Today we get a new clip where Axel F (Eddie Murphy) from Beverly Hills Cop: AXEL F, gives Lions QB Jared Gof some advice! Arrives July 3, 2024 on Netflix.

ABOUT BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F
Director: Mark Molloy
Based on Characters created by: Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie, Jr.
Story by: Will Beall
Screenplay by: Will Beall And Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer, p.g.a., Eddie Murphy, p.g.a., Chad Oman, p.g.a.
Executive Producers: Ray Angelic, Charisse Hewitt-Webster, Melissa Reid, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot and Kevin Bacon
Synopsis: Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Paramount+ today announced that the upcoming docuseries LOLLA: THE STORY OF LOLLAPALOOZA will premiere exclusively on the service in Canada and the U.S. on Tuesday, May 21 and on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 in the UK, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Directed by the multi-Emmy® nominated Michael John Warren (Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known, Jay-Z’s Fade to Black) and executive produced by multi-Emmy® nominees James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte (McMillions), the three-part series made its triumphant world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

In the summer of 1991, the Lollapalooza music festival was born. What started as a farewell tour for the band Jane’s Addiction rose from the underground to launch a cultural movement and change music forever.

LOLLA: THE STORY OF LOLLAPALOOZA depicts the exciting and strangely symbiotic 30+ year relationship between the iconic festival and Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros). Throughout the series, Farrell reconnects with what the event has become and reflects on the festival’s cultural significance across multiple genres and decades.

“Finally, someone cares about the generation that no one cared about,” said Lollapalooza founder Farrell.

LOLLA: THE STORY OF LOLLAPALOOZA is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and FunMeter, in partnership with C3 Presents. The series is executive produced by Bruce Gillmer and Amanda Culkowski (MTV Entertainment Studios), James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte (FunMeter), Daniel Gibbs and Mat Whittington (C3 Presents), and Brian Levy (Entertainment 360). Perry Farrell, Charlie Walker, Charles Attal and Berkeley Reinhold are producers; Matt Kaye and Jordan Bogdonavage are co-executive producers; Shannon Pence is supervising producer. Michael John Warren serves as executive producer and director.

Running in Toronto April 25 to May 5, 2024 the 2024 HOT DOCS Festival is back, now in its 31st edition. The Festival not only is one of the World’s premiere Documentary Film Festivals, it is also highlighted by an array of events including a dynamic series of knowledge sessions, networking opportunities and market programs for documentary practitioners and industry delegates, including the renowned Hot Docs Forum and Hot Docs Deal Maker.

This year, 168 Documentary Filmmakers are expected to introduce their work at the Festival including the likes of Peaches, Sash Simpson, Valerie Simpson, Lucy Lawless, Thelma Schoonmaker and several more! Priyanka Chopra-Jonas produced BORN HUNGRY also premieres at the Festival this year.

HOT DOCS ‘24 boasts 168 documentaries representing 64 countries across 16 diverse programs and will feature 51 world and 32 international premieres. 

Tickets and ticket packages can be purchased and/or redeemed online at www.hotdocs.ca or in person at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Box Office, located at 506 Bloor Street West in Toronto.

Our Justin Waldman (@DubsReviews) attends this year’s Festival and gives us his Top Five picks, in addition to sharing some reviews of some key titles!

From Justin:

There are so many great Documentaries to see this year at the Hot Docs festival but there are a handful of titles that certainly standout more than others. While the Nightvision program (usually the most disturbing documentaries or the most out of the box, though there are exceptions) isn’t the typical midnight fare this year but two of the three titles in the program certainly have peaked my personal interest. With plenty of being shown throughout the Festival, I am going to dive into my top five most intriguing docs (with one recommendation of something I’ve covered) for the upcoming HOT DOCS ’24 in no particular order.

