#FIRSTLOOK: “THE PITCH” TVO DOCUMENTARY

When Olympic soccer star Diana Matheson retires, she sets out — alongside fellow players — to build something that has never existed: a professional women’s soccer league in Canada. What follows is a modern David-and-Goliath story, as they confront institutional resistance, doubters and naysayers, and the weight of doing something for the first time. Filmed over two years, THE PITCH, a new TVO Original feature documentary, offers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the game-changing creation of the Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s first home for professional women’s soccer.

From Emmy-nominated and Canadian Screen Award–winning director and editor Michèle Hozer (Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, Sugar Coated), THE PITCH follows Diana Matheson’s ambitious post-retirement journey — from training fields to boardrooms — capturing the raw emotion, strategic hustle, and unshakable resolve behind a historic movement that reaches far beyond sport.

THE PITCH will tour Canada this fall with Film Festival premieres and six community impact screenings. See dates below. Ticket and venue information for community screenings will be announced soon.

World Premiere

Sept. 15 & 16 – Atlantic Film Festival – Click HERE for festival ticket information.

THE PITCH NATIONAL SCREENING TOUR, presented by Canadian Tire Corporation

Sept. 24 – Calgary Impact Screening
Oct. 20 – Vancouver Impact Screening
Oct. 28 – Montreal Impact Screening
Oct. 30 – Ottawa Impact Screening
Nov. 6 – Halifax Impact Screening
Nov. 12 – Toronto Impact Screening

THE PITCH National Screening Tour is presented by Canadian Tire Corporation. Other partners include Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities (Community Partner); Canadian Women & Sport (Impact Partner); Toyota Canada (Mobility Partner); and Coca-Cola (Celebration Partner).

“I thought I was making a film about building something new. What I came to understand is that this league is a response to everything these women were denied,” said Michèle Hozer, Director, THE PITCH. “This is more than a sports story, it’s a story of perseverance, equality and the people building the future of women’s soccer in Canada.”

“It’s been a whirlwind few years—with so many challenges, struggles, emotions, and milestones—and now Canada is home to professional women’s soccer,” said Diana Matheson, Founder and Chief Growth Officer, Northern Super League. “THE PITCH takes me back to those early days and shows how the community and the country rallied around a belief in our league. There’s still much work to do, but everyone at the NSL, along with our supporters, is so proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.”

Executive Producer of THE PITCH is Nathalie Cook. Producers are Bryn Hughes and Michèle Hozer, who also serve as Director. THE PITCH is presented by TVO and produced in association with The Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates, Rogers Documentary Fund and the Government of Canada.

THE PITCH will air on TVO’s broadcast and digital platforms on November 9 with additional broadcasts on TSN and RDS in Spring 2026.

Follow news about THE PITCH online at thepitchdoc.ca and on Instagram @thepitchdoc_nsl.

About Michèle Hozer & The Cutting Factory

A distinguished filmmaker and editor, Michèle Hozer has been a staple in the Canadian film industry since 1987. With two films gracing the Oscar shortlist, an Emmy nomination, and multiple Gemini and Canadian Screen Awards, her remarkable career has been punctuated by acclaim from prestigious film festivals worldwide.

Her editing on Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire contributed to the film’s 2007 Emmy Award for Best Documentary and the Audience Award at Sundance. She received an individual Emmy nomination for Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman. As co-director of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, she was shortlisted for an Academy Award and received a Gemini Award for Best Biography. Her solo directorial debut, Sugar Coated (2015), premiered at Hot Docs and won the Donald Brittain Award at the Canadian Screen Awards.

Michèle has also directed SponsorLand (2017), contributed to Frontline’s In the Age of AI, and served as story editor on Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On. In 2024, she completed Atomic Reaction, a feature documentary nominated for a Canadian Screen Award.

About the Northern Super League

The Northern Super League (NSL) is Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league, launching on April 16, 2025 with six founding clubs: Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montréal Roses, Ottawa Rapid FC, AFC Toronto, and Vancouver Rise FC. Built by players and supporters, the League is rooted in global best practices and strives to champion Canadian excellence in sport, equity, and inclusion. For the latest league news and ticket information, visit www.NSL.ca.

About TVO Media Education Group

TVO Media Education Group inspires learning that changes lives and enriches communities. Founded in 1970, we are a globally recognized digital learning organization that engages Ontarians of all ages with inclusive experiences and diverse perspectives. Through our brands TVO Today, TVO Docs, TVO Learn, TVO ILC and TVOkids, we’re investing in the transformative potential of education for everyone. TVO is a registered charity funded in part by the Province of Ontario and supported by thousands of sponsors and donors. Visit TVO.me for more information.

#FIRSTLOOK: ANN SHIN’S “DANGEROUS GAMES: ROBLOX AND THE METAVERSE EXPOSED”

Upcoming TVO Documentary DANGEROUS GAMES: ROBLOX AND THE METAVERSE EXPOSED is coming soon.

Release pattern:

Sunday, May 25 @ 9pm ET: TVO broadcast premiere in Ontario

Sunday, May 25: Available to stream across Canada via the TVO Docs YouTube channel, TVO.org and Smart TV app

Synopsis:

When Alex discovers a dark side of the metaverse, where predators, extremists, and hate groups exploit platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, she teams up with a group of young investigators to expose the truth. Their search leads them to a predator with multiple victims—and a kidnapped child—revealing the devastating consequences of a system failing to protect its most vulnerable users.

