#HOTDOCS: 2025 HOT DOCS CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL RUNS APRIL 24 to MAY 4, 2025

Hot Docs announced today that the upcoming Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2025, April 24 to May 4 in Toronto, will boldly expand the scope of its popular Made In program, shifting the spotlight from a single country to instead celebrate the powerful voices of filmmakers and protagonists in exile.

For the first time in the program’s history, Made In will showcase documentaries created by filmmakers and participants who, driven from their homelands by war, conflict, or humanitarian crises, continue to tell stories that demand to be heard. This year’s lineup will include deeply personal and timely narratives from Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, Palestine and beyond, offering audiences a rare and resonant perspective on survival, displacement and the enduring strength of the creative spirit.

“This special program has been years in the making. With each festival, we’ve seen a growing number of projects addressing exile and displacement, and it feels as though we’ve reached a boiling point in history. We deeply believe in the power of documentary filmmaking to build bridges, foster empathy and bear witness to the world’s most urgent realities,” shared Heather Haynes, Hot Docs’ Director of Programming. “Through the Made In Exile program, we urgently amplify the critical work of filmmakers and participants who, despite unimaginable challenges, continue to tell their stories and bring them to the public. These are stories of survival, courage and unyielding hope that must be heard.”

Titles in the Made In Exile program will be announced at the Hot Docs Festival 2025 Press Conference on Tuesday, March 25.

Past Made In programs have showcased the vibrant documentary traditions of countries including Spain (2024), Ukraine (2023), Chile (2022), Colombia (2021), Northern Ireland (2020), Italy (2019), Mexico (2018), Japan (2017), Australia (2016), India (2015), Denmark (2014), Poland (2013), Southeastern Europe (2012), Italy (2011), South America (2010), South Korea (2009), Mexico (2008), Brazil (2007), Japan (2006), South Africa (2004) and Taiwan (2003).

Hot Docs (www.hotdocs.ca), North America’s leading 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 32nd annual edition from April 24 to May 4, 2025, 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 Deal Maker and Works-in-Progress screenings. 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.

Starting Tuesday, March 25, Festival ticket package holders, including Doc Soup subscribers, can redeem their ticket packages, and Hot Docs Members can purchase single tickets. Starting Tuesday, April 1, single tickets will be available to the public. 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 4:00 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.