31/03/2016 - The 35th edition of North America's most important documentary film festival, Hot Docs in Toronto, has programmed a total of 13 German films and co-productions

North America's most important documentary film festival, Hot Docs, in Toronto, will be presenting 13 German films and co-productions during its 35th edition (28 April-8 May), starting with Susan Gluth’s Urmila: My Memory Is My Power (gluth film, zero fiction film), which will world-premiere in the World Showcase, and Monika Grassl’s German-Austrian title Girls Don’t Fly (German producers: INDI Film, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg) will have its international premiere in the sidebar called The Pursuit of Happiness.

Courageous women are at the centre of both films. The former is an intimate portrait of a young woman – sold by her parents to work as a domestic slave from the age of 6 to 17 years old – fighting for freedom and justice in Nepal. The World Showcase section also features the IDFAmsterdam title, Imam Hasanov’s Holy Cow [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Germany/Azerbaijan/Romania, German co-producer: Kloos&Co. Medien), Alon and Shaul Schwarz’ Aida’s Secrets (Israel/Germany/USA; Hupe Film), Pieter-Jan de Pue’s The Land of the Enlightened [+see also:
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film profile] (Belgium/Netherlands/Ireland/Germany; gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion), Roman Bondarchuk’s Ukrainian Sheriffs [+see also:
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film profile] (Ukraine/Lithuania/Germany; Taskovski Films), and Salome Machaidze, Tamuna Karumidze and David Meskhi’s Where the Earth Seems to Be Light (Georgia/Germany; Goslab).

Monika Grassl’s film, elected Best Documentary following its world premiere at the Max Ophüls Festival, tells the story of young women from Ghana who have a common dream, attending Ghana's first and only flying school for girls, but face plenty of misunderstanding and criticism. 

Another hit from the IDFA is on the programme: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s Sundance-awarded Sonita [+see also:
film review
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film profile] (Germany/Iran/Switzerland, German co-producer: Tag/Traum), in the Special Presentations sidebar. 

Amongst the other German co-productions spread across the selection, it is also worth mentioning the unique North Korean story Under the Sun [+see also:
film review
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interview: Vitaly Mansky
film profile] by Vitaly Mansky (Russia/Germany/Czech Republic/North Korea, German co-producer: Saxonia Entertainment), selected in the Command + Control section.