hot docs
#FIRSTLOOK: “CITZEN MINUTES 2” SHORTS SERIES COMING SCREENINGS ACROSS CANADA
Hot Docs is proud to announce the confirmed dates for the five-market free community theatrical initiative, Docs for Schools, and the broadcast premiere of its short doc collection Citizen Minutes. The second series of shorts highlights ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary things to make their communities better places. From Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week to noise pollution in Toronto, from the first all-female Muslim softball league to a rapper addressing mental health issues, the second series of Citizen Minutes will inform and entertain. Each free screening will be followed by an audience Q&A with the goal of inspiring collaborative dialogue about civic engagement and the many forms it can take.
“We are incredibly proud to introduce this essential series of short docs crafted by visionary filmmakers to audiences across Canada,” shared Marie Nelson, Hot Docs’ President. “These compelling films urge us to champion positive change within our communities and remind us of the remarkable influence that individuals have in shaping our world. I am invigorated by these vibrant, youth-driven stories that poignantly reflect life’s hardships—yet radiate with hope—and hope that others will be too.”
Theatrical Dates
October 16th – Rio Theatre, Vancouver, BC, 6:30 pm – Host Angela Steritt
October 25th – Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, Toronto, ON, 6:30 pm – CBC Host Ismaila Alfa and a special guest performance by Akitone.
November 9th – Calgary Central Library, Calgary, AB, 6:30 pm – CBC Host Angela Knight
November 27th – Cinema Du Musée – Montreal, QC, 6:30 pm – CBC Daybreak Host Sean Henry
November 27th – Halifax Central Library, Halifax, NS, 6:30 pm – CBC Host Preston Mulligan and a special guest performance by comedian Janelle Niles.
DOCS FOR SCHOOLS
Citizen Minutes will also be made available for free screenings online and for grade 5-12 students across the country through the Docs for Schools program. Each of the films will come with a unique education package with discussion questions, resources and activities to support extended learning about the issues addressed in the film. All education packages will be made available in English and French.
Last year, Docs for Schools brought films to over 150,000 students in 98 school boards across Canada.
The second series of Citizen Minutes features the following titles:
ANCESTRAL THREADS
Directed by: Sean Stiller
Joleen Mitton, a Néhiyaw woman and the founder of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW), shows how she builds community using fashion, as she works to undo years of trauma–in herself and others.
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?
Directed by: Cat Mills
A couple of activists try to put the mute button on Noise Pollution in Toronto.
JANELLE NILES: INCONVENIENT
Directed by: Kelly Zemnickis, Cass Gardiner
Despite a tumultuous upbringing that would break most, Janelle Niles confronts being Black and Mi’kmaw head-on, embracing her biracial experience and two-spirit identity, while using stand-up to heal and usher in a new era of inclusive Canadian comedy.
LOUD & HERE
Directed by: Josiane Blanc
Teen youth activist collective La Voix des Jeunes Compte try to make meaningful change to school board policy across Quebec.
MIND CHECK 1-2 1-2
Directed by: Ian Keteku
A viral rapper uses his voice to uplift young people struggling with mental health.
RISING FROM THE ASHES
Directed by: Sara Ben-Saud
A portrait of the Dépanneur Sylvestre, an atypical place that aims to break down isolation for members of the displaced Gatineau community.
SISTERHOOD SOFTBALL
Directed by: Farhiya Ahmed
The first all-female Muslim softball league in North America empowers women through sports in a community where women traditionally don’t take part.
#FIRSTLOOK: “CHARLOTTE’S CASTLE” TRAILER AND HOT DOCS CINEMA PREMIERE
TVO Original Charlotte’s Castle is the story of a cultural hub’s real estate borne crisis, told through one remarkable rental building and its remarkable inhabitants. It chronicles the battle of a quirky cast of unlikely activists who want to hang on to their rented homes against a foreign-owned developer they fear will ruin a cultural landmark, of which they consider themselves the caretakers.
Spadina Gardens, the half-block mid-rise apartment at Spadina and Lowther, built in 1904, is the oldest Toronto building to maintain its original floor plans, not to mention many original details (subway tiles that pre-date the subway by half a century!). Vast, luxurious rental units have drawn an equally eclectic mix of tenants: literary, industrial, operatic, distressed gentlefolk to ascending rock stars.
