Gregg Goldstein Documentaries have flooded streaming services and arthouse theaters for years, with good reason: They’re usually the most inexpensive indie films to produce and can spark cultural conversations that attract big audiences. But with so many to choose from, how can filmmakers set theirs apart from the pack? In Toronto, directors are taking some unconventional approaches: inserting new theatrical scenes to present unfilmable histories, capturing mind-bending aerial stunts that go far beyond typical doc photography, using aural techniques that duplicate protagonists’ experiences and even bringing doc elements into other genres.