1. Grand Theft Hamlet
   I mean, first and foremost as an avid fan of Grand Theft Auto and generally enjoying the English Bard, this has my interest peaked the most. With the rave reviews coming out of the festival circuit, and the general way of retelling the story of Hamlet in the world of Grand Theft Auto is incredibly intriguing and has peaked my interest entirely.
2. Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity
   Was this originally on my list of anticipated titles, honestly no, I didn’t need or want to see another documentary on Beethoven. However, what was delivered in the documentary has stuck with me long after I first viewed it, and it’s a beautiful documentary and truly needs to be seen as it will defy all expectations.
3. American Cats: The Good, The Bad, and the Cuddly
   Amy Hoggart is hilarious, that’s first and foremost, and secondly usually a documentary festival is going to be filled with typically heavy content. Sure there is lots of not inherently heavy content this year, but when looking at seeing multiple documentaries sometimes you just want something that deals with a serious conversation, but has some levity to it.
4. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
   I am a sucker for a good music documentary, and after reading the synopsis for this documentary it is a must see. Someone who has shattered musical barriers yet never got the recognition they truly deserved, as the names they’re in conversation with our nearly household names but theirs isn’t, this documentary certainly has the interest peaked for what stories we have yet to discover.
5. Le Mans 55: The Unauthorized Investigation
   I mean, we got Ford v Ferarri a few years ago, but seeing the true story without any creative freedom taken to the story will most likely be one of the most thought provoking and intriguing documentary one can see this year. It certainly has to wide appeal for anyone whose familiar with the story and could possibly one of those documentaries you can convince your non-doc friends to come and see with you.

Some Reviews ahead of the Festival:

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS

The most wonderful time of the year, or so the saying goes. December is supposedly a time of joy, love, gifts, whimsical magic and so forth. Of course, this only really applies if you’re of the Christian faith and celebrate Christmas, but for director Ken Wardrop that is the focus of their documentary, So This is Christmas. The documentary focuses on a small Irish village and a handful of residents and their relationship with the Criss Cringle holiday.

The dark side of holidays that no one ever seems to focus on is what Ken Wardrop decides to focus on in So This is Christmas. We get to see the stories of five individuals, all of which have a very difficult relationship with the holiday. While their stories are told and interweaved with the Christmas scenery and exploration, however these five people truly do not like the holiday and certainly do not have the joy that the holiday typically evokes. Whether the stories the audiences are told are tales of tragic loss or just horrific circumstances, So This is Chirstmas will have the audience re-examine not only how they celebrate the holiday but the meaning of Christmas itself.

Ken Wardrop crafts a story that not only is going to captivate the audience but also ensure that they take a more appropriate look at the holiday season. While some people celebrate the holiday season, and the Christmas cheer others have a difficult relationship with the holiday and thusly creates an uncomfortable and difficult time of year for those.

So This is Christmas screens at the HOT DOCS ’24 on Tuesday, April 30^th at 8:15 pm at TIFF Lightbox and Thursday, May 2^nd at 4:45 pm at Scotiabank Theatre.

BEETHOVEN’S NINE: ODE TO HUMANITY

When creating a Documentary on a subject/person that has been done often and has had plenty of spotlight on the subject it is rather a daunting task and difficult to do something new and provide new light to said subject. Larry Weinstein was tasked with creating a documentary on Beethoven and specifically his Ninth, amply titled Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity, a play on the ode to joy. While the documentary doesn’t singularly focus on Beethoven himself or the ninth itself but rather the impact of the legendary piece of music and how it is managed to stand the tale of time over the last 200 years.

Focusing on Beethoven’s Nine from legendary comic creators to psychologists, Weinstein’s documentary focuses on how the music has carried a significant cultural impact over the past two centuries. With stories interwoven across different cultural moments and world issues, we see the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra perform the piece, and we also see Director Larry Weinstein breakdown the piece and the fourth wall in regard to the current situation in Israel and his personal connection to that story. He focuses on explaining how to separate art from life and the significance that Beethoven brings to the cultural zeitgeist.

Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity may not be the Documentary expected from audiences, but instead delivers a beautiful story of triumph and art that has defined generations. The cultural significance of the Ninth and how it has brought people together, helped them face adversity, and bring them an ‘Ode to Joy’ is truly captured in Weinstein’s Documentary which similarly to Beethoven’s Ninth will transcend audiences for centuries to come.

Beethoven’s Nine: Ode to Humanity screens at HOT DOCS ’24 with screenings on Sunday, April 28^th at 5:15 at the TIFF Lightbox, Tuesday, April 30^th at 11:30 at the TIFF Lightbox, and Saturday, May 4^th at 2:15 at Scotiabank Theatre.

