by SARAH ROWLAND

"Iraq? Yeah, I'd like to go. Give me a gun and I'll have fun. It would be like a freebee."

"The civilians? We told the whole world we were gonna do it... They should have got out of the way."

"New York? They say it ain't too far from here. I think it's out that way somewheres."

These are some of the less "worser" insights revealed in Andreas Horvath's This Ain't No Heartland, a documentary that explores the mindset of Midwest Americans. The Austrian-made film was shot during the summer of 2003 in Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, and, of course, Ohio. And depending on what stage you're at in your post-election depression, it is one of the must-sees at the seventh annual Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal.

Boasting nearly 100 films, this year's 10-day festival offers a close-up section on the States, several profiles of groundbreaking documentarians, and numerous open forum discussions. For the bulk of its screenings, RIDM breaks down into five official programs, including a showcase of up-and-coming local talent in the New Ways of Looking at Quebec division.

Dead ships

In the Dark Chapters category, it's hard to imagine a darker film than Shipbreakers. Michale Kot's camera washes up on the shores of Alang, India, where thousands of polluting sea vessels go to die. Sold to opportunistic businessmen by unscrupulous captains capitalizing on the inadequate labour and environmental laws, the rusting beasts are picked clean for recyclable parts by the locals. Already desperately poor, the downtrodden employees earn pennies a day for their work, though the film reveals an even graver component to this already depressing picture. Focusing on a young labourer, Mittu, we learn that he inhales the carcinogenic equivalent of 15 packs of cigarettes during a typical shift. His brother has already died on the job and his uncle is blind from exposure to highly toxic fumes. But Mittu wouldn't bother expressing his health concerns to the company doctor because he knows that he'll only be told to work "downwind" of the airborne PCBs.

Speaking of questionable shipping magnates, our own Prime Minister is the subject of Waiting for Martin. Quebec filmmakers Magnus Isacsson and Sophia Southam follow David Bernans, the NDP candidate in Martin's own riding of LaSalle-Émard in the last federal election, on his mission to engage Canada's leader in a public debate about social cutbacks. The finished product, which combines footage of Bernans on the campaign trail and animated collage sequences that portray Martin as King Kong, is one of 13 selections in the Camera at the Ready portion of the programming.

Stray Arabs and globetrotters

The Witness to Reality series includes the heartbreaking Garden, which observes a year in the life of two Arab hustlers living in Tel Aviv. With few rights in Israel and death threats waiting for them back home in Palestine, the two best friends often fall victim to ritual police brutality. In a different world these finely chiselled boys would be male models with their own underwear ad campaigns. Here, however, they live like stray dogs, exiled from their homes and sleeping with a deadly enemy.

The Intimate Journeys program offers the deeply personal in offerings such as Hardwood. Director Hubert Davis examines his own troubled family history, which is filled with abandonment and betrayal. The Vancouverite's father is former Harlem Globetrotter Mel Davis, and this rollin' stone had some secrets, not the least of which was another family in Chicago. Davis is one of four filmmakers invited to a roundtable to discuss the challenges of turning the camera on your own life.

Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal screens Thursday, Nov. 11 to Sunday, Nov. 21. For more info, visit www.ridm.qc.ca

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