#HOTDOCS: MAY 2022 PROGRAMMING LINEUP

In addition to the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival kicking-off this week this Thursday, April 28, 2022, Hot Docs have several premieres and series to present May 2022! In addition to premiering at the Festival, Jennifer Baichwal‘s INTO THE WEEDS will play at Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema. Series INTO SLEAZE NIGHTS celebrates the 2000s with films like SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD. THE GODFATHER also celebrates its 50th anniversary and the Series The Movie You Can’t Refuse: The Godfather at 50 commemorates this. There’s also free programming at home for you as well!

More details as follows:

FILM PREMIERES
Cinema Ticket $15 (Members tickets from $10)
Streaming Ticket $9.99 (Members from $7.99)

WUHAN WUHAN
D: Yung Chang| China, USA, Canada | 90 min | 2021
Wuhan Wuhan is an observational documentary unfolding during February and March 2020 at the height of the pandemic in Wuhan city, where the coronavirus began. With unprecedented access at the peak of the pandemic lockdown, Wuhan Wuhan goes beyond the statistics and salacious headlines and puts a human experience into the early days of the mysterious virus as Chinese citizens and frontline healthcare workers grappled with an invisible, deadly killer.

Opens Monday, May 9  

FIDDLER’S JOURNEY TO THE BIG SCREEN
D: Daniel Raim| USA | 88 min | 2022
Take a nostalgic glimpse back into the making of the 1971 Hollywood masterpiece Fiddler on the Roof in this heartful documentary narrated by actor Jeff Goldblum and featuring rarely seen archival footage.
Pair with a special screening of the original Fiddler on the Roof on Saturday, May 14 / 2 PM

Opens Friday, May 13

INTO THE WEEDS
D: Jennifer Baichwal| Canada | 96 min | 2022
Debuting in-cinema on the heels of opening Hot Docs 2022, the latest from acclaimed director Jennifer Baichwal follows the David vs. Goliath story of a former groundskeeper who takes on a multinational agrochemical corporation after his terminal cancer diagnosis.

Opens Friday, May 20  

SERIES & SPECIAL EVENTS

Special Presentation
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
D: Norman Jewison| USA | 179 mins | 1971
A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? Watching Norman Jewison’s epic and timeless 1971 adaptation of the celebrated musical is a tradition all its own.
Playing alongside the new documentary Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen.

Saturday, May 14 / 2 PM

Indie Sleaze Nights
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
D: Edgar Wright| USA, UK, Canada, Japan | 112 mins | 2010
Scott Pilgrim just met the girl of his dreams…literally. But for them to date, he must defeat her seven evil exes! From the genre-smashing director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead comes “a true original” (Entertainment Weekly) powered up by wit, action and groundbreaking visuals—and the perfect opener to our new monthly Indie Sleaze series. Game on!

Friday, May 20 / 9 PM

This Film Should Be Played Loud
RADIOHEAD: MEETING PEOPLE IS EASY
D: Grant Gee| UK | 99 mins | 1998
No one ruled rock music in the 90s quite like Radiohead. On the 25th anniversary of their magnum opus Ok Computer, travel back to the golden age of hits like “Karma Police” by following the band on their 1997 world tour.

Saturday, May 21 / 9 PM

Quiet Time: Mindfulness at the Movies
BOREALIS
D: Kevin McMahon| Canada | 94 mins | 2021
Our Quiet Time series begins with a specially recorded guided meditation and this immersive cinematic journey through Canada’s boreal forest and the chorus of life that calls it home. It’s a wondrous ode to our country’s iconic wilderness—and a one-way ticket to a calmer, more centred mind.
Each Quiet Time session features a Guided Meditation from Toronto Mindfulness Teacher Moustafa Abdelrahman.

Sunday, May 22 / 1 PM

Human Rights Watch Film Festival
KLABONA KEEPERS
D: Tamo Campos, Jasper Snow-Rosen| Canada | 72 mins | 2022
Klabona Keepers is an intimate portrait of the dynamic Indigenous community that succeeded in protecting the remote Sacred Headwaters, known as the Klabona.