THE FABULOUS GOLD HARVESTING MACHINE

Alfredo Pourailly De La Plaza brings one of the most inspiring and heartbreaking Documentaries to audiences this year, with his The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine. With a title like that it may be easy to think this is a Documentary of something whimsical and fantastical, and while in part of its essence it is, but at its core the true heart of the story is looking at a broken system, a son who doesn’t want to watch his father suffer, and a passion for life and willingness to live that cannot go unmatched; true determination and perseverance brings this machine to new heights and levels.

The Film focuses on Toto as he’s in his 60s and has been working in the mines for the past 40 years and explaining in the town of Tierra Del Fuego in Chile, there aren’t many miners left. His car – similarly to his health – is in disarray but keeps on pushing through, even though they both need lots of fixes and eventually won’t be able to continue. His son, Jorge, cannot watch his father continue this way any further, and Toto doesn’t qualify for social assistance, so he creates an invention, a gold harvesting machine that he hopes can help his father so he can continue to live without the extra continuous strain on his body.

The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine is a story of triumph and the power of a good, healthy father-son relationship. De La Plaza brings a levity to such a serious story and by capturing the earnest feelings between Toto and Jorge along with his wonderful contraption and idea creates a moving documentary that is sure to capture the hearts of its audience and bring a powerful story of perseverance and love to the forefront.

The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine screens at the HOT DOCS ’24 on Sunday, April 28th at 4:00 pm at the Scotiabank Theatre and again on Tuesday, April 30^th at 8:30 pm at the Scotiabank Theatre.

ROUGE

First-time feature Director Hamoody Jaafar takes risks with making their Documentary on the River Rouge High School Panthers basketball team, a team that at one point was one of the most successful high school basketball teams in the United States. 70 years later from their triumphant run, a former player returns to the scene and wants to coach the team to help them achieve another state championship. While the story is inspiring and aspirational, the documentary aspect of it almost feels lost. It feels like a well crafted Hollywood-ized story of overcoming the odds and defying the chances to achieve what a once prosperous team back to their glory. It works incredibly well, but the guise of a documentary feels lost, even though it is one.

Rouge focuses on LaMonta Stone – the former player who returns to bring the team back to the championship dance and some of the student players consisting of Legend Geeter, Brent Darby Jr and Ahmoni Weston. Not only does the Documentary focus on creating a world for the audience to get lost in and route for the underdogs to regain the glory they once held and create a world for of hope that this team can claim another championship. But it also focuses on the troubles and tribulations of being a pre college athlete, fighting for scholarships, what life brings after the games over and the things that people don’t always think about when thinking about student athletes. It offers an inside look that usually gets ignored and explores the chaos that resides off the court.

Hamoody Jafar captures the story of the River Rouge Panthers and the past, present and the future of some of their current players. It does so in a way that does not feel like a Documentary, as it focuses more on the team being the best team they can be rather than the trials and tribulations of what happens off the court and after they graduate. While it may not be feel traditional the story is exceptional and is bound to capture the heart of their audience.

Rouge screens at the HOT DOCS ’24 on Sunday, April 28^th at 8:15 pm at the TIFF Lightbox and Tuesday, April 30^th at 5:30 at the TIFF Lightbox.

HELEN AND THE BEAR

The heart yearns for what the heart yearns for, at least that is the general message that Alix Blair wants to convey in their Documentary; Helen and the Bear. Focusing on a nearly forty year marriage that is running near its end (death not divorce) it examines how people can be together, even if they seem completely different but something brings them together and the thought of then being alone is one of fear and anxiety, but learning to make the most of the time they have together is key.

In the ’70s, Helen – a young idealistic hippie — met Pete McCloskey, a republican who opposed his own party and famously ran against Richard Nixon. What happens next is something neither of them could’ve predicted – they fall in love, and end up getting married despite a plethora of things Helen doesn’t understand such as the concept of marriage and even their own sexual preference/orientation. While Pete is busy working, Helen explores her sexuality all the while not wanting to hurt her husband. Affectionately calling Pete the Bear, Helen and the Bear focuses on their relationship, what they’re going through now that Pete is 96 years old and nearing the end of his life, and how love manages to persevere overall.

