Hot Docs festival will begin with an ‘Act of God’

Documentary filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal’s new film Act of God is set to open this year’s Hot Docs Festival in Toronto on April 30. ‘Act of God’ is based on the book written by lightning-strike survivor Paul Auster.

Baichwal is an extraordinary filmmaker, probably best known for her 2006 documentary Manufacturing Landscapes that won Best Canadian Feature at the Toronto Film Festival, but has also amazed audiences with her first two films, The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams’ Appalachia and Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles.

This movie is bound to be incredible. Anyone who has seen ‘Manufacturing Landscapes’ (or any of her films, really) should know that. I love films like this that take real-life human stories and reveal them in great detail with great passion. Errol Morris used to do this, but he’s losing his touch. Perhaps Baichwal is destined to take his place. Here’s to hoping we get at least a short, limited indie theater run of this movie in Saint Louis.

[source: Variety]