Created by: Erica Leendertse
Director: Ann Shin (The Defector, My Enemy, My Brother, A.rtificial I.mmortality)
Field director: Susan Schafer
Producers: Ann Shin, Erica Leendertse, D.Cole
Writer: D. Cole
Co-writer: Erica Leendertse
Executive Producers: Ann Shin, Reinhardt Beetz
Executive Producer, TVO: Alexandra Roberts, Jane Jankovic
Production Executive, TVO: Aidan Denison
Independent Film Officer, TVO: Linda Fong
Length: 78 min.

#FIRSTLOOK: NIPPON TV’S “OLD ENOUGH!” COMING TO TVO

Blue Ant Studios has secured the coveted Canadian rights to the long-running Japanese unscripted hit Old Enough! from Nippon TV in Japan. Production on the first North American version of the show has begun and is set to air this September on TVO. Canadian comedy star and improv genius Colin Mochrie will lend his voice to the project as the narrator. The announcement was made jointly today at the 2024 Realscreen Summit by Matthew Hornburg, Co-President of Blue Ant Studios, Natasha Negrea, Head of Programming at TVO and Akane Alex Inoue, Global Format Licensing, Nippon TV.

Old Enough! is a heartwarming, unscripted series that follows toddlers independently running errands for the first time. While each episode focuses on the child’s task, the series will also explore each parent’s approach to raising their kids. On each adventure, the kids are always under the watchful eye of the show’s safety team. The highly sought-after format has been a ratings juggernaut and cultural phenomenon in Japan for over 30 years. Its popularity skyrocketed in English-speaking territories when Netflix streamed Nippon TV’s original series in 2022 in over 190 countries, and even Saturday Night Live tapped into the cultural zeitgeist with a skit that parodied the show.

“Old Enough! typifies the vision of our studio moving forward – entertaining and enlightening franchises – and we’re thrilled to be bringing the first North American version to audiences,” said Matthew Hornburg, Co-President of Blue Ant Studios. “This series is going to be an engaging, co-viewing experience for families, and children will definitely enjoy watching their peers find their independence when given the freedom to do so. It also explores themes of what parenting means from different cultural perspectives and in the modern age.”

“Independence is a key part of healthy childhood development. It begins with taking our first steps and flourishes through our appetites to learn and explore,” says Natasha Negrea, Head of Programming at TVO. “This exciting new version of Old Enough! showcases young kids discovering their delightful first moments of being independent.”

“It is such a joy to announce the Canadian adaptation of Old Enough!, our heart-warming factual entertainment format and global phenomenon,” says Akane Alex Inoue, Global Format Licensing, Nippon TV. “I am very proud that the passionate team at Blue Ant Studios has created a truly enjoyable version using the unique new camera style we developed together. We are delighted to show the world that children’s big adventures can be delivered in different cultures and hope for more international versions to follow.”

Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Donna Luke from Blue Ant Studios are Executive Producers for the series. Stefanie Haist is the Supervising Producer. Mitch Burman (Undercover High, Extreme Babysitting) serves as Series Producer and Showrunner. For TVO, Natasha Negrea is the Head of Programming, Kirsten Hurd is the Commissioning Editor, TVOkids and Alexandra Roberts is the Commissioning Editor, TVO Docs. For Nippon TV, Naoko Yano and Akane Alex Inoue are Executive Producers. Kiyotaka Tokunaga (Masquerade) is the Chief Director and Ayaka Isshiki is the Producer for the original Japanese series. Tom Miyauchi (Sokkuri Sweets/Eye Candy, Mute it!) is the Format Producer and Yuko Nakano is the Flying Producer. Old Enough! was produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and in association with Rogers Sports & Media.

#FIRSTLOOK: “FROM ONTARIO WITH LOVE: A CELEBRATION OF HOPE”

In case you were planning your New Year’s Eve viewing, TVO have announced a star-studded celebration of talent this year.

Airing Thursday December 31st, 2020, at 10:30 pm ET, From Ontario With Love: A Celebration of Hope is a 90 minute special event on TVO and the TVO YouTube Channel, as well as Facebook livestream at thestar.com. Featuring incredible performances, storytelling, and fireworks, with our cast and crew from Ontario. The event features some of Ontario’s biggest and emerging names like: Avril Lavigne, The Halluci Nation (Formerly known as A Tribe called Red), AllyDice, Barenaked Ladies, Broadways Chilina Kennedy, CZN, Divine Brown, Jully Black, Measha Brueggergosman, LOONY, Award winning DJ duo Loud Luxury, NOTIFI, Roy Woods, Ryhan Douglas, Sean Jones, Steele, The Tenors, Wali Shah and America’s Got Talent Finalist Roberta Battaglia with the award-winning Windsor Symphony Orchestra.

The celebration will also highlight the important work our Front Line Workers across Ontario are doing. The evening will be hosted by Kim’s Convenience star Andrew Phung and Canadian television and radio personality Arisa Cox with award-winning DJ duo Loud Luxury, live from Windsor’s Capitol Theatre, which will be celebrating its 100th birthday on New Years Eve.

We hope your Holidays are going great! Enjoy.

(Photo credit: TVO)