Helen and the Bear is a beautiful look at love, time, and self but the issue lays in how deep Blair chooses to go with the subjects and focal point. Nothing gets explored too deeply and thusly it is all surface level discussions, emotions, and feelings. Yes, loss is a part of life, but one would think the dissolving of a near forty year marriage simply due to age would be a harder subject to address and accept. Overall, Helen and the Bear scratches the surface and it is plausible based on Helen’s personality it is something that’s been accepted, but further exploration and deeper questions being asked could’ve provided deeper connections to the audience.

Helen and the Bear screens at HOT DOCS ’24 Sunday, April 28th at 4:40 pm at Scotiabank Theatre and April 30^th at 11:45 am at Scotiabank Theatre.

LOST IN THE SHUFFLE

The world has always had a fascination with magic, or at least I should say I did when I was a young child. The slight of hand and whimsical nature of everything is truly something magical and intriguing and captures an audience unlike anything else in the world. Now what could a documentary about magic be, because as we all know a good magician never reveals the tricks of the trade. However Jon Ornoy’s Documentary, Lost in the Shuffle focuses on Shawn Farquhar and some of his closest friends as they answer an unthinkable question – the origin of the Suicide King.

While the Documentary focuses on the slight of hand and cards specifically, talking about hDw the ideation and design of cards has relatively stayed the same since the 1500s there has always been something interesting about the Royals in the decks. Farquhar never knew, or claims to have not known about this troubled card until someone pointed it out to him at a young age; the king of hearts, throughout time has taken his blade and stabbed himself in the head. The question becomes why as audiences follow Shawn and his friends to discover the answer to this question and uncover more tricks of the trade and slight of hand shenanigans.

While this might not be Documentary about something hard-hitting, its ability to tell an interesting story and provide insight and background on one of the oldest games in humanity – cards is truly eye opening. A careful balance between handling the task at hand and following Shawn’s adventures are captured in Onroy’s direction that marvel and dazzle its audience as we hope to learn the origin of the card and other mysteries that get revealed throughout.

Lost in the Shuffle screens at the Hot Docs ’24 festival Monday, April 29^th at 5:15 and Wednesday, May 1^st at 8:15 pm.

More Reviews to come, please check back soon.

Once Julian Assange is extradited to the US, the legal noose will tighten on his closest associates, including American Jacob Appelbaum, identified in indictments against Assange as “WLA3” (WikiLeaks Associate 3), currently living in exile in Germany. Nobody Wants To Talk About Jacob Appelbaum unveils this fascinating, troubled character, whose fate seems inextricably entwined with Assange’s, and the little-understood subculture from which they both sprang.

Filmmaker Jamie Kastner (The Skyjacker’s Tale, Secret Disco Revolution, There Are No Fakes) sets out to determine what happened and why Nobody Wants To Talk About Jacob Appelbaum. Interviews pried from secretive subjects’ blend with a trove of scarcely-seen footage and original investigation in this spy-story, a cautionary tale-of-our-times.

Nobody Wants to Talk About Jacob Appelbaum is a documentary Channel Original, and was produced in association with CBC documentary Channel, Canada Media Fund and the Rogers Cable Network Fund.

The film opens in Toronto and Vancouver June 2024 

In Toronto on Thursday, June 13, 2024, 7:00 PM at the

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

Encore screening on Saturday, June 15, 2024, 12:30 PM

In Vancouver on June 14, 2024 (time TBD) at the VIFF Centre

 Followed by a national streaming premiere on CBC Gem starting June 26, 2024

Today, Disney+ released the official trailer for the upcoming documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man.” Directed by Academy Award ^® winner Ron Howard, “Jim Henson Idea Man” chronicles the story of extraordinary artist and visionary Jim Henson. In his 36-year career, Henson created some of the world’s most cherished characters, including classic Muppets like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy and all of Sesame Street’s iconic residents, including Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster, and Bert and Ernie. Henson also directed beloved fantasy films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. 

Produced with the full participation and cooperation of the Henson family, “Jim Henson Idea Man” is an unprecedented, intimate look at Henson’s illustrious, revolutionary career and complex personal life. Using never-before-seen personal archival home movies, photographs, sketches, and Henson’s personal diaries, as well as interviews with those who knew him best, the film is the definitive portrait of one of the world’s most inspiring and iconoclastic creators. 

The Original documentary will premiere May 31, 2024 on Disney+.