Thursday, May 26 / 7:30 PM

Human Rights Watch Film Festival
MARCH FOR DIGNITY
D: John Eames| Georgia | 74 mins | 2020
This film follows a small group of brave LGBTI+ activists in Tbilisi, Georgia as they attempt to conduct the first Pride march in the country, where homosexuality remains highly stigmatized

Saturday, May 28 / 8 PM

Human Rights Watch Film Festival
MUJER DE SOLDADO (SOLDIER’S WOMAN)
D: Patricia Weiss Risso| Peru | 83 mins | 2021
Mujer de Soldado is a deeply moving picture of female solidarity that finally provides space for the dignity of women’s experiences that has long been denied.

Saturday, May 28 / 3 PM

Human Rights Watch Film Festival
TACHELES: THE HEART OF THE MATTER
D: Jana Matthes, Andrea Schramm| Germany | 104 mins | 2020
This film follows the journey of this family’s painful confrontation with history that will forever change relationships and explores how trauma of survivors is inherited.

Sunday, May 29 / 1 PM

Human Rights Watch Film Festival
THE LAST SHELTER
D: Ousmane Samassekou | France, Mali, South Africa | 85 mins | 2021
Deep in Mali, in West Africa on the edge of the Sahel Desert, lies the peaceful city of Gao—a quiet way station for passersby with their eyes set on Europe in hopes of finding opportunity, safety, and a better future.

Sunday, May 29 / 7 PM 

CURIOUS MINDS SPEAKER SERIES
Course registration: $69 (Hot Docs Members: $60, $48, Free)

AMERICAN UTOPIAS: POP MUSIC AT THE MOVIES
Ever since the 1930s, the creators of Hollywood have brought popular music to life in their own Utopian image; either a better world was waiting somewhere over the rainbow, or else there was no place like home. In this six-week course, film critic and author Adam Nayman (Politics at the Movies) traces the evolution of the classic American movie musical from its origins up to the present, exploring the new popular music forms—rock, pop, disco, and more—that have flourished on the big screen. As we survey iconic movies and music videos—from The Wizard of Oz and A Hard Day’s Night to Saturday Night Fever and MTV—we’ll examine the cultural shockwaves produced by playing pop music on screen.

Wednesdays, 10 AM, May 25 – June 29

THE ART OF LIVING: THE HISTORY OF INTERIOR DESIGN
For as long as people have lived in homes, they’ve been striving to make their living spaces more beautiful, comfortable and functional. In this new series from Curious Minds favourite Barbara Isherwood (The Great Photographers, The Art of Picasso), we’ll trace the history of interior design from the ancient world to the present, assessing the fascinating, often dazzling, designs that have flourished along the way. As we journey from fabulous mansions and castles to sleek modern interiors and humble houses next door, this dynamic new series—perfect for fans of our past courses on art and architecture—will offer a unique perspective on some of history’s most fascinating people, places and homes.

Mondays, 1 PM, May 30 – July 4

TREASURES OF THE MODERN SILK ROUTES
The fabled Silk Routes were a series of global trade networks that transported luxury goods, decorative objects, people and ideas across some of history’s most extraordinary civilizations. Using rich archeological and archival materials, this series will explore how that cross-cultural exchange impacted artworks and cultures around the world from the 7th Century onwards–with effects that can still be felt today. Both a follow-up to his sold-out course The Treasures of the Ancient Silk Road, and a standalone series, this new course from Curious Minds favourite Sudharshan Durayappah will take you on a whirlwind tour of the arts and cultures that built the modern world.

Tuesdays, 10 AM, June 14 – July 19

FLORENCE: CRADLE OF THE RENAISSANCE
Florence is an almost mythical place in our cultural geography. It is a city so beautiful and so enriched with great art that it occupies a position unique in western civilization. In this new series from Curious Minds favourite Dr. Kenneth Bartlett (Venice: The City of Dreams, Rome: The Eternal City), we will explore this magical place and discuss how it gave birth to the Renaissance, inspired generations of expatriate artists and writers, and institutionalized values and ideas that still reverberate powerfully today.

