Hot Docs Festival Presents Two Mexican Documentaries
The Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival, which is the most important festival of its kind in North America, has selected two Mexican films for its 2012 Schedule: "Cuates de Australia" (Drought), by Everardo González and "Jardín en el mar" (Garden in the Sea), by Thomas Riedelsheimer.
Hot Docs 2012 will present 189 documentaries from 51 countries, which are organized into 12 programs. The films will be shown at various locations around Toronto from April 26 to May 6.
This year will include the opening of the festival's new headquarters in the fully renovated Bloor Cinema, at Bloor and Bathurst.
Director Everardo González will attend his film's screening.
"Drought" follows the exodus of a community in the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila in search of water and waiting for rain.
An award-winning filmmaker, González reveals his skill as a photographer through his images of the Mexican desert while he shows how the community lives in spite of the vicissitudes of their natural surroundings.
González is a graduate of the Social Communication program at the University Autónoma Metropolitana and of the Cinematography program at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC).
He is an independent documentary filmmaker and producer and has also worked as a director and photographer for the Discovery Channel. In 2008 he was the director and photographer of documentary segments for the film "Traspatio (Backyard), directed by Carlos Carrera, for which he received the Ariel de Plata for Best Photography in 2010.
Screenings of "Drought" will take place at 8:45pm on April 28 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and at 2:00pm on April 30 at the ROM Theatre.
In "Garden in the Sea," documentary filmmaker Thomas Riedelsheimer presents his experience with the renowned Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias, who was commissioned to create sculptures placed at the bottom of the Sea of Cortez.
The director goes beyond the standard scope of a documentary to explore the role of art and the creative process, along with the human passion to make the beauty of our world tangible. "Garden in the Sea" is a documentary about art, landscape and the environment.
Thomas Riedelsheimer studied at the Academy of Cinema and Television in Munich and is a skilled cameraman, director and producer. He has extensive experience with all film formats but prefers working with 16mm film.
In his films, Reidelsheimer has tackled a range of topics, and in each case his goal has been to produce a full-length documentary.
He has won several national and international awards for his work in film and television as a director, cameraman and editor.
Screenings of "Garden in the Sea" will take place at 4:00pm on April 28 at the ROM Theatre; at 9:30pm on April 29 at Innis Town Hall; and at 4:00pm on May 6 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
For more information see: www.hotdocs.ca