HotDocs rolled into Toronto last month just in time for the weather to be far too nice to want to spend any time in a darkened room, but this didní¢â‚¬â„¢t stop line-ups springing up across town over the weekend.

Some highlights included Loveable, a lovely feature length doc following director Alan Zweigí¢â‚¬â„¢s stream of consciousness concerning his ongoing single status. It played to a packed Bloor cinema on Monday night and whilst there were one or two moments where I found myself briefly wondering about which bike-route I might take home, Loveable was funny throughout, and at times truly moving. Perhaps most impressive was its honesty, and the honesty of those on screen; the truth of their longing for love, companionship, intimacy, and the truth of their acceptance of, or preference for single life.

Later in the week, director Rob VanAlkemade asked What Would Jesus Buy? in his account of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choirí¢â‚¬â„¢s cross-America pilgrimage. They traveled from NYCí¢â‚¬â„¢s Times Square í¢â‚¬“a í¢â‚¬Å“Stone Henge of logosí¢â‚¬ í¢â‚¬“ to LAí¢â‚¬â„¢s Disney World, bringing awareness of the í¢â‚¬Å“Shopocalypseí¢â‚¬  í¢â‚¬“ unnecessary and excessive spending and hyper-commercialism, concurrent with a loss of family values í¢â‚¬“ to mall-goers and big-spenders countrywide.

Choir Director James explains that the Church encourages people to í¢â‚¬Å“have a conscious about shopping, and explore your optionsí¢â‚¬ , countering the post 9/11 attitude championed by newsreaders over the holiday season: í¢â‚¬Å“We caní¢â‚¬â„¢t let the terrorists win and just stay homeí¢â‚¬ .

Reverend Billyí¢â‚¬â„¢s wife, Savitri, is keen to explain that the í¢â‚¬Å“Shopocalypseí¢â‚¬  isní¢â‚¬â„¢t a Blue-Red issue, though: í¢â‚¬Å“In New York, arguably the most progressive city in the countryí¢â‚¬ ¦ the problem is huge. All people do it shop. Manhattan is a mall.í¢â‚¬  Along with the humour, VanAlkemade and the Reverend provide their audience with some serious facts about childrení¢â‚¬â„¢s media consumption and marketing to the under-12 demographic, developing world work conditions exploited by big brands, and the environmental consequences of our everyday choices. VanAlkemade does keep the more serious side of the film in check, ensuring that we are constantly entertained, and maintains a hopeful and inspirational rather than frustrating tone.

On another, very different journey, director-subject Jamie Kastner searches for a Jewish identity in Kike Like Me. Whether he is or isní¢â‚¬â„¢t Jewish is irrelevant to his aim of discovering what it is to be perceived as Jewish in todayí¢â‚¬â„¢s societies. Like many other films screened in the festival, this doc frequently uses humour, but isní¢â‚¬â„¢t afraid to shy away from more moving or poignant moments. One such moments takes the form of a sad juxtaposition; a hidden-away table-and-fallen-chair Holocaust memorial in Berlin is vandalised with graffiti, followed by the incredible revelation that the anti-graffiti spray used to protect the expansive í¢â‚¬Å“Field of Memoryí¢â‚¬  memorial was provided by a company who once produced Zyklon B gas.

Kastnerí¢â‚¬â„¢s narration is sometimes humourous, sometimes distracting, but ultimately important for the journey he takes í¢â‚¬“ much more an emotional journey of discovery and identity than a European tour. His style of humour woní¢â‚¬â„¢t be to everyoneí¢â‚¬â„¢s taste, but as his decidedly aloof mood quiets into a more serious and sad place, it is clear that he is feeling pinned down by his identity.

HotDocs was more popular than ever this year í¢â‚¬“ likely thanks to the steadily rising popularity of the documentary form í¢â‚¬“ with their audience numbers up 33% on last year alone. It would perhaps have been smart to publicise their monthly Doc Soup to this large group of doc-lovers; though the season doesní¢â‚¬â„¢t kick off until later in the year, to get the concept and name out there to this audience would surely have sparked interest. However, with the Worldwide Short Film Festival just around the corner, those in search of alternatives to the Hollywood summer schedule doní¢â‚¬â„¢t have too far to look, or too long to wait.

For more information on HotDocs or the films mentioned here, check these sites: HotDocs: http://hotdocs.ca/

Loveable Prod Co site: http://www.primitive.net/lovable.html

What Would Jesus Buy/Reverend Billyí¢â‚¬â„¢s site: http://www.revbilly.com/

Kike Like Me Prod Co site: http://www.cave7productions.com/