope capturing over 30 years in the life of a Czech family, Private Universe by Helena Třeštíková earned a spot among this year's Special Presentations. A debate is also scheduled to explore the specifics of the longitudinal genre.
We recommend you explore the above and also all of the remaining Hot Docs programmes that present stories of great personal courage and engagement, films featuring ventriloquists and ballroom passion, retrospectives, docs made of twisted loops, meta elements and films on films, portraits of misfits and serial killers, and nightmarish home videos: Canadian Spectrum / Next / Doc Talks / Rise Against / Outstanding Achievement Award Retrospective/ Documentary Plays Itself / Nightvision / Focus on John Kastner.
Strong - A Recovery Story
Eross , Hungary, 2011, 85 min, HD, Adventure and Sports, Health, Portrait
Zsolt Eross is the most successful Hungarian mountaineer. So far he has climbed 8 of the highest peeks in the world, Mount Everest among others. On 2nd of January 2010 he suffered an avalanche accident in the High Tatras breaking both his legs. Because of the unexpected complications of the open, splintered fracture and for the possibility of the early rehabilitation – as his own decision – his right leg was amputated from knee downwards. The movie illustrates a moving, human story of an injured person rising back to his feet, far overwhelming his character. He tells a universal story which can happen to anyone. Zsolt Eross - whose family name means strong in Hungarian - shows his strengths in this situation. He wants to return to the moutains as soon as possible. Few months after the accident he returns to the Himalayas to attempt Cho Oyu, the 6th highest peak in the world, but he had to realize that the accident weakened him more than he had thought.
East Silver 2011 / East Silver Caravan 2012
Hot Docs runs April 26 - May 6, 2012 with over 170 documentaries and an array of industry events.
