Shooting Bigfoot: Hot Docs Adds A New Sentence

There seems to be a renewed debate going on because someone at Hot Docs added a sentence to the end of their synopsis of 'Shooting Bigfoot'. FB/FB posted this to their page yesterday:

 This is what the original Hot Docs overview had to say about the documentary:

“I don’t think an hour goes by in the day where I don’t think about Sasquatch,” divulges one aficionado. So begins Morgan Matthews’ rollicking foray into the obsessive, hoax-filled cult of Sasquatch. Using the in-the-trenches style of The Blair Witch Project, the film allows us to accompany the adventures of three Sasquatch search parties: socially awkward “master tracker” Ric Dyer; crotchety old guys Dallas and Wayne; and Tom Biscotti, perhaps the most devoted of the bunch, who has hunted Sasquatch unabatedly for 37 years. The teams tramp through the wooded unknown with tracking equipment and ample conviction in hand, the bipedal ape-like creature they seek seemingly just around every bend. As truth and fact tip into malarkey, nighttime hunts devolve into farcical displays of voodoo and comic stretches of the human imagination. A humorous look at perception gone off the rails, Shooting Bigfoot is a no-holds-barred plummet into folkloric lunacy. Justin Mah
Co-Presented with Toronto After Dark: Horror, Sci-Fi, Action & Cult Film Festival

Now we have a revised edition on the Hot Docs website.


“I don’t think an hour goes by in the day where I don’t think about Sasquatch,” divulges one aficionado. So begins Morgan Matthews’ rollicking foray into the obsessive, hoax-filled cult of Sasquatch. Using the in-the-trenches style of The Blair Witch Project, the film allows us to accompany the adventures of three Sasquatch search parties: renowned “master tracker” Rick Dyer; old friends Dallas and Wayne; and Tom Biscardi, perhaps the most devoted of the bunch, who has hunted Sasquatch unabatedly for 37 years. The teams tramp through the wooded unknown with tracking equipment and ample conviction in hand, the bipedal ape-like creature they seek seemingly just around every bend. As truth and fact tip into malarkey, nighttime hunts devolve into farcical displays of voodoo and comic stretches of the human imagination. What starts as a humorous look at perception gone off the rails, descends into a dark mystery as things get out of control during a close encounter in the woods."

  I noticed they dropped "no-holds-barred plummet into folkloric lunacy". I can only wonder why the folks at Hot Docs would alter their original overview. Maybe Matthews read it and asked for changes, who knows. The fact of the matter is this rewrite doesn't give us any more, or any less information about the documentary.
  There is also some chatter going on about 'Shooting Bigfoot' being listed in the Science Fiction category. One person says there is no such category listed for the Film Festival. That much is true, but the documentary is being co-presented by Toronto After Dark, which is a  "Horror, Sci-Fi, Action & Cult Film Festival"
It's easy to see how some people got the two festivals or categories mixed up. Regardless of that, 'Shooting Bigfoot' is still being showcased in the Night Vision category, and that lines up with the co-presenters. All you need to do is visit Toronto After Dark's website to see they are genre specific.
Here is what T.A.D had to say on their Facebook page:

Hot Docs even uses the words "Cult Classics" on this page.

"Toronto, March 19, 2013 – Hot Docs is pleased to announce Nightvision will highlight future cult classics and showcase diverse creative approaches to filmmaking. Nightvision will turn the spotlight on the famous and infamous alike, including a group of idealists with a naked approach to helping the environment, rapping best friends Silibil n’ Brains, and creative force James Franco. It will give audiences a behind-the-scenes look at The National’s international tour, owners memorializing their pets, fanatic Bigfoot hunters, and a drug-fueled expedition in the Gabonese jungle. Each film in this program will have a late-night screening at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema."

Hot Docs also lists the films by interest on this page. I had a look on their page and I could only find the documentary listed in two of the categories.

So really nothing has changed. Keep in mind there are three other people in this documentary. Some people forget that fact.
I am kind of curious why there is no trailer for 'Shooting Bigfoot' though.

Racer X