Thursdays, 1 PM, June 16 – July 21 

HOT DOCS AT HOME FREE PROGRAMMING
Available now at hotdocs.ca

Made In Ukraine
THE EARTH IS SPINNING
D: Olena Kyrychenko| Ukraine | 20 mins| 2021
In spring 2020, Ukraine locks down under COVID, causing filmmaker Olena Kyrychenko to move back home with her parents. Deft and engrossing, this quarantine story reveals the hard work of holding memories, dreams, and reality together within a family, and of keeping love alive in everyday life.

Made In Ukraine
DIMA, DMITRY, DMYTRO, GLORY TO THE HEROES
D: Clemens Poole| Ukraine | 24 mins| 2021
A 1995 video shot by the Chepurnyi family on an outing in Luhansk is re-examined 26 years later by director Clemens Poole, with added narration from the perspective of the now-grown-up child in the video. The film brings into question how today’s values are projected onto images of the past.

Made In Ukraine
DON’T WORRY, THE DOORS WILL OPEN
D: Oksana Karpovych| Ukraine, Canada | 78 mins | 2019
Rolling from the capital Kyiv to smaller provincial towns and the stations between, director Oksana Karpovych delivers a richly detailed first feature. The dynamic rhythms of the daily routines she observes depict her homeland at a crossroads, but like the trains, it always keeps moving forward.

Made In Ukraine
I AM MICHELLE
D: Olena Siyatovska| Ukraine, Netherlands | 20 mins| 2021
The portrait of a 20-year-old transgender woman in Kyiv with dreams of becoming a model, as she returns to her hometown and reconnects with those who accept her while reassessing what she truly wants in life.

Made In Ukraine
THE RAIN WILL NEVER STOP
D: Alina Gorlova| Ukraine, Latvia, Germany, Qatar | 104 mins | 2020
Born to a Kurdish father and Ukrainian mother, Red Cross volunteer Andriy joins the frontlines in Donbas, essentially trading one war for another.

Made In Ukraine
THE VIEW FROM THE WINDOW
D: Anna Korzh| Ukraine | 19 mins| 2019
In the eastern Ukrainian town of Mariinka, 13-year-old Ruslana dreams of becoming a filmmaker, against her parents’ wishes. In this intimate video diary, shot over five years, she expresses her youthful optimism and captures the harsh realities facing her.  

The Movie You Can’t Refuse: The Godfather at 50
THE GODFATHER – 50TH ANNIVERSARY 4K RESTORATION
D: Francis Ford Coppola | USA | 175 mins| 1972
See Coppola’s masterpiece in a newly crafted 50th anniversary 4K digital restoration, overseen by the director himself.
WINNER – Oscar, Best Picture / Best Actor in a Leading Role (Marlon Brando) / Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Academy Awards, USA 1973

Saturday, May 21 / 1:30 PM

The Movie You Can’t Refuse: The Godfather at 50
NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC
D: One9 | USA | 75 mins| 2014
Widely considered one of the best films ever made about hip-hop, this rarely screened documentary portrait of The Godfather-loving, Michael Corleone-quoting emcee Nas highlights the film’s profound impact on the genre.

Friday, June 3 / 9 PM

The Movie You Can’t Refuse: The Godfather at 50
THE FAMILY WHISTLE – EXCLUSIVE TORONTO PREMIERE
D: Michele Salfi Russo| Italy | 65 mins| 2015
Encounter the talented family members and vibrant Italian settings that inspired Coppola’s unforgettable family saga.

Saturday, June 4 / 4 PM

The Movie You Can’t Refuse: The Godfather at 50
THE SOPRANOS SESSIONS – EXCLUSIVE TORONTO PREMIERE
D: Kristian Fraga | USA | 114 mins| 2020
What better way to celebrate the cultural legacy of The Godfather than with the exclusive Toronto premiere of these fun documentary tributes to The Sopranos, the show widely considered its creative and spiritual heir?

Saturday, June 25 / 4 PM

The Movie You Can’t Refuse: The Godfather at 50
OUR GODFATHER
D: Mark Franchetti, Andrew Meier| UK, Russia | 93 mins| 2018
This stunning documentary thriller offers a riveting portrait of real-life Mafia kingpin-turned informant Tomasso Buscetta—and a vivid reminder of the lessons learned by the fictional Corleone family: “Once a Mafioso, always a Mafioso.”

Sunday, June 26 / 1 PM 

For more info, visit https://hotdocs.ca.