They embody the creative class who drew developers to Toronto in the first place, driving property values up. But now, though their plight is understandably often overshadowed by harder luck stories, even they are no longer able to afford the city which they helped to enrich.
The struggle over the preservation of Spadina Gardens is emblematic of the battle, secretly at the heart of the national current housing crisis.
“In Charlotte’s Castle, we embarked on a cinematic journey to explore not just bricks and mortar, but the very heart and soul of our communities. This documentary is a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who’ve fought for their homes and the preservation of landmark housing. Through this universal story of struggle and resilience, we illuminate the broader housing crisis that touches us all. Because in every brick in every home, there resides a piece of our shared history and future. Charlotte’s Castle reminds us that the preservation of these castles, big and small, is the preservation of our collective identity and the promise of a more equitable tomorrow.” – Director, Jamie Kastner
The film was produced with the participation of Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates and the Rogers Documentary Fund.
Premiere – Toronto screening at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Sunday, September 24, 2023
6:45 PM
Followed by a Q&A with the director, Jamie Kastner. Joined by Charlotte Mickie and a panel of additional special guests
Additional screenings will take place:
Tuesday, September 26 2023 – matinee 4:00 PM
Friday, September 29, 2023 – 7:00 PM
#HOTDOCS: 2023 HOT DOCS ROGERS AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Hot Docs Festival 2023 came to its close last night, bringing 214 films from 72 countries to audiences in Toronto cinemas. The 11-day festival featured 308 live screenings on nine screens at four venues across the city, with 235 live filmmaker Q&As, and five special extended discussions with filmmakers and special guests as part of the Big Ideas Series, presented by Scotia Wealth Management. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Hot Docs presented the Podcast Festival Showcase, featuring a slate of today’s hottest podcasts live on stage, A Wall Is a Screen site-specific outdoor screening at Ontario Place, and a series of special activations for attendees throughout the Festival. Further building on national audiences cultivated by past online and hybrid editions, 123 official selections started streaming across Canada on Friday, May 5 and will continue through to Tuesday, May 9.
“As the curtain closes on a highly successful 30th-anniversary edition of Hot Docs Festival, we are reminded once again of the power and impact of documentary—not only in reflecting our world, but also in building community, creating connection and challenging us to play our part in making this world a better place,” shared Shane Smith, Hot Docs Artistic Director. “We are humbled by the emphatic reception we received from our famously curious Toronto audiences, whose energy, engagement and enthusiasm are always a Festival highlight for filmmakers, and who continue to inspire our mission to showcase outstanding, outspoken documentaries. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the volunteers, filmmakers, industry delegates, sponsors and partners who helped us bring Hot Docs 2023 to life.”
The Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, which recognizes the top Canadian feature as determined by audience poll with a cash prize of CAD 50,000, was announced last night at a free encore screening at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Someone Lives Here (D: Zack Russell | P: Matt King, Andrew Ferguson | Canada)—the story of a young Toronto carpenter building life-saving shelters for unhoused people facing the winter outside during the pandemic, while also facing staunch opposition from the city government—received the prize, courtesy of Rogers Group of Funds.
With CAD 80,000 in cash and prizes announced at the Hot Docs Awards Presentation on Saturday, May 6, and CAD 78,000 in pitch prizes awarded at the close of Hot Docs Forum on Wednesday, May 3, this year the Festival awarded a total of CAD 208,000 in cash and prizes to filmmakers.
Hot Docs Audience Awards are determined by votes submitted by Festival audiences after in-person screenings. At the close of the Festival, it was determined that Lac-Mégantic – This is Not an Accident (D: Philippe Falardeau | P: Annie Sirois | Canada)—a captivating four-part series from Oscar-nominated director Philippe Falardeau that exposes the scandalous causes of one of Canada’s worst rail disasters and the urgent changes needed to prevent the next one—placed first in the overall audience poll and won the Hot Docs Audience Award.
The top mid-length film in the audience poll, winning the Audience Award for Mid-Length Documentary, was When Spring Came to Bucha (D: Mila Teshaieva, Marcus Lenz | P: Marcus Lenz | Ukraine, Germany), in which cameras quietly capture the resilience of a people who will not be broken. The top short film, winning the Audience Award for Short Documentary, was Eco-Hack! (D: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | P: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | USA), capturing conservation biologist Tim Shield’s fight to protect desert tortoise populations from ravens.
