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FOR MUSIC LOVERS
About
Our “For Music Lovers” series looks at music from a variety of viewpoints, embracing a variety of styles while simultaneously re-affirming the universality of music’s appeal.
About this Playlist
City Sonic is a documentary series about the places where music happens. At its core is a series of short films about extraordinary artists shot in places where their musical lives were transformed. At the centre of the project is a series of short films crafted by Canadian filmmakers, each City Sonic Toronto film features one artist and one Toronto location where lives and musical careers were transformed and where a piece of music history was made.
As a city, Toronto’s musical legacy is immense – it has given rise to such Canadian musical legends as the iconic Neil Young and Robbie Robertson and remained home for many internationally successful bands, including Rush and Barenaked Ladies. All musicians and bands must start out somewhere and most can recall a venue or location that represents a significant moment within their early days. Lead singer and bass player for Rush, Geddy Lee, takes us on a tour inside the legendary concert venue, Massey Hall, looking back to the 1970s and recalls watching, as a star-struck teen, Cream and Genesis rock the venue he would himself make history at in 1976. Drummer Tyler Stewart of Barenaked Ladies takes us on a trip down memory lane and reminisces on the grassroots community that once dominated Queen Street West. Featuring exclusive new footage of the Barenaked Ladies bushing on the steps of Pages Books, this tribute to a by-gone era is full of optimism for the future.
In his first documentary, Allan Black examines three musicians who take up residence in the Yukon. Part performance film, part intimate confessional and part road move "Beautiful and Deranged: The Song of the Yukon" follows Mikel Miller, Gordie Tentrees and Aylie Sparkes, three of the Yukon's most renowned musicians over the course of one very dark and cold winter. We accompany them from a rundown roadhouse off the Klondike highway to a tiny cabin in the bush near Carcross; from an elf farm outside Whitehorse to a cave in Dawson city. Along the way, they swap wild stories, take part in impromptu jam sessions, reflect on where they've been and where they're going and get to the heart of the mystery and wonder of the Yukon. This documentary features wonderful performances all round with a wonderful original song by Mikel Miller, called “The Key” which you will swear is straight out of the folk classics catalogue.
In “Jabaroot”, acclaimed Iranian-Canadian musician Kiya Tabassian leaves behind the slush, congestion and impersonal towering buildings of his home in Montreal to encounter the deep sources and inspirations of diasporic Persian music. His search takes us on a richly textured journey into the landscape, the poetry, the memory, and above all, the compelling spirituality of the music of southern Iran. In remote mountain villages, Tabassian meets and performs with many legendary poets and performers of Persian music, including Haj Ghorban Soleimani and Ustad Kiyani. Shahin Parhami has constructed an equally poetic and eloquent visual documentation of this journey, full of intimate perceptions and abstract meditative connections between here and there, past and present. A sumptuous affirmation of music as life.
Whether you’re a professional musician, an enthusiastic hobbyist or simply a passionate listener, these docs will give you wonderful songs and stories with music providing the common thread.
Additional Online Resources
CitySonic
Toronto Independent Music Awards
Royal Conservatory Of Music
Canadian Music
Selected Films (8)
- NFB
- NFB films have influenced the works of filmmakers around the world.
- Most Popular
- Check out what your fellow doc lovers are watching.
- Reel Asian
- Showcasing alumni filmmakers from past Reel Asian festivals.
- The Images Festival
- The Images Festival looks at the dynamics of accessibility.
- Doc Challenge
- A timed competition where filmmakers have 5 days to make a short doc.
- Brian Linehan
- Brian Linehan was best known for his celebrity interviews.
- CitySonic
- Toronto sounds good. It always has.
- TVO - Makes you think
- www.tvo.org
- RIDM
- www.ridm.qc.ca
- Industry Corner 2009
- Video and audio captures of all public series' and industry sessions at Hot Docs.
- Industry Corner 2010
- Festival Industry Sessions from 2010
- Industry Corner 2011
- Festival Industry Sessions From 2011
- Industry Corner 2012
- Festival Industry Sessions From 2012
- Industry Corner 2013
- Festival Industry Sessions From 2013
- Industry Corner 2014
- Hot Docs Industry Sessions Knowledge Capture
- Industry Resources
- Resources to be used in conjunction with video captured 2013 industry sessions.
- Educators
- Doc Library films with educational resources for high school.
- Inspirit Foundation
- Docs about pluralism and diversity of beliefs
- Filmmaker Interviews
- Interviews and Q&A's
- AIDS/HIV
- Aids/HIV Docs
- THE PLIGHT OF HOMELESSNESS
- Docs on Homelessness
- FOR MUSIC LOVERS
- Docs for Music Lovers
- Canadiana
- Films about Canada
- LOVE, THE MANY DOCUMENTED THING.
- Docs About Love
- DEALING WITH DISABILITY
- Docs on Dealing with Disabilities
- GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY
- Docs on Aging
- THE WONDER YEARS?
- Films about Growing Up
- CANADA’S OWN WONDER OF THE WORLD
- Niagara Falls
- DEATH IN ALL ITS FORMS
- Films About Dealing with Death