Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe Canadian Intl. Documentary Festival, better known as Hot Docs, has revealed its first slate of Special Presentation films for this year’s festival, running April 28 to May 8 in Toronto and streaming online.World premieres include “The Talented Mr.
Rosenberg,” a lurid look into the story of infamous Toronto con man Albert Rosenberg, a.k.a. the Yorkville Swindler; “Million Dollar Pigeons,” a charming introduction to the competitive world of pigeon racing; and “The Quiet Epidemic,” an investigation into Lyme disease dating back to 1975 that reveals why ticks, and the diseases they carry, have been allowed to spread globally.The Special Presentations will also include the international premieres of “Aftershock,” the story of two bereaved Black fathers seeking justice, legislation and medical accountability in an unspoken U.S.
crisis: maternal health care; “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales,” an exploration by Abigail Disney, Walt Disney’s great-niece, of the growing inequalities in America while she advocates for better pay for Disneyland “cast members”; “I Didn’t See You There” — winner of the Directing Award in Sundance’s U.S.
Documentary competition — a reflection on how the filmmaker sees himself and his world that was shot from the perspective of his wheelchair; and “A Symphony for a Common Man,” a revisionist look at the 2002 ousting of Brazilian diplomat and head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, José Bustani, as America marched to war with Iraq.
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