The 20 documentaries in the audience poll are:
- Lac-Mégantic – This is Not an Accident (D: Philippe Falardeau | P: Annie Sirois | Canada)
- Someone Lives Here (D: Zack Russell | P: Matt King, Andrew Ferguson | Canada)
- 20 Days in Mariupol (D: Mstyslav Chernov | P: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath, Derl McCrudden | USA)
- The American Gladiators Documentary (D: Ben Berman, Kirk Johnson (co-director) | P: Russell Wayne Groves, Danny Gabai, Andrew Freston | USA)
- Silent House (D: Farnaz Jurabchian, Mohammadreza Jurabchian | P: Elaheh Nobakht, Farnaz Jurabchian, Mohammadreza Jurabchian | Iran, France, Qatar, Canada, Philippines)
- Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story (D: Kordo Doski | P: Kordo Doski, Lina Hanson, Jose Moreno Brooks, Paul Canterna | Canada, Iraq, USA, Sweden)
- Non-Aligned: Scenes from the Labudović Reels (D: Mila Turajlić | P: Carine Chichkowsky, Mila Turajlić | Serbia, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Qatar)
- The Stroll (D: Kristen Lovell, Zackary Drucker | P: Matt Wolf | USA)
- Angel Applicant (D: Ken A. Meyer | P: Ken A. Meyer, Jason Roark | USA)
- Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? (D: Joe Piscatella | P: Matthew Torne, Mark Rinehart, Joe Piscatella | USA, Hong Kong, UK)
- Against the Tide (D: Sarvnik Kaur | P: Koval Bhatia, Sarvnik Kaur | India, France)
- Seven Winters in Tehran (D: Steffi Niederzoll | P: Melanie Andernach, Knut Lodsen | Germany, France)
- Eco-Hack! (D: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | P: Josh Izenberg, Brett Marty | USA)
- Name Me Lawand (D: Edward Lovelace | P: Fleur Nieddu, Sam Arnold, Beyan Taher, Neil Andrews, Marisa Clifford | UK)
- We Will Not Fade Away (D: Alisa Kovalenko | P: Valery Kalmykov, Stephane Siohan, Katarzyna Kuczynska, Tomasz Morawski, Oleksiy Kobelev | Ukraine, France, Poland)
- The Deepest Breath (D: Laura McGann | P: John Battsek, Sarah Thomson, Jamie D’Alton, Anne McLoughlin | UK, Ireland)
- Hong Kong Mixtape (D: San San F Young | P: Nikki Parrott, San San F Young | UK)
- El Equipo (D: Bernardo Ruiz | P: Bernardo Ruiz, Gabriela Alcalde, Fabian Caballero | USA)
- When Spring Came to Bucha (D: Mila Teshaieva, Marcus Lenz | P: Marcus Lenz | Ukraine, Germany)
- Invisible Beauty (D: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng | P: Lisa Cortés, Paul Dallas | USA)
Hot Docs’ incredibly popular Docs For School program also ran during the Festival, offering teachers across Canada free access to 16 films, including eight official selections from this year’s Festival, and accompanying teaching resources linked to curriculum. Hot Docs also presented its annual market and conference, welcoming 1,800 delegates from more than 40 countries. The Hot Docs Industry program featured four days of knowledge sessions and networking events including Hot Docs Forum and Hot Docs Deal Maker, along with additional industry content.
#HOTDOCS: 2023 HOT DOCS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Hot Docs announced this morning the winning documentaries in this year’s official competition and the recipients of additional awards honouring Canadian and international filmmakers. The awards were revealed at the Hot Docs 2023 Awards Presentation at TIFF Bell Lightbox, hosted by arts journalist and co-founder of Media Girlfriends, Garvia Bailey. 15 awards in total were given out, including 11 awards for Festival films in competition – of which four were won by female filmmakers –and CAD 80,000 in cash and prizes were awarded. Playing on screens across Toronto, the 30th-anniversary Hot Docs Festival will close on Sunday, May 7. The Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian documentary will be announced on the last day of the Festival at a special encore screening at 7:00 pm at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The top Canadian feature in the audience poll will receive a CAD 50,000 cash prize, courtesy of Rogers Group of Funds. The overall Audience Award winner will be announced after the Festival.
The Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary was presented to Last Respects (D: Megan Durnford | P: Megan Durnford | Canada | 2023), in which Montreal priest Abbé Claude Paradis creates a touching annual ceremony to celebrate the lives of the “unclaimed.” The award includes a $3,000 cash prize courtesy of John and Betty Youson. Jury statement: “For its human, simple and necessary approach to the universal theme of the dignity and value of every single life that stands out by virtue of its compelling, skilfully crafted visual language as much as its personal story and message.”
