South Asian films at Hot Docs Film Festival
Hot Docs is North America's largest documentary festival which runs for 11 day from April 29 to May 9. Presenting over 170 films from more than 40 countries and welcoming hundreds of international filmmakers and industry delegates to Toronto.
Each year, the Festival presents a selection of more than 150 cutting-edge documentaries from Canada and around the globe. Through its industry programs, Hot Docs also provides a full range of professional development, market and networking opportunities for documentary professionals.
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This years South Asian Films include:
Bhutto
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s remarkable life and last days are exquisitely unraveled in this epic biographic documentary. Bhutto carved out a complex path, from her early days studying at Berkeley in the late ‘60s, where she honed her social activism, to witnessing the controversial downfall and assassination of her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Bhutto, to her house arrest and political imprisonment. Elected as the first female leader of an Islamic nation, she championed a democratic and educated Pakistan through key moments in the country’s turbulent history, all while carrying the weight of allegations against her, her husband, and her father’s political legacy. Bhutto’s successes and failures were scrutinized by the public, the Islamic world, and within her family, and her story unfolds in truly Shakespearean proportions. Featuring exclusive interviews with the Bhutto family, this riveting portrait is as bold as the
controversial figure herself. - Karina Rotenstein
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s remarkable life and last days are exquisitely unraveled in this epic biographic documentary. Bhutto carved out a complex path, from her early days studying at Berkeley in the late ‘60s, where she honed her social activism, to witnessing the controversial downfall and assassination of her father, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Bhutto, to her house arrest and political imprisonment. Elected as the first female leader of an Islamic nation, she championed a democratic and educated Pakistan through key moments in the country’s turbulent history, all while carrying the weight of allegations against her, her husband, and her father’s political legacy. Bhutto’s successes and failures were scrutinized by the public, the Islamic world, and within her family, and her story unfolds in truly Shakespearean proportions. Featuring exclusive interviews with the Bhutto family, this riveting portrait is as bold as the
controversial figure herself. - Karina Rotenstein
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In The Name Of The Family
On December 10, 2007, a 16-year-old Toronto schoolgirl, Aqsa, was strangled to death; her father and brother are charged
with murder. Three weeks later, teenage sisters were shot to death in Dallas; their father is wanted for murder. Six months
later, a 14-year-old girl was stabbed by her brother; he was convicted and is now in jail in New York.Friends and family of the murdered girls paint a chilling portrait of the forces that led to their deaths, and Toronto schoolgirls talk about their lives of constant fear. While Muslim women organize to help girls at risk and the imam at a Toronto mosque teaches
that violence has no basis in Islam, some men continue to justify these crimes through patriarchal beliefs about family honour. Award-winning director Shelley Saywell brings her consummate documentary skills and passion for human rights to challenge the traditions that lie behind the heartbreaking tragedies committed against young girls caught between two cultures in North America. - Lynne Fernie
On December 10, 2007, a 16-year-old Toronto schoolgirl, Aqsa, was strangled to death; her father and brother are charged
with murder. Three weeks later, teenage sisters were shot to death in Dallas; their father is wanted for murder. Six months
later, a 14-year-old girl was stabbed by her brother; he was convicted and is now in jail in New York.Friends and family of the murdered girls paint a chilling portrait of the forces that led to their deaths, and Toronto schoolgirls talk about their lives of constant fear. While Muslim women organize to help girls at risk and the imam at a Toronto mosque teaches
that violence has no basis in Islam, some men continue to justify these crimes through patriarchal beliefs about family honour. Award-winning director Shelley Saywell brings her consummate documentary skills and passion for human rights to challenge the traditions that lie behind the heartbreaking tragedies committed against young girls caught between two cultures in North America. - Lynne Fernie
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Made In India
After seven years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, Lisa and Brian Switzer will do anything to have a baby of their
own. Unable to afford the almost US$100,000 costs of a surrogate in Texas, they gamble on the growing reproductive industry
in India and “outsource” their pregnancy halfway around the world. With the help of an American-based broker of sorts, Lisa and Brian navigate their way through India’s largely unregulated womb trade until they’re matched with Aasia, a Muslim woman in Mumbai. Illiterate, poor, and a mother of three, she’s willing to endure her husband’s disapproval and the strains of carrying the Switzer’s baby for the right price. As the due date nears, ethical and political conflicts come to an unexpected head in this emotionally charged baby drama. - Myrocia Watamaniuk
After seven years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, Lisa and Brian Switzer will do anything to have a baby of their
own. Unable to afford the almost US$100,000 costs of a surrogate in Texas, they gamble on the growing reproductive industry
in India and “outsource” their pregnancy halfway around the world. With the help of an American-based broker of sorts, Lisa and Brian navigate their way through India’s largely unregulated womb trade until they’re matched with Aasia, a Muslim woman in Mumbai. Illiterate, poor, and a mother of three, she’s willing to endure her husband’s disapproval and the strains of carrying the Switzer’s baby for the right price. As the due date nears, ethical and political conflicts come to an unexpected head in this emotionally charged baby drama. - Myrocia Watamaniuk
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