Paul the Psychic Octopus premieres

A strange thing happened when I came to write this blog. I wanted to preview the documentary slate at EIFF but I looked and there was none to be found.

In the EIFF program, documentaries on photographer / filmmaker Anton Corbijn, Anton Corbijn: Inside Out and Bess Kargman’s debut feature documentary, First Position are programmed as part of Films on Film and New Perspectives strands respectively. The Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus screens as part of the International Competition.

Does it matter? Is it a good idea to meld everything together like a big stew and let punters mine the program looking for their non-fiction gems?

In the EIFF 2012 program, you need to use the term “documentary” to search for the non-fiction films you may want to see. Like the Danish doc, Au Pair, that takes as its subject three Filipino women who work as au pairs in Denmark. According to the festival program, the doc shows how the women struggle to earn money for their families back home and face social marginalisation in Denmark as well as the ongoing strain of the temporary nature of their work permits.

The festival will also host the world premiere of Philippine New Wave: This Is Not a Film Movement, a film that examines “how technology has democratized cinema” (Dodo Dayao, film critic) and Chinese doc filmmaker Wang Bing will present a Masterclass at the 2012 festival.