Hot Docs

The "Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival" runs from April 28th through May 7th and has loads of interesting films on offer (www.hotdocs.ca). "Marianne" looks at a hotdog vender outside of a Toronto hospital who has become a true public figure. Another one that caught my attention is a 2006 American/Mexican production called "Maquilapolis: City of Factories". The description goes as follows:

"On the US-Mexican border, factory workers employed in maquiladoras are routinely exploited as multinationals take advantage of cheap labour, lax environmental standards and a government that turns a blind eye to labour law violations. Fed up, an intrepid band of women become promotoras (community activists), educating themselves and their fellow workers about their rights. In a unique collaboration, directors Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre trained a group of Tijuana-based promotoras in video production. Among them is Carmen, a single mom who works the graveyard shift six days a week and comes home to a shack constructed from recycled garage doors. At 29, she suffers kidney damage from prolonged chemical exposure and is immersed in a legal battle with Sanyo, which failed to pay severance owed when it relocated to Asia. Her pal Lourdes, who lives alongside a stream contaminated by toxic waste, is engaged in an equally heated fight for justice. Shouldering cameras, these and other activistas offer an impassioned plea against globalization and corporate interests that put efficiency before the environment and profits before people". The doc runs a little over an hour and plays on May 5th and May 7th.