When the international documentary festival Hot Docs is launched April 17 in Toronto, six Danish films will be participating. Furthermore, a Danish project is selected for the festival's funding event Toronto Documentary Forum. Vesterbro
The six films range widely. Michael Noer's "Vesterbro" is selected for the competition programme International Spectrum. Noer received a Special Mention at CPH:DOX for his intimate rendering of his 20-year-old neighbours Julie and Martin and their tumultuous love life – documented by themselves and subsequently told through the director's filmic interpretation. Mechanical Love
Phie Ambo's "Mechanical Love" is selected for the World Showcase programme, screening films on hot issues. Ambo's film deals with a pressing and provocative question: Can robots replace human interaction? The film portrays people who have a close relationship with a robot, among these the Japanese scientist Hiroshi Ishiguro who has built an exact copy of himself.Milosevic on Trial
Also in the World Showcase is Michael Christoffersen's "Milosevic on Trial". Gaining exclusive access to the trial proceedings, the director and his team followed closely the key players in the Haag tribunal against the former Serbian president – until his death in 2006. Bloody Cartoons
Karsten Kjær's "Bloody Cartoons" will screen in Make Me a Believer, a themed programme for documentaries with an offbeat approach to faith and spirituality. With his disarming sense of humour, the director delves into the international controversy provoked by the now infamous Danish satirical cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. "Bloody Cartoons" is one of the ten documentaries in the international TV project "Why Democracy?". Cock Fight Song og Rosa's Letters
Finally, two films participate in the festival's Next programme, highlighting artists and artistic expression. Video and performance artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen's contribution is the three minute "Cock Fight Song", a music video with a humorous and critical approach to a bloody ritual and its violent macho culture. Visual artist Pia Rönicke's "Rosa's Letters – Telling a Story" investigates the transformation from private to public – in the form of socialist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg's personal letters and their transformation into accessible, historical documents.Toronto Documentary Forum
The documentary series "Cities on Speed: Planning for the Future Citizen" will be pitched at the Toronto Documentary Forum which takes place on April 23-24. The series comprises four films, each taking as its starting point a megacity – Shanghai, Mumbai, Bogotá og Cairo – in order to investigate the effects of uncontrolled growth on its inhabitants and discuss the visions for the world's urban future.
The films are produced by Bastard Film (Helle Faber), Cosmo Film Doc (Henrik Veileborg, Jesper Jack and Anna-Maria Kantarius) and Nimbus Film (Sigrid Dyekjær). The producers will be present together with four of the six directors – Nanna Frank Møller, Camilla Nielsson, Frederik Jacobi og Mikala Krogh.
For further information: Hot Docs (April 17-27)
www.hotdocs.ca
Factsheets
Vesterbro
Mechanical Love
Milosevic on TrialDanish Film Institute
Anne Marie Kürstein, +45 4041 4697, kurstein@dfi.dk
Søren Tarp, +45 3374 3563, soerent@dfi.dk