The Best International Short Documentary Award was presented to Mrs. Iran’s Husband (D: Marjan Khosravi | P: Milad Khosravi | Iran | 2023), a pointed exploration of family and labour in Iran. The award includes a $3,000 cash prize. Jury statement: “For its subtle intelligence and non-judgmental narrative. This honest family portrait allows us to approach a reality that deserves our attention now.”
In the Best International Short Documentary Award category, the jury also acknowledged Dear Ani (D: Micah Levin | P: Micah Levin | USA | 2022) with an honourable mention.
Hot Docs is an Academy Award qualifying festival for short documentaries and, as winners of the Best International Short Documentary Award and the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary Award respectively, Mrs. Iran’s Husband and Last Respects will qualify for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided they comply with Academy rules.
Veteran Canadian producer Bonnie Thompson, producer of Echo of Everything (D: Cam Christiansen | P: Bonnie Thompson | Canada | 2022), received the Don Haig Award, announced at the beginning of the Festival. The award is given to an outstanding independent Canadian producer with a film in the Festival in recognition of their creative vision, entrepreneurship and track record for nurturing emerging talent and comes with a $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Foundation.
The award for Best Mid-Length Documentary was presented to Being in a Place – A Portrait of Margaret Tait (D: Luke Fowler | P: Luke Fowler, Sarah Neely | UK | 2022), an experimental tribute to Scottish filmmaker Margaret Tait. Sponsored by British Pathé, the award includes a $3,000 cash prize. Jury statement: “For its uniquely direct poetic sensibility to embody the spirit and work of an undercelebrated filmmaker and the way that the director moves us through its subject’s visions by way of her archives and placing us behind her camera we chose …”
In the Best Mid-Length Documentary category, the jury also acknowledged Scala (D: Ananta Thitanat | P: Abhichon Rattanabhayon, Nontawat Numbenchapol | Thailand | 2022) with an honourable mention.
The Lindalee Tracey Award, which honours an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and a sense of humour, was presented to Gaëlle Graton. Graton will receive a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Lindalee Tracey Fund, $5,000 in post-production services from SIM, and a hand-blown glass sculpture by Andrew Kuntz, specially commissioned to honour Lindalee.
Award-winning Chinese American documentarian Christine Choy received the 2023 Outstanding Achievement Award. Choy’s seminal work was featured in the Outstanding Achievement Retrospective Program at this year’s Festival.
The Scotiabank Docs For Schools Student Choice Award went to Invisible Beauty (D: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng | P: Lisa Cortés, Paul Dallas | USA | 2023 | 115 min | Canadian Premiere), pioneering Black model Bethann Hardison’s exploration of racial diversity in the fashion world. The award is given to the Festival film in the Docs For Schools education program that receives the highest rating as determined by a student poll and comes with a $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of Scotiabank.
The Earl A. Glick Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award is given to a Canadian filmmaker whose film in competition is their first or second feature-length film. The award, which includes a $3,000 cash prize courtesy of the Earl A. Glick Family, was presented to director Dominique Chaumont for Veranada (D: Dominique Chaumont | P: Dominique Chaumont | Canada, Argentina | 2022). Jury statement: “Life seems still in the Argentinian plains, but a man and his sheep give sense to a craft that seems destined to disappear. Beautiful images and a mesmerizing soundtrack make Veranada a truly authentic cinematographic experience, transporting you to a world you need to know.”
The new John Kastner Award went to Silvicola (D: Jean-Philippe Marquis | P: Jean-Philippe Marquis | Canada | 2023), exploring the human impact on forests through breathtaking vistas and poignant vignettes set in Canada’s Pacific Northwest. The Award presents $5,000 to a Canadian Spectrum feature-length documentary of courage and compassion that embodies masterful and audacious storytelling, meticulous observation, and a profound trust between the director and the people who share their stories. Jury statement: “Many films ask the question, how are we meant to exist upon a living being, our Earth. This is a masterwork of patience and complexity that doesn’t seek easy answers, and for that we lean in with humility and heartache. This is a film that holds questions we should all be asking ourselves.”
