With 90 films screening over 11 days, it’s impossible to see every worthy film on the DOXA International Documentary Festival schedule – but we’re happy to give you a place to start via our top three picks. Happy DOXA-ing, cinephiles.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Straddling the line between historical doc and (given the incendiary state of race relations in America) pulled-from-the-headlines current affairs piece, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution details the rise of the Black Panthers, a revolutionary black nationalist and socialist organization active in the US from 1966 until 1982. Considering what’s going on in Baltimore and in countless other cities and towns across America, there’s a strange sense of déjà-vu when founding Panthers reflect on police brutality and white privilege. A particularly powerful line comes courtesy of the late Panther Fred Hampton: “You can jail the revolutionaries, but you can’t jail the revolution.” 12pm, May 3, The Cinematheque. Details at http://www.doxafestival.ca/film/blackpanthers.
Tab Hunter Confidential
In 1950s Hollywood, Tab Hunter was the epitome of the wholesome all-American heartthrob. With his surfer hair, piercing baby blues, infectious smile, and a lean, tanned body, the charming star of numerous Warner Bros flicks played crush to gaggles of screaming girls across the land. He also happened to be gay, and in Eisenhower America, Hunter (born Art Gelien) was hard-pressed to keep his true nature hidden. Being gay was quite literally against the law, and coming out was a surefire career killer. Thus, Hunter conducted his love affairs (including with Psycho actor Anthony Perkins) under a shroud of secrecy – with mega-studio Warner Bros protecting the persona they'd created via gentlemen's agreements with the LA press. Tab Hunter, now 83, shares his own remarkable story, intercut with footage from his movies and interviews with famous friends like Robert Wagner, Portia de Rossi, Clint Eastwood, John Waters, George Takei, and Debbie Reynolds. 2:30pm, May 2, The Cinematheque. Details at http://www.doxafestival.ca/film/tabhunter
Sugar Coated
Sugar Coated chisels the sickly sweet candy crust off of the truth that the sugar industry has long kept hidden: that they employed tactics once utilized by the tobacco industry to strong-arm their way into the bulk of mass-produced food items on the market. And we’re paying a high price for their decades of craftiness: the world daily consumption of sugar has increased by 46% in the last 30 years, and our addiction to sugar is wreaking havoc on our health and healthcare systems. If you’ve been thinking about giving up sugar and are worried that you won’t be able to stop snacking, Sugar Coated will kill the cravings, guaranteed. 12:30pm, May 4, Vancity Theatre. Details at http://www.doxafestival.ca/film/sugar.
