After two years of online and hybrid festivals, the 10th edition of CUFF.Docs Documentary Film Festival will return to an exclusively in-cinema experience, showcasing 15 features, 10 shorts, and filmmakers in attendance at Globe Cinema from November 23-27, 2022.
CUFF.Docs 2022 will open with Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters, a documentary about Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, one of the most influential and important comic book creators of all time.
Over five days, audiences will be exposed to documentaries on a range of topics and subjects – from the history of Canada’s drag scene in The Empress Of Vancouver, to films about underground music, including Drop the Needle, the story of the influential Toronto record store Play De Record, and Meet Me in the Bathroom, which looks at the explosive New York music scene of the early 2000s. There are also documentaries on some of genre cinema’s most iconic films and filmmakers: Living With Chucky about the Child’s Play franchise; the Canadian premiere of King on Screen, which interviews the majority of directors who’ve adapted Stephen King’s work for screen; and the Canadian premiere of Lynch/Oz, an exploration of the symbiosis between The Wizard of Oz, and David Lynch’s work. One of the year’s most acclaimed documentaries, Fire of Love, will also play CUFF.Docs after screening at festivals around the world, and taking home multiple awards including Jury Awards from Independent Film Festival of Boston, Seattle International Film Festival2, and Sundance Film Festival 2022.
This year’s festival includes six local films, including the feature Living Without Menace, a documentary about Alberta’s (lack of) rats from Calgary director Ted Stenson.
CUFF.DOCS 2022 LINEUP
Features
DROP THE NEEDLE (Dir. Rob Freeman): The story of the Toronto record store Play De Record, which quickly began serving the needs of college radio and DJs who spun new sounds far from the mainstream. Canadian Director Rob Freeman in attendance.
FIRE OF LOVE (Dir. Sara Dosa): The extraordinary love story of intrepid French scientists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died just as explosively as they lived — capturing the most spectacular imagery ever recorded of their greatest passion: volcanoes.
GIRL GANG (Dir. Susanne Regina Meures): Follow 14-year-old Leonie, a rising teen influencer who lives on the outskirts of Berlin. When her parents realise the enormous economic potential of their daughter‘s online activities, the pressure on Leonie becomes unbearable.
JACK HAS A PLAN (Dir. Bradley Berman): When Jack, a man with a terminal brain tumour for 25 years, decides to end his life, his family and friends struggle to accept this. Jack’s best friend documents his three-year quest to die a happy man, culminating in a permanent going-away party.
KING ON SCREEN (Dir. Daphné Baiwir): An inside look with those who have adapted Stephen King’s work, showcasing the unique relationship as they reimagine his style for film and television.
LIVING WITH CHUCKY (Dir. Kyra Gardner): A filmmaker who grew up alongside Chucky seeks out those surrounding the CHILD’S PLAY films as they recount their experiences working on the ongoing franchise, and what it means to be a part of the “Chucky” family.
LIVING WITHOUT MENACE (Dir. Ted Stenson): For over 70 years, Alberta has been the only inhabited part of the planet without rats. But with the emergence of several ambitious, ecologically-focused rat eradication efforts in other parts of the world, what does the future hold for Alberta’s iconic ‘Rat Patrol’? Calgary Director Ted Stenson will be in attendance.
LYNCH/OZ (Dir. Alexandre O. Philippe): LYNCH/OZ explores one of the most fascinating puzzles in the history of motion pictures: the enduring symbiosis between America’s primordial fairytale, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and David Lynch’s singular brand of popular surrealism.
MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM (Dir. Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern): An immersive journey through the New York music scene of the early 2000s, when a new generation including The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and Interpol kick-started a musical rebirth that reverberated around the world.
MIKE MIGNOLA: DRAWING MONSTERS (Dir. Jim Demonakos and Kevin Konrad Hanna): The definitive story of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, one of the most influential and important comic book creators of all time. Directors Jim Demonakos and Kevin Konrad Hanna will participate in a Skype Q&A following the Opening Night Film.
MILLION DOLLAR PIGEONS (Dir. Gavin Fitzgerald): Pigeon masters from across the globe compete in the highest-stakes bird race on the planet.
RON ENGLISH: LIVING IN DELUSIONVILLE (Dir. Constant Van Hoeven): RON ENGLISH: LIVING IN DELUSIONVILLE explores the impact of corporate messaging through art and its necessary antidote: noncommercial thought-provoking public art.
SKATE DREAMS (Dir. Jessica Edwards): The first feature documentary about the rise of women’s skateboarding, profiles a group of women whose pursuit of self-expression, equality, and freedom have created an international movement of independence and empowerment.
THE COLOUR OF INK (Dir. Brian D. Johnson): THE COLOUR OF INK uncovers the mystery and power of our oldest medium through the eyes of Jason Logan, a Toronto inkmaker. Harvesting colours from the natural world—weeds, berries, bark, flowers, rocks, rust—he makes ink from just about anything. Canadian Director Brian D. Johnson in attendance.
THE EMPRESS OF VANCOUVER (Dir. Dave Rodden Shortt): A cinematic and intimate collision of drag, queer history, and performance art, that follows trans icon Oliv Howe as she prepares for the 40th anniversary of her coronation. Canadian Dir. Dave Rodden Shortt in attendance.
Shorts
Screening as part of one Documentary Shorts Package, and before features
Of the 10 shorts selected for the festival, five of them are local:
MIKE ON THE FARM (Dir. Gianna Isabella): 89-year-old Italian immigrant Mike Nardone operates a farm all by himself in Alberta, Canada.
MINUS TWENTY (Dir. Jack Parker): A cold storage worker’s job follows him around.
RESIDUAL SPLENDOUR (Dir. C. Hudson Hwang): The comfortable lifestyle of a whimsical Calgary couple is shattered when Sarah’s breast cancer unexpectedly returns and begins spreading to her brain.
THE GOATS OF MONESIGLIO (Dir. Emily Graves): An observational documentary about the lives of two families – one Punjabi and one Italian – working together to manage a goat farm and produce traditional artisanal goat cheese.
TS’OOSTSITSI (YEARS AGO) (Dir. Adam Solway): Ts’oostsitsi is a Blackfoot word used to describe the past. Feeling responsible to continue storytelling in his family, Ike Solway recounts a powerful experience had by his grandfather. What follows is a story that echoes through generations.
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