The original documentary from Disney Branded Television is produced by Imagine Documentaries. Howard also serves as a producer alongside Brian Grazer, Sara Bernstein, Margaret Bodde, Justin Wilkes, Mark Monroe and Christopher St. John. Paul Crowder, Meredith Kaulfers, Michael Rosenberg serve as executive producers. 

Prime Video released first-look images from My Lady Jane, the quick-witted romantic new series set in an alt-fantasy Tudor world. Also announced, the series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday, June 27th in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

Inspired by the best-selling book, My Lady Jane is a radical retelling of English royal history, in which King Henry VIII’s son Edward does not die of tuberculosis, Lady Jane Grey is not beheaded, and neither is her rascal of a husband Guildford. At the center of this rollicking new series is the brilliant and headstrong Jane who is unexpectedly crowned queen overnight and finds herself the target of nefarious villains coming for the crown (and her head)… My Lady Jane is an epic tale of true love and high adventure, where the damsel in distress saves herself, her true love, and then the Kingdom.

The cast is led by newcomer Emily Bader in the titular role of Jane Grey. Starring opposite her is Edward Bluemel (Killing Eve) as Guildford Dudley.  Jordan Peters (Pirates) plays King Edward.

Dominic Cooper (Preacher) plays Lord Seymour, Anna Chancellor (Pennyworth) plays Jane’s mother, Lady Frances Grey, and Rob Brydon (The Trip) plays Lord Dudley, Guildford’s father.  Jim Broadbent (The Duke) plays the Duke of Leicester, Jane’s uncle.

Henry Ashton (Creation Stories) plays Guildford’s brother, Stan, and Isabella Brownson (Napoleon) and Robyn Betteridge (Wheel of Time) play Jane’s sisters. Kate O’Flynn (Landscapers) and Abbie Hern (Enola Holmes 2) portray theKing’s sisters Princess Mary and Princess Bess respectively.

Additional cast includes Máiréad Tyers (Extraordinary), Joe Klocek (The Dry), and Michael Workeye (This is Going to Hurt).

Creator Gemma Burgess (Brooklyn Girls trilogy) is co-showrunner/executive producer, Meredith Glynn (The Boys) is co-showrunner/executive producer, Jamie Babbit (Only Murders in the Building) directs five of the eight episodes and is producing director/executive producer, and Sarah Bradshaw (Citadel, The Mummy, HBO’s upcoming The Hedge Knight) and Laurie MacDonald (The Ring, Zorro, Men In Black, Gladiator) are executive producers.

The winner of Canada’s Got Talent’s Million Dollar Season receives a life-changing prize of $1M – the biggest cash prize in Canadian television history – thanks to Rogers, plus financial advice from CIBC. And that’s not all! Every Golden Buzzer recipient will receive $25,000 (totalling $150,000), courtesy of CIBC, to help realize their ambitions.

Together with Canada’s Got Talent, Rogers is committed to investing in premium original Canadian content while fostering homegrown talent. Last year, Rogers contributed approximately $950M to Canadian content and produced over 12,700 hours of unique Canadian programming.

Tonight’s Performances (Tuesday, April 23)

BEN STAGER– Singer/Musician

Kitchener/Waterloo, ON 

Check Out BEN STAGER’s Performance

LEVI STANFORD – Singer/Musician

Cardston, AB

Check Out LEVI STANFORD’s Performance

NOAH TAJU GEORGE– Novelty

Oshawa, ON

Check Out NOAH TAJU GEORGE’s Performance

SAM TAJU NINAN – Singer/Musician

Oshawa, ON

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

SUPER SLICK DUDE – Novelty

Toronto, ON

Check Out SUPER SLICK DUDE’s Performance

NORBERT THE TOAD – Novelty

Surrey, BC

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

ICEBOXSOUND – Singer/Musician (photographed above)

Montreal, QC

Check Out ICEBOXSOUND’s Performance

CARSON AND TAYLOR – Magic Act

Sarnia, ON

Check Out CARSON AND TAYLOR’s Performance

ASHWYN SINGH – Comedy

Toronto, ON

Check Out ASHWYN SINGH’s Performance

TOGETHER FOR PEACE – Novelty

Lévis, QC

Check Out TOGETHER FOR PEACE’s Performance

**COMING UP**

A Sneak Peek at Next Week’s Contestants (Tuesday, April 30)

