Films on musicians are striking the right chord at this year's TIFF, with documentaries touching on controversies within country music circles to the revival of a late rock legend's voice.

"The fact is musicians are larger-than-life and so that makes them very attractive to filmmakers -- whether they are non-fiction filmmakers or fiction filmmakers," TIFF International Documentary Programmer Thom Powers told CTV.ca.

The arguable headliner among the host of music-related movies is the documentary Dixie Chicks - Shut Up and Sing, which will be making its world premiere as a TIFF gala presentation.

The film, from two-time Oscar-winning director Barbara Kopple and filmmaker Cecilia Peck, explores the controversy that followed the country music darlings after lead singer Natalie Maines' infamous off-the-cuff remark about U.S. President George Bush.

"Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from (their home state) Texas," Maines told a London audience in 2003, on the eve of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Not to be forgotten though, is the trio's music.

Powers writes in the film fest 2006 documentary blog that he knew the Dixie Chicks only for their politics before he watched the film.

"After watching, I'm a total convert. The new album Taking The Long Way is in heavy rotation on my iPod. This summer, I even drove from Toronto to Detroit to see the start of their new tour," he writes.

Another four films exploring musical themes will be screened among the festival's Real to Reel program, a showcase of the best non-fiction cinema.

"These remarkable films cover a wide spectrum," Powers said in announcing the lineup, "from war and justice, to music, humour, and the art of filmmaking itself. Audiences will discover complex and inspiring characters. I am delighted by the rich line-up of documentaries coming to Toronto for my first year with the Festival."

Yet another film that echoes the Dixie Chicks' message of defiance is The U.S. vs. John Lennon.

"The U.S. vs. John Lennon and Dixie Chicks - Shut Up and Sing are both films about musicians speaking out during times of war and suffering huge backlash in response to that," Powers told CTV.ca.

Filmmakers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld trace the former Beatle's transformation from revolutionary musician to anti-war activist in a controversial documentary made with the co-operation with his widow, Yoko Ono.

The film recounts the U.S. government's attempts to silence Lennon between 1966 and 1976 through wiretapping, FBI surveillance, and deportation hearings, in a narrative that is told through archival film clips.

Leaf and Scheinfeld remark on their website that the film will show "that this was not just an isolated episode in American history, but that the issues and struggles of that era remain relevant today."

Meanwhile, a deceased grunge rock icon returns from the dead to narrate AJ Schnack's film Kurt Cobain: About A Son.

Drawing on over 25 hours of previously unreleased audio interviews, Schnack attempts to piece together the man behind the myth.

Paul Rachman's American Hardcore examines a more recent period of musical history with his film on the 1980s' vibrant hardcore punk scene.

The film, which is making its Canadian premiere, explores how Ronald Reagan's conservative politics gave birth to a clan that saw no hope in government institutions nor global ideologies.

In Made in Jamaica, Jerome Laperrousaz recounts the personal stories and struggles of reggae and dance hall artists who have made it out of their native ghetto and into the global spotlight.

Using interviews and rousing performances, the documentary showcases musical kings and queens from the 70s through the present and embraces the stories of these artists who represent the Jamaican Dream.

Some observers have commented that an increase in music-themed films are a reaction to the popularity of award-winning features such as Ray, which followed the life of music great Ray Charles, and the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line.

But CTV's Canada AM film critic and author Richard Crouse believes the trend is but a coincidence, and not necessarily a reaction to the two movies, which both premiered at the Toronto film festival.

"These are such different movies than the ones that have gotten awards in the last little while," he told CTV.ca.

"What you have here are people really shining the spotlight back on popular culture and making these films with the understanding that popular culture is really our culture," he said.

Every year produces its own trend, said Crouse, author of the book Reel Winners.

"Last year it was the year of the biography with films on Johnny Cash, Truman Capote," he said.

"I think it's just one of those weird serendipitous things where you have almost a zeitgeist and you unwittingly end up with a lot of filmmakers making similar-themed movies at the same time." 

Still, there is a real appetite for stories that meld music and movies, he said.

"Movies like Walk the Line and the story of Ray Charles have not only been filled with music that everyone knows and grew up listening to, the stories are inspirational ... America loves those pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps stories," Crouse said.

"In terms of documentaries, I think that people have the same fascination with music that perhaps the older generation had watching the Second World War -- it's part of our culture, part of our history."