#HOTDOCS: HOT DOCS ANNOUNCE FEBRUARY-MARCH 2025 PROGRAMMIMG

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema has announced an exciting lineup of screenings, special events and new releases running from February 23 to March 29, 2025. Highlights include The Last Republican, a gripping new documentary on young Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, and Falls Around Her, part of the Spotlight on imagineNATIVE series celebrating Indigenous filmmaking. From anime classics to sing-alongs and thought-provoking documentaries, this season at Hot Docs Cinema delivers a diverse lineup for all audiences.

To view the Hot Docs Cinema calendar, please visit www.hotdocs.ca.

NEW RELEASE

The latest from Hollywood comedy director Steve Pink, The Last Republican delves into an unexpected rapport between Pink and young Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger.

Stick around after the screenings for a pre-recorded Q&A with the director.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine pays tribute to an overlooked pioneer of slide guitar. Director Alfonso Maiorana joins for a post-screening
Q&A.

SERIES

On March 5, the Doc Soup screening series presents Who in the Hell is Regina Jones?, a documentary about the extraordinary life of Regina Jones—both shaped by history and instrumental in making it. Pregnant and married at 15, she navigated the 1965 Watts Rebellion and later became the groundbreaking publisher of Soul newspaper, cementing her legacy in American history.
Art of Anime presents Cowboy Bebop: The Movie—a visually stunning and genre-defining film that expanded the beloved anime universe and shaped Japan’s global anime scene.

Spotlight on imagineNATIVE—the new collaborative series showcasing groundbreaking films by Indigenous, First Nations, Métis and Inuit filmmakers—screens Falls Around Her, the story of a legendary Anishinaabe singer who retreats to her reserve to recharge, followed by a Q&A with director Darlene Naponse.

On March 9, Let’s Sing-Along & Shout-Along hosts a Chicago Sing-Along, a high-energy screening of the hit movie musical starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Mockumentary series returns with Waiting for Guffman, Christopher Guest’s hilarious cult classic.

The beloved Disney/Pixar classic Inside Out screens as part of our Relaxed Screenings series, designed to be accessible for neuro-diverse audiences. House lights remain dim, volume is lowered and audience movement is welcome.

Stitches & Scenes invites crafters to a cozy screening of A League of Their Own. Bring your knitting, crochet, or coloring books and participate in a craft supply swap before the film.

New series A Year of Austen, in celebration of the iconic author’s 250th birthday, screens Autumn DeWilde’s colourful adaptation of Emma, starring Anya Taylor-Joy.

Cinema Ticket: $15 (Members: $10, $8, FREE) *

• Unless otherwise specified.

NEW RELEASE

THE LAST REPUBLICAN
D: Steve Pink | USA | 90 min |
2024
Hollywood comedy director Steve Pink develops a surprising rapport with young Republican Congressman Adam
Kinzinger.

Stick around after the screenings for a pre-recorded Q&A with director Steve Pink, moderated by Hot Docs’ Gabor Pertic.

Friday, March 7 / 6:00 PM
Saturday, March 8 / 5:00 PM
Sunday, March 9 / 7:45 PM

SERIES & SPECIAL EVENTS

Mockumentary
WAITING FOR GUFFMAN
D: Christopher Guest | USA | 84 min |
1996

An impresario (Christopher Guest) enlists local amateurs (Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard) to put on a show.

Sunday, February 23 / 5:45
PM

Doc Soup
WHO IN THE HELL IS REGINA JONES?
D: Billy Miossi, Soraya Sélène | USA | 99 min |
2024
The extraordinary life of Regina Jones is one not only shaped by history, but also one that made history. Pregnant and married at 15, she went straight through the middle of the 1965 Watts Rebellion, eventually emerging as the groundbreaking publisher of Soul newspaper, Jones is a testament to the American experience.

Wednesday, March 5 / 6:30 PM

• Tickets: $17 (non–member), $15.30
  (member)
• Doc Soup Subscribers and Streaming Pass holders can view online starting Thursday, March 6, in an exclusive 4-day streaming window. During this time, the film will be available on the watch.hotdocs.ca portal. Please sign in with your email and password.

Art of Anime
COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE
D: Shinichiro Watanabe | Japan | 115 min | 2001
Released in 2001, the film expands Cowboy Bebop, a visually stunning and influential anime that shaped Japan’s global anime scene.