The new Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary, which recognizes the producers of a film in the Canadian Spectrum program that has the greatest potential to create social impact, went to Matt King and Andrew Ferguson of Someone Lives Here (D: Zack Russell | P: Matt King, Andrew Ferguson | Canada | 2022). The $10,000 cash prize accompanying the award will help enable the winning film team to optimize the impact of the documentary through outreach and marketing activities. Jury statement: “Creating safe spaces against all odds, trying to fight humiliating circumstances, the carpenter constructs little safe heavens while authorities seem not to appreciate his efforts. This important and well-constructed film leaves us asking: how should we be living alongside each other?”
The DGC Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature Documentary was presented to Caiti Blues (D: Justine Harbonnier | P: Nellie Carrier, Julie Paratian | Canada, France | 2023), in which an ex-New Yorker now living in a remote hippie town in New Mexico struggles to revive her dreams of singing on Broadway. Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada and DGC Ontario, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize. Jury statement: “In a lonely universe, we travel through a world of imagination in search of identity. Music fractures and interweave in a film about struggling to become the person you dream of and are in search of. This is deeply engaging filmmaking.”
The Best Canadian Feature Documentary Award was presented to I Lost My Mom (D: Denys Desjardins | P: Denys Desjardins | Canada | 2022), an empathetic and intimate doc in which filmmaker Denys Desjardins captures his elderly mother’s experience of neglect in Quebec’s healthcare system. Supported by DOC and Telefilm Canada, the award includes a $10,000 cash prize. Jury statement: “The filmmaker made something sublime out of limits. In a time of closures, he made a handmade work of art that opens empathy. This is a work of difficult love. This is deeply heartbreaking work.”
The Best International Feature Documentary Award was given to The Mountains (D: Christian Einshøj | P: Mathilde Hvid Lippmann | Denmark | 2023), which uses 75,000 photos and 30 years of home videos to weave a tender and humorous autobiographical portrait of the men in a Scandinavian family struck by devastating tragedy. The award includes a $10,000 cash prize. Director Christian Einshøj was also the winner of The Emerging International Filmmaker Award, given to an international filmmaker whose film in competition is their first or second feature-length film. The award, supported by the Donner Canadian Foundation, includes a $3,000 cash prize. Jury statement: “This unique, eloquent, and deeply honest look at a family told through various lenses was captivating. Christian Einshoj uses humour to tell a deeply personal story that anyone who is part of a family can relate to.”
In the Best International Feature Documentary category, the jury also acknowledged A Wolfpack Named Ernesto (D: Everardo González | P: Roberto Garza, Inna Payán, Jean-Christophe Simon | Mexico, France | 2023) with an honourable mention.
Hot Docs is an Academy Award qualifying festival for feature documentaries and, as the winner of the Best International Feature Documentary Award, The Mountains will qualify for consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided they comply with Academy rules.
The Special Jury Prize – International Feature Documentary was given to Name Me Lawand (D: Edward Lovelace | P: Fleur Nieddu, Sam Arnold, Beyan Taher, Neil Andrews, Marisa Clifford | UK | 2022), in which a young deaf Kurdish boy joyfully hones his communication skills at a UK school after a treacherous journey from Iraq, only to later face deportation from his new home. Sponsored by A&E, the award includes a $5,000 cash prize. Jury statement: “We were touched by this epic yet intimate story of a refugee family who had no choice but to leave their home to create a life for their deaf son.
The 2023 awards for films in competition were determined by four juries.
The Canadian Feature Documentary Jury:
Rodolfo Castillo-Morales (filmmaker, programmer, and curator), Shane Belcourt (filmmaker), Margje de Koning (filmmaker, educator, Artistic Director of Movies That Matter film festival).
The International Feature Documentary Jury:
Addie Morfoot (entertainment industry writer, head of editorial coverage for Variety), Ina Finchman (Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy nominated producer), Sudeep Sharma (programmer for the Sundance Film Festival).
The Mid-Length Documentary Jury:
Lina Rodriguez (filmmaker), Iris Ng (cinematographer), Amir George (award-winning filmmaker and Artistic Director of Kartemquin Films).
The Short Documentary Jury:
Anna Bressanin (US Editor of BBC Reel, the BBC’s platform for short documentary), Inga Diev (General Manager of Ouat Media), Inti Cordera (documentary filmmaker and producer).
#HOTDOCS: “STEPHEN CURRY: UNDERRATED”
By Amanda Gilmore
Who would’ve thought that one of the year’s most inspirational underdog stories would come from one of the most prominent Point Guards in the NBA?