CHIMERA – Stunt

Las Vegas, Nevada 

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

WOODY BELFORT – Stunt

Montreal, QC

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

RAPHAËL LAROCQUE – Singer/Musician

Quebec City, QC

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

SLAVIC BLING – Novelty

Toronto, ON

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

HOLLY MELVILLE – Singer/Musician

Victoria, BC

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

ESHAN SOBTI – Singer/Musician

Mission, BC

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

ACRO ACADEMY – Stunt

Oakville, ON

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

SANSKRITI ARTS – Dance Act

Mississauga, ON

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

MIKE GLENNEY – Dance Act

Waterdown, ON

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

JOEL VAN VLIET – Singer/Musician

Queenston, ON

CGT.Citytv.com / YouTube

Canada’s Got Talent is produced by MEM Inc., and Fremantle, in association with Citytv, a division of Rogers Sports & Media based on the Got Talent format owned by Fremantle and SYCO Entertainment.

Today we get a new Trailer for Netflix‘s ATLAS starring Jennifer Lopez and Simu Liu. It arrives May 24, 2024.

Details:

Director: Brad Peyton
Writers: Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite
Producers: Brad Peyton and Jeff Fierson for ASAP Entertainment; Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell for Safehouse Pictures; Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, and Benny Medina for Nuyorican Productions; and Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter for Berlanti/Schechter Films
Executive Producers: Samson Mücke, Michael Riley McGrath

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, Gregory James Cohan, Abraham Popoola, Lana Parrilla and Mark Strong

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

This summer, make some memories. Watch the official trailer for #BlinkTwiceMovie, directed by Zoë Kravitz and starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. Only in theatres August 23, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

Hot Docs is thrilled to welcome acclaimed doc filmmakers and intriguing subjects to its 2024 Festival, taking place in Toronto April 25 to May 5, 2024. Special guests include legendary Academy Award-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, celebrated actress Emmanuelle Béart, iconic Canadian electroclash musician Peaches, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’s Amy Hoggart, decorated Estonian Olympic freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru, founder of SiriusXM Satellite Radio Martine Rothblatt, Canadian Chef Sash Simpson, Ashford & Simpson’s Valerie Simpson, author Staceyann Chin, and more.

The 2024 Festival will also host over 168 of the world’s top documentary filmmakers to introduce their films and participate in post-screening audience Q&As.

Featured guests are listed below. In most cases, the guests will be present at one or more screenings.

Amber Forte from FLY (D: Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau | P: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz | USA | 2023 | 106 min) – Guinness World Record holder – Fastest Speed Parachuting by a Female.

Amy Hoggart from AMERICAN CATS (D: Todd Bieber | P: Grace Leeson | USA | 2024 | 88 min) – Writer, actor and comedian, most recently seen on the late-night satire show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.

Dawn Porter, director of LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH (D: Dawn Porter | P: Trish Chetty, Ged Doherty, Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Leah Smith | USA | 2024 | 101 min) – Award-winning documentary filmmaker of The Lary Bird Diaries, John Lewis: Good Trouble, The Way I See It and many other acclaimed films.

Emmanuelle Béart, director of SUCH A RESOUNDING SILENCE (D: Emmanuelle Béart, Anastasia Mikova | P: Emmanuelle Lepers | France | 2023 | 100 min) – César Award-winning actress (Mission: Impossible, Manon of the Spring, 8 Women) and producer, renowned for her work in film and television.

Kelly Sildaru from KELLY – SOMEONE ELSE’S DREAM (D: Helen Lõhmus, Leana Jalukse | P: Sten-Kristian Saluveer, David Lacote, Helen Lõhmus | Estonia, France | 2024 | 93 min) – Decorated Estonian Olympic freestyle skier.

Lana Wilson, director of LOOK INTO MY EYES (D: Lana Wilson | P: Kyle Martin, Lana Wilson | USA | 2023 | 105 min) – Hot Docs alum and celebrated documentary filmmaker (After Tiller, The Departure, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields).

Lucy Lawless from NEVER LOOK AWAY (D: Lucy Lawless | P: Matthew Metcalfe, Tom Blackwell, Lucy Lawless | New Zealand | 2024 | 85 min) – New Zealand-born actor who became famous for her portrayal of the title character in the popular television show Xena: Warrior Princess.

