Hot Docs 2009

In a lyrical and cinematic ode to memory, acclaimed Up the Yangtze director Yung Chang takes us on a dreamlike voyage to recreate a childhood experience as he remembers it. Spanning oceans and continents, Chang's film elegantly captures the breathtaking sunrise that exquisitely materializes from behind the peaks of Ali Shan, an historical mountain located in Taiwan. What emerges is a sensitive piece of visual poetry and a tribute to all who dare to dream. Michelle Latimer.

You see an average of 5,000 ads every day. Most of them suck. A handful are good. Only a few look and feel like-and indeed really are-art. The most innovative advertising campaigns of our time and the creative rebels behind them are the fascinating subjects of acclaimed filmmaker Doug Pray's Art & Copy. Slick footage and stories from industry legends chart the creative revolution that sees a splinter group shift from merely moving product to moving culture. Phyllis K. Robinson empowers the "Me generation" with a Clairol slogan and Hal Riney re-elects Reagan with "It's morning in America." Yes, they sell widgets, but just as artists do, they also tap zeitgeists and rouse emotion: Lee Clow's "Think different" tagline grows more than Apples and Dan Wieden's "Just do it" makes athletes of us all. Pray's captivating tribute- like an ad itself-sells you on the undeniable art of advertising. Myrocia Watamaniuk.