If you’re like me and only know Steph Curry post-NBA Draft and as the star player of the Golden State Warriors, then you probably wouldn’t have seen this one coming either. Director Peter Nicks tracks the Basketball star’s rise from his passion for the sport, to his time on the Davidson College basketball team, to the struggles he’s faced while with the Golden State Warriors and his long journey to finally attaining his college degree — 13 years after leaving Davidson a year early for the NBA.
Nicks’ primary focus in this documentary is showing the lifelong impact Davidson College has had on Steph. It’s endearing to see Steph get into his Wildcats merchandise and cheer on the current team. And how fondly he speaks about Davidson Coach Bob McKillop who saw potential in him when the world believed he was too small. Nicks edits between games with the Golden State Warriors and then the Davidson Wildcats. It’s clear Steph still uses what he learned there to succeed and take Championships.
As Nick follows Steph in Underrated, he’s still working toward one thing — his Davidson Degree. He’s been working toward completing his degree since he left, but his professional life always halted the process. There are many moments in this documentary that make Steph relatable. The fact that he was underestimated due to his size, then made it to the NCAA with Davidson. The fact that he’s been spoken about as past his prime then wins a Championship and MVP. Yet, it’s the moments he has on Zoom with his professor and working on his thesis that we forget he’s Basketball royalty.
If you’re a massive fan of the player or have been tracking his career since his time at Davidson you’ll probably know this inspiring story well. Yet, Stephen Curry: Underrated does more than simply tell the man’s story. It creates a fire within you to never give up on yourself.
Stephen Curry: Underrated screens at Hot Docs ’23:
Sat, Apr 29 at 6:15PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
Fri, May 5 at 9:15PM at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Sat, May 6 at 3:30PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
#HOTDOCS: “JACKIE THE WOLF”
By Mr. Will Wong
Directed by her Filmmaker son Tuki Jencquel, JACKIE THE WOLF certainly is more thought-provoking than it is an easy watch. Combining family videos and candid interviews with his mother, Author and Activist Jacqueline Jencquel, we try to get the why behind her choice to want to end her life.
Jacqueline isn’t ill, nor is she dependent on the care of others. She simply refuses to live beyond a certain age and has lost the will to live, yet appearing sound of mind. She devotes her time and voice to furthering the conversation about a person’s choice to die and having autonomy over their life and body. In doing this, she is calling for a change to French laws include one’s right to die based on personal choice. Jacqueline sets an initial date for her death, though this keeps shifting in hopes she will live to see change before she goes.
Along the way, we get a deeper dive into her psyche, opening-up to her son about everything from lost love to libido, as Tuki alternates the caps of son and Documenter. We even meet another older woman named Joan Schertenleib, who also is looking to end her life as well, though her circumstances are quite different from Jacqueline‘s. Joan is in chronic pain, suffering from Arthritis and has endured losing immediately family, including her daughter, who passed before her.
The level of trust that Tuki and Jacqueline gainin order to get us access into the room with her real-time in Joan’s final moments is both compelling, yet unsettling. Certainly something we will never forget seeing and something we’ll be pondering for a bit. No matter where our opinions stand on the subject matter, Tuki honours his mother’s legacy by allowing her voice to carry in in this complex portrait of her.
JACKIE THE WOLF screens at Hot Docs ’23 as follows:
MON MAY 01
05:30PM
Isabel Bader Theatre
SUN MAY 07
11:45AM
Scotiabank Theatre 6
It streams online May 5-9, 2023.
#HOTDOCS: 2023 HOT DOCS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW
Now in its 30th edition, the HOT DOCS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is back on again and running April 27 to May 7, 2023. Over 200 films from 72 countries will be screening at the Festival this year with several special guests in attendance, including Lilly Singh, members of July Talk, Moby, Kara Swisher, Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls and Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court Judge Rosalie Abella, among others.
The Festival kicks off with Opening Night selection TWICE COLONIZED, directed by Danish Director Lin Alluna, centering on Greenlandic Inuit lawyer, activist, and fierce protector of her ancestral lands, Aaju Peter. More lineup details here.
If you aren’t in-town, you still can stream online as films will be available starting at 12:01 a.m. on May 5 to May 9, 2023.
