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In 2009 Guatemalan lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg was shot to death with out for a Sunday morning bike ride. Rosenberg may have been chalked up as yet another victim of Guatemalan violence and extraordinary murder rates – until his friend stood up at his funeral and announced that anyone who wanted to know what really happened to Rosenberg should watch a DVD being proferred. In his video testimonial, Rosenberg utters the chillingly phrase, "If you are watching this, sadly I have been murdered." Then he goes a step further and names his killer – Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom.

The truth is sometimes really stranger than fiction and director Justin Webster's I Will Be Murdered bears this out. Through a combination of interviews with friends, family, and investigators and closed circuit surveillance footage, Webster manages to tease out the true story of Rosenberg's death. It's a tale with many twists and turns, that manages to be both confusing and illuminating. It's hard to imagine proving that the president of any country, even one so violent and corrupt as Guatemala is guilty of hiring hit men to kill trouble makers, but – without giving to much away – I promise you it's harder still to imagine the truth behind the murder of Rodrigo Rosenberg and his beyond-the- grave testimony.

Again, I've no desire to spoil. I Will Be Murdered is a Hot Docs must see. Period.

Northern Light is a cinema verite documentary set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's a slow paced, but powerful look into the lives of three snowmobile racers and their families. Snowmobile racing is the glue holding this loose narrative together, with everyone and everything revolving around the next big race: the Annual I-500 in Sault Ste. Marie.

The three racing junkies lead very different lives off the snow, but bring real passion to their sport. Walt is one of the primary racers, who loves the sport to a fault, and has difficulties making ends meet as a result. While one of his opponents, Isaac is a perfectionist type, with a strong religious background. At many points in the film the racers' stories branch out, and the camera follows their family members whose daily lives have little or nothing to do with racing. At certain points these narrative diversions get a little confusing, but the supporting characters help broaden the film, giving it more depth and humanity.

Northern Light feels slow, with long shots of snow covered highways, trees and starry night skies, but this works well in contrast with the action of the final race. These shots are gorgeous, and paint a beautiful, but also bitter portrait of life 'up north'. I would recommend this film for doc buffs interested in a real slice of life (on ice).

Amit Virmani's Menstrual Man is an exemplary documentary that explores the hard work and extraordinary vision of A. Muruganantham. A business man and inventor, Muruganantham's story is as empowering as it is unique. He is responsible for creating what he calls a "low cost sanitary pads movement" all over India. Initially shocked that his wife wasn't using sanitary pads during menstruation, Muruganantham soon discovered that in rural areas all over India women were risking severe infections due to social taboos and conservations about wearing pads. Menstrual Man reveals a shocking fact that that 70% of all reproductive diseases in India is caused by poor menstrual hygiene. This lack of knowledge in rural areas is simply because most women are too embarrassed to discuss proper ways of keeping sanitary during their cycles.

Muruganantham decided to test and produce effective sanitary napkins for women unable to receive them from stores. Once his product was created, he took his inventiveness a step further by creating simple machines to manufacture the product. Muruganantham also made the business decision to ship his products to rural areas all over the country and also strictly employ women to handle the creation, distribute, and advertising by raising awareness for the pads in their designated areas. Muruganantham's story is simply riveting. With a docile personality and natural humor, Muruganantham explains how he, an uneducated man who dropped out of school in the 9th grade, went on to become an effective businessman whose dreams of empowering his country through knowledge is becoming a reality.

Virmani captures Muruganantham's story with magnificent dexterity. Complete with stock footage, moving graphs, sweeping facts, and an ever changing aesthetic, Menstrual Man is one of the most compelling documentaries I've ever had the pleasure to watch. Virmani not only focuses on Muruganantham and his humane work ethic, but also how Muruganantham's business has empowered the women who work for him. Menstrual Man's narrative and Virmani's impressive way of telling its story makes for a documentary that's both highly entertaining and extremely enlightening on the cultural issues of rural villages. Muruganantham is a truly inspiring person, and Virmani's film is an exemplary must see Hot Doc.