NXNE (North by Northeast) announces the first batch of programming as part of NXNE Film. Presented in partnership with Hot Docs, NXNE Film will screen more than 30 movies from June 13-16 at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema and at alternative spaces throughout Toronto. Film Festival wristbands are now available online at nxne.com/tickets and single tickets will be available at the end of May at bloorcinema.com.
NXNE Film will be presenting the North American premiere of ‘BB King – The Life of Riley’ on Friday, June 14. Directed by Jon Brewer, ‘BB King – The Life of Riley’ is a powerful and insightful documentary about legendary bluesman BB King. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the documentary features Eric Clapton, Bono, Ringo Starr, Carlos Santana, Slash, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Ron Wood, Mick Jagger, Bruce Willis and more.
Watch the trailer via YouTube below.
NXNE Film will reflect the whole festival’s eclectic programming by introducing comedy and art components to film screenings. NXNE Art will present movies and projections throughout the city and NXNE Comedy will screen documentaries and shorts at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, including a collection of comedy shorts selected by Toronto’s comedy group Laugh Sabbath.
NXNE Films confirmed so far are:
A Universal Language – Sunday, June 16
Director: Igal Hecht
Join a group of Canadian stand-up comedians on tour in Israel as they generate laughs while discovering the universality of comedy. Organized by Yuk Yuk’s founder Mark Breslin, six comedians – Jews and non-Jews – set off to the Holy Land to perform their material in new surroundings. It isn’t long before they face religious, cultural, and political sensitivities very different from what they are accustomed to, leading them to a deeper understanding of their own comedy and the boundaries each is willing to cross.
A.K.A. Doc Pomus – Sunday, June 16
Directors: William Hechte and Peter Miller
Packed with incomparable music and rare archival imagery, A.K.A. Doc Pomus features Doc’s powerful journals as read by his close friend, Lou Reed. Interviews with Dr. John, Ben E. King, Dion, Leiber and Stoller and BB King.
All Out War – Thursday June 13
Director: Rob Pilichowski *Canadian Premiere
All Out War follows the lives of four b-boys from different positions on the breaking spectrum. The stories of Machine, Alien Ness, Dyzee and Casper intersect at one of b-boying’s most prestigious competitions: The King of the Ring.
Alone Up There – Saturday, June 15
Director: Sean Patrick Shaul
Alone Up There is a first-hand journey to understand one of the most difficult comedic art forms. The feature-length documentary explores the culture of stand-up with interviews with some of today’s best comedians, including Sunee Dhaliwal, Graham Clark, Charlie Demers, and Erica Sigudson.
The Global Groove Network – Saturday, June 15
Director: Courtney James *World Premiere
The Global Groove Network is the story of how EDM and DJ culture has grown from the underground and evolved the mainstream since its inception 40 years ago.
Laugh Sabbath Film Fest – Sunday, June 16
A collection of comedy shorts selected by Toronto’s comedy group Laugh Sabbath. Each short is under 10 minutes long and the whole collection will be run as a mini film fest in one screening.
No Joke – Saturday, June 15
Director: Matt Frame
No Joke is a movie about “unfunny” comedians. Rejected as hopelessly unfunny by hometown audiences, three Canadian standup comedians flee to America for a whirlwind comedy tour – accompanied by hapless tour manager, Vibrato 3.72 “The Human Vibrator” – to determine once and for all whether they are as funny as they believe.
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