Friday, March 7 / 9:00 PM

Relaxed Screenings
INSIDE OUT
D: Pete Docter | USA | 95 min | 2015
When 11-year-old Riley and her family move to San Francisco, her emotions guide her through the life-changing event.

Open to everyone, this screening offers a sensory friendly environment for those in the neuro-diverse community or for anyone who may benefit from a more informal viewing atmosphere.

• Throughout the screening, house lights will remain on a low level and the volume will be slightly turned down.
• No trailers will be shown.
• Audience members will be free to move around, leave the theatre, or take a break in a designated “quiet” area.
  View the venue guide to the Cinema. For any questions or requests, contact our box office.

Relaxed Screenings are supported by Warner Bros. Discovery Access.

Saturday, March 8 / 2:00 PM

Special Event
TWILIGHT FANGIRL PICTURE SHOW
D: Catherine Hardwicke | USA | 122 min | 2008
The Twilight Fangirl Picture Show is back and more chaotic than ever! Relive the vampire romance that sparked a generation of fangirls and queer awakenings in a theatre full of fellow Twihards.

Hosted by Carley Thorne and Ben Sosa-Wright.

Saturday, March 8 / 9:00 PM
*Tickets: $20 / Members: $15

Special Screening
GODDESS OF SLIDE: THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF ELLEN MCILWAINE
D: Alfonso Maiorana | Canada | 96 min | 2024
An intimate look at a largely forgotten pioneer performer whose lengthy career deserves a place in music history.

Stick around after the film for a Q&A with director Alfonso Maiorana.

Sunday, March 9 / 12:30 PM

Let’s Sing-Along & Shout-Along
CHICAGO SING-ALONG
D: Rob Marshall | USA | 103 min | 2002
Gather your fellow merry murderesses and join Hot Docs Cinema and sing along—and all that jazz—to the hit movie musical.

Sunday, March 9 / 4:30 PM

Stitches & Scenes
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
D: Penny Marshall | USA | 128 min | 1992
Stay warm this winter with a cozy craft-along screening of A League of Their Own, the inspiring story of WWII’s all-women baseball league!

The film will be played with house lights on for the duration of the film. Guests can bring their own portable crafting lamps for extra light.

BYOC—Bring your own craft: crochet, knitting, or a colouring book.

Don’t forget reusable cups and containers for a 10% discount on non-alcoholic beverages and popcorn.

Arrive early to participate in a craft supply swap! Have a ball of yarn you haven’t thought about in ages? Paint you bought for that one project you never got around to using? Give your new or lightly used craft supplies a new life and swap them for something old but new to you. Supplies left over at the end of the event will be donated to Creative Reuse Toronto.

Saturday, March 15 / 4:00 PM

Truth and Dare
SO UNREAL
D: Amanda Kramer | USA | 101 min | 2023
Debbie Harry narrates this historical examination and philosophical exploration of cyberspace cinema from 1981 to 2001.

Join us before the screening to receive a wild zine specially designed for the event AND catch a screening of the locally-made short film T-POSE: To Dance With One’s Hands, directed by Steven Sych.

Stick around after the screening for a Q&A with director Amanda Kramer.

Presented with community partner Insomniac Film Festival.

Saturday, March 15 / 8:30 PM

A Year of Austen
EMMA
D: Autumn de Wilde | UK | 124 min | 2020
Autumn de Wilde paints Austen’s signature humour, romance and social critique with bold colours and a whimsical score.

Sunday, March 23 / 4:00 PM

Spotlight on ImagineNATIVE
FALLS AROUND HER
D: Darlene Naponse | Canada | 100 min | 2018
A legendary Anishinaabe singer retreats to her reserve to recharge, but fame and the outside world refuse to let go.

Join director Darlene Naponse and Hot Docs’ director of programming, Heather Haynes, for a post-screening Q&A.

Saturday, March 29 / 3:00 PM
*Free for members

Owned and operated by Hot Docs, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing and celebrating the art of documentary, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema is the world’s largest documentary cinema. A historic, century-old landmark located in Toronto’s vibrant Annex neighbourhood, the Cinema is a year-round home for non-fiction film and storytelling, presenting first-run international and Canadian documentaries, curated film and speakers series, signature events including Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Hot Docs Podcast Festival and Curious Minds Weekend, as well as hosting for some of the city’s premier festivals and events. Since assuming management in 2012, Hot Docs has screened over 1,425 films to audiences of more than 1.3 million. In 2016, a generous $5-million donation from Rogers Foundation enabled Hot Docs to purchase venue.