Martine Rothblatt from LOVE MACHINA (D: Peter Sillen | P: Brendan Doyle, Peter Sillen | USA | 2024 | 97 min) – American author, entrepreneur, activist, one of the world’s highest-paid female CEOs and founder of SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

Molly Wickham and Freda Huson from YINTAH (D: Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano | P: Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, Bob Moore | Canada | 2024 | 125 min) – Indigenous rights activists: Sleydo’ Molly Wickham is a Wing Chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt’en Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation; Howilhkat Freda Huson is a Wing Chief of the Unist’ot’en people of the C’ilhts’ëkhyu clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

Peaches (Merrill Nisker) from TEACHES OF PEACHES (D: Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer | P: Cordula Kablitz-Post, Robert Kreuzaler | Germany | 2024 | 102 min) – Iconic Canadian electroclash musician and producer.

Sash Simpson from BORN HUNGRY (D: Barry Avrich | P: Jay Hennick, Mark Selby, Barry Avrich | Canada | 2024 | 77 min) – Prolific Canadian Chef and owner of Toronto restaurant Sash.

Shiori Ito from BLACK BOX DIARIES (D: Shiori Ito | P: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Ito | Japan, UK, USA | 2024 | 104 min) – Prominent Japanese journalist and documentary filmmaker. Named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

Staceyann Chin from A MOTHER APART (D: Laurie Townshend | P: Alison Duke, Ngardy Conteh George, Justine Pimlott | Canada | 2024 | 89 min) – Poet, actor, performance artist and LGBTQ+ activist. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and 60 Minutes, and her work has been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Thelma Schoonmaker from MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER (D: David Hinton | P: Matthew Wells, Nick Varley | UK | 2024 | 131 min) – Legendary American film editor, renowned for her prolific partnership spanning five decades with director Martin Scorsese. Schoonmaker’s contributions have garnered numerous prestigious awards, including three Academy Awards (Raging Bull, The Aviator, The Departed).

Valerie Simpson from LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH (D: Dawn Porter | P: Trish Chetty, Ged Doherty, Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Leah Smith | USA | 2024 | 101 min) – Singer and songwriter, one half of the beloved and legendary songwriter/producers and performers Ashford & Simpson.

Wilfred Buck from WILFRED BUCK (D: Lisa Jackson | P: Lisa Jackson, Lauren Grant, Alicia Smith | Canada | 2024 | 96 min) – Winnipeg-based Indigenous star knowledge expert, author and educator. A member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.

Tickets and ticket packages can be purchased and/or redeemed online at www.hotdocs.ca or in person at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Box Office, located at 506 Bloor Street West (hours vary daily in accordance with cinema screenings).

Hot Docs (www.hotdocs.ca), North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing and celebrating the art of documentary and to creating production opportunities for documentary filmmakers. Hot Docs will present its 31st annual edition from April 25 to May 5, 2024, in cinemas across Toronto. Hot Docs will also mount a dynamic series of knowledge sessions, networking opportunities and market programs for documentary practitioners and industry delegates, including the renowned Hot Docs Forum and Hot Docs Deal Maker. Year-round, Hot Docs supports the Canadian and international industry with professional development programs and a multi-million-dollar film fund portfolio, and fosters education through documentaries with its popular free program Docs For Schools. Hot Docs owns and programs the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, a century-old landmark located in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood and the world’s first and largest documentary cinema.

Tickets and ticket packages can be purchased and/or redeemed online at www.hotdocs.ca or in person at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Box Office, located at 506 Bloor Street West (hours vary daily in accordance with cinema screenings). Single tickets are $20 to regular Festival screenings and $23 to Special Presentations screenings ($18-$20 members). Special events vary in price. A Festival 12-Pack is $209 and a Festival 20-Pack is $299. Hot Docs offers free tickets for all screenings before 5:00 p.m. to seniors and students with valid photo I.D., available online the day of the screening, subject to availability. Free screenings for students courtesy of CBC and CBC Gem.

Hot Docs is proud to include Scotia Wealth Management as its Presenting Platinum Partner; Rogers as its Founding Partner; CBC as its Signature Partner; Netflix as its Presenting Partner; and Telefilm Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the Canada Media Fund as its Major Supporters.