Hot Docs 08 Day 5 - Monday April 21/08

Day 5 of Hot Docs brings stories of persistent people be that if they are fighting for political change or for a quest from an NPC (Non-Player Character).


(Pimpaka Towira, director - The Truth Be Told: The Cases Against Supinya Klangnarong)

Truth Be Told: The Cases Against Supinya Klangnarong, The
Dir: Pimpaka Towira
Thailand

This documentary follows Supinya Klangnarong during the time period of time where she is going through criminal and civil court cases, after being sued by a telecommunications company for defamation. Supinya Klangnarong is a media activist and journalist whom remains very positive throughout the process and very aware of how things work. The film opens with her discussing with her family what they can and can't do and in an endearing sequence to ensure that their cell phones are all off. Long establishing shots parrallel the long process of the law, but always leave us with touching moments.

See more about The Truth Be Told: The Cases Against Supinya Klangnarong the here.


(Hot Doc's staff with Second Skin producer Victor Pineiro and director Juan Carlos Pineiro)

Second Skin
Dir: Juan Carlos Pineiro
USA

Being a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) gamer myself I was particularly interested in this seeing Second Skin, a film that explores the online world of gamers. As stated in the film festival program, the film is a voyeuristic view of the world of online gamers and it feels as it most well received by the non gamers in the jam packed crowd. You could also tell that the crowd was more non gamers than gamers by when the laughs happened, and there were many laughs. There were also a lot of serious situations handled, including gaming addiction and relationships. If you are unfamiliar with this world, the film is an interesting view into it especially on how if the virtual world a part in gamers lives. But, as a gamer I found most of the issues are not new (friendship & relationships, addiction, escapism, gold farmers/outsourcing) and were dealt with in a relatively superficial manner. I did enjoy the information from the numerous experts they talked to including Matt Firor and Nick Yee, Founder of the Daedalus Project.

During the Q&A it was revealed that both Victor Pineiro and director Juan Carlos Pineiro are both console gamers whom had tried online gaming for a few months and had a friend that had a big role in one of these virtual worlds which was the inspiration of the film.

See more at the Second Skin website

Hot Docs runs from April 17-27/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada