Hot Docs 2008

"BASE jumping kills people very quick," says Jeb Corliss, professional BASE jumper and mentor. "It's one of the few sports in the world where you make mistakes, you get killed." Addictions take many forms. For 30-year-old Norwegian adrenaline junkie and professional BASE jumper Karina Hollekim, her addiction is danger. In Jens Hoffmann's breathtaking documentary, the filmmaker follows the elusive extreme sport athlete for five years. Amongst spectacular landscapes in some of the most remote corners of the world, we follow Karina as she hurls herself off increasingly treacherous cliffs. Is the high worth the price when one wrong move means certain death? For Karina, the answer is a resounding yes! With the danger comes the ultimate rush, 20 seconds of blissful joy. An ecstasy unlike any other. An act of faith in defiance of death, embracing life to the fullest. The film offers stunning cinematography and a breathtaking joyride. -Sarah Whitehouse

Vincent Hartley doesn't believe in paying more than $4 for a haircut, but what is reasonable to expect for $4? One thing is for sure; it's always an interesting experience. Cut to an inspired tuba score, this tongue-in-cheek short describes the challenges and benefits of the very cheapest trim. -Gisèle Gordon

Eleven-year old Alla's one true desire in life is to be a ballerina. In this enchanting portrait, Polish director Rafal Skalski unfolds a charming tale of a young girl whose legs are 0.4 percent too short to be admitted into the prestigious Russian Waganowa Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg. Fifty-two percent is the ideal proportion of leg length to height and one of the most important admission criteria set by the State Ballet Academy. Alla has two months to stretch her lovely little limbs to reach these absurd "ideal" proportions. 52 Percent provides the ultimate test for the old adage, "when there's a will there's a way." -Sarah Whitehouse

On June 22, 1985, Air India 182 left Montreal, bound for Delhi. It never made it. Four hours after takeoff, a bomb ripped through the baggage compartment and the plane disintegrated, killing all 329 people, mostly Canadians, on board. The bombing was the result of a Vancouver-based conspiracy, whose members were under investigation by CSIS in the preceding months. It was Canada's first devastating experience with international terrorism and, until 9/11, was the most lethal act of air terrorism in history. Air India 182 is a first-person account of the Air India conspiracy and its tragic aftermath, as told by those directly involved. They include family members, investigators, airport personnel and rescue workers. Together, they reconstruct the final weeks, days and hours before the flight disappeared off the radar screens and their lives were changed forever. Sturla Gunnarsson, one of Canada's preeminent filmmakers, presents these events with restraint and respect.

In his 1917 "Farewell Letter to Swiss Workers," Lenin lauds the "proletarian revolution that is beginning in Europe." His words take on modern relevance in this look at a current East German community. Unemployed workers have been protesting the loss of their factory jobs every day for almost 20 years, while students in a village pub discuss their future, and a boy, playing the part of Lenin in a church play, reads a passage from the original letter. Questions of social utopias are re-addressed in this layered observation of village life.

Music is the star in this dizzying documentary about Montréal-based Cirque du Soleil's new Beatles-inspired Las Vegas show, Love. After three years of negotiations and with a budget of $180 million, director Dominic Champagne has to wrangle an international cast and crew of 500, and an approvals process that includes the founders of Cirque, the Beatles holding company, Apple Corps Ltd., Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison's widow Olivia, and Yoko Ono-one wonders how he didn't have a nervous breakdown. It's all eventually smoothed over by the magic of the Beatles' brilliant music, masterfully re-imagined by music director and ex-Beatles' producer, the ever-charming Sir George Martin. A peek at a fascinating and nerve-racking creative process as seen on every imaginable level, with fabulous archival footage and spectacular performances-this is one behind-the-scenes story you won't want to miss. -Gisèle Gordon

In 1998, controversial author Carlos Castaneda (The Teachings of Don Juan), celebrated godfather of the New Age, died in his Los Angeles home. Five women from his notorious "harem" disappeared within days of his death. In 2004, the skeletal remains of one of those women were found at the edge of Death Valley. In a series of Californian road trips, filmmaker Minou Norouzi attempts to unravel the women's obsession with Castaneda. Norouzi meets numerous Castaneda friends and acquaintances ranging from his dentist to a former lover and muse, all at some time in their lives drawn to the mysterious figure. As her investigation progresses, Norouzi finds herself seduced by Castaneda's persona, and feels her life mirroring that of the women who vanished. Anatomy of Failure is a fascinating study of the power of myth and personality. -Shannon Abel

At the age of 14, best friends Lips and Robb Reiner make a pact to rock together forever. Their band Anvil, hailed as the "demigods of Canadian metal," influences a musical generation including Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Though Anvil never makes it big, they never stop playing or believing. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now well into their 50s, set off to record their 13th album, This Is Thirteen, in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dream. While filmmaker Sacha Gervasi, a successful screenwriter (The Terminal), has an eye for some of the implicit humour here, what prevails is his respect for the perseverance and passion that drives Anvil. Yes, they do have an actual "11" setting on the volume knob. However, their stamina, even while hanging onto their day jobs, makes Anvil the real deal, and this the rock doc of the year. -Sean Farnel

Feeling guilty? Why not unburden yourself by confessing your indiscretions instantly and confidentially over the phone? Inspired by the late artist Allan Bridge's 1980 Apology Project in New York, U.K. filmmakers James Lees and William Bridges set up an "apology line" of their own where members of the public can anonymously confess to absolutely anything. And they do. -Myrocia Watamaniuk