604style's Doxa Documentary Festival Picks

Having missed Hot Docs in Toronto I was pretty upset, I kept thinking I'd have to start my own documentary festival in Vancouver. Fortunately I found Doxa which, like other doc festivals around the globe, is growing and gaining the kind of attention it deserves.

I spent a nice afternoon at Kits beach making some picks which I'll pass your way.

Chasing Wild Horses - An NYC fashion photographer finds himself chasing some beautiful beasts on Sable Island.
Directors: Matt Trecartin and Natasha Ryan, Canada, 2008, 50 minutes
Tuesday May 26 | 1:00PM | Pacific Cinémathèque

Here Are The News - An originally illiterate Yukon woman creates an esteemed and lengthy career for herself as a journalist.
Director: Cathleen Smith, Canada, 2008, 51 minutes
Wednesday May 27 | 3:00PM | Pacific Cinémathèque

Devil’s Bargain: A Journey into the Small Arms Trade - The director gains amazing access to a seething underworld we rarely hear from.
Director: Shelley Saywell, Canada, 2008, 89 minutes
Thursday May 28 | 6:30PM | Vancity Theatre

Carmen Meets Borat - People of Romania revolt at being manipulated on-screen by filmmaker and comedian Sasha Baron Cohen.
Director: Mercedes Stalenhoef, The Netherlands, 2008, 85 minutes
Friday May 29 | 9:00PM | Vancity Theatre

Act of God - From the director of Manufactured Landscapes comes a striking look at people's who's lives have been touched by lightning.
Director: Jennifer Baichwal, Canada, 2009, 75 minutes
Saturday May 30 | 7:30 PM | Granville 7 Theatre

Vancouver versus Toronto

Since I visited Vancouver in 2000 I'd always wanted to see what life was like on the west coast...now I've finally made it! Starting the summer soaking up life in Kitsilano, a fabulous community that rivals many of my fav places in Toronto. It's sort of a mix of the Annex and Avenue Road, Bloor West Village and the Beaches.

Since I did a little comparison of the two Canadian cities on my sister blog 416style and reminisced about some things I missed I thought I should even things up and tell you what I love about living in VanCity.

1) The mountains, the ocean and the beach, but that's an easy one. Last weekend I kayaked with a loon family including two babies, albeit not in the city, I was up at Sakinaw Lake.

2) Sushi! It's everywhere and I never grow tired of it. Walk a block from my house and there are 3 restos right on the corner. The day was driving out of Toronto to come to Vancouver I visited seven sushi restaurants and not one was open on a Sunday. (Mind you, Mondays in Vancouver might be the equivilant.)

3) The walkability of the city, strolling Denman, Commercial, Granville or West 4th.

4) Community gardens. A block from me are these abandoned railroad tracks that are blooming with flowers and fruit planted in neighborhood plots. A trail follows the Cypress garden path for several blocks with a flash of colour that makes up for the graffiti I miss in Toronto. (: There's a huge plot downtown too and if that weren't enough there seem to be so many avid gardeners, nearly every place I pass by on foot has landscaped or added a bit of natural beauty.