Hot Docs 2009

Nepalese Hindus believe the Bagmati River flows directly to heaven, gathering the souls of those who are cremated at the steps of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu and carrying them off to their new home. But for 12-year-old Alesh Poudel, home is on the streets next to the temple. Fishing for coins from the river with magnets and scavenging everything from gold fillings to offerings to the gods, Alesh and his young siblings eke out a contented life from the river, while a more dangerous one lures them to the nearby city streets. Director Yi Seung-Juni's close relationship with-and paternal concern for-his subjects comes through clearly and tenderly in the sincerity and intimacy they share with each other and with the camera. Children of God is a beautifully composed, moving and poetic portrait of a life lived on the steps of heaven. Co-presented with Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.

From Burger It Came is a hilarious animated film about the ways various 1980s fears - from AIDS to the Moonies - affected an impressionable and imaginative young future director. Shannon Abel. Official website: www.dominicbisignano.com