One of the centerpiece films this year is Writer/Director Barry Avrich‘s WITHOUT PRECENDENT: THE SUPREME LIFE OF ROSALIE ABELLA, getting its World Premiere at the Festival.
The Documentary is part of Hot Docs’ Special Presentations program and featured in its Big Ideas series, presented by Scotia Wealth Management. This is such a proud Canadian moment as we learn about subject Justice Rosalie Abella became the first woman ever to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada and first Jewish woman and refugee to sit on the Canadian Supreme Court bench.
The Film explores her modest beginnings as a daughter of Holocaust survivors, to working for herself after spending just two years working at a small law firm. Avrich explores the love of her life, Irving Abella and how she applied the same persistence to her career as she did winning his heart. And of course, the scrutiny she faced when Paul Martin appointed her to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004. Abella balances being liked and being respected, led by justice and compassion having understand the refugee experience, and also advocating for the recognition of same sex relationships. We get interviews with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Margaret Atwood and several other notables. Such a fascinating portrait about a true Canadian hero and success story and a must-see at the Festival.
MON MAY 01
06:30PM
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
TUE MAY 02
06:30PM
TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
FRI MAY 05
11:15AM
Isabel Bader Theatre
Team Mr. Will has had a chance to preview some notable selections from the Festival and here are their thoughts to help you in your viewing!
GEORGE KOZERA (@PartyG)
FOOD AND COUNTRY
In the interest of full disclosure, Gourmet Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Ruth Reichl, is instrumental in turning me into a Foodie. Before the days of internet access, I would religiously buy the Sunday New York Times, cut away and save her restaurant reviews, and have phenomenal experiences during my many trips to Manhattan – whether it was a tripe dish served at a Soho Korean bistro or a meal I still dream about at Asia de Cuba, a restaurant immortalized in an episode of “Sex and the City”. In FOOD AND COUNTRY, we watch as Reichl takes the audience on a fascinating journey of how the Covid pandemic affected U.S. farmers and restaurants.
In a series of conversations that cover a wide range of topics as agricultural economics, financial literacy and how farmers are looking to deal with and adapt to the “new normal” of the hospitality industry, this captivating Documentary illuminates, while exploring options that could be implemented in the future. At the time where restaurants here at home are shuttering their doors forever due to the hardships the pandemic wrought, FOOD AND COUNTRY succinctly and intellectually encapsulates what the future may hold.
You don’t need to be a foodie to appreciate a perfect Crème Brûlée and you don’t need to be one to be enthralled with this movie.
FRI APR 28
06:00PM
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
SAT APR 29
11:15AM
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
SUN MAY 07
11:00AM
TIFF Bell Lightbox 3
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY OWN
Utilizing 3D motion-capture imagery, animation, archival TV footage and anything else the Creators of this Film can throw in, THIS WORLD IS NOT MY OWN explores the life of Nellie Mae Rowe. Born as the daughter of a sharecropper and former slave in the heart Georgia, Rowe’s entire life was dedicated to her art, whether they be vibrantly coloured paintings, making sculptures from leftover chewing gum (Ewww, right?), pencil sketches and dolls made from whatever she could find. She ultimately found a modicum of fame and notoriety when discovered by the wealthy Judith Alexander, who was instrumental in bringing contemporary art to her gallery in Atlanta. The Film is staged in four chapters, plus a gratuitous interlude that detoured from the subject.
Whereas I respected the audacity of THIS WORLD IS NOT MY OWN, the viewing experience became tiresome with all the visual excesses and the subject matter was too bombastic. It reminded me of the musical interpretation of “Ragtime”, which incorporated numerous subject matters into a coherent masterpiece. I did enjoy three-time Emmy winner Uzo Aduba’s vocal stylings, though some of the 3D imagery of Rowe looked a little unsettling. I never thought I would think or say this, but, sometimes, too much is too much, and this Documentary would have benefitted from a bit more focus.
SAT APR 29
02:15PM
Scotiabank Theatre 5
THU MAY 04
05:30PM
Scotiabank Theatre 6
CYNARA
Responding to a 911 call, first responders arrive at a townhouse complex in Scarborough to find a woman on the floor and a young teenaged girl lying unresponsive on a couch. Claiming to be a victim of a home invasion by two armed and masked intruders, Cindy Ali’s life becomes a nightmarish journey as she is arrested, charged with the murder of her 16-year daughter Cynara stricken with Cerebral Palsy, and ultimately charged with murder in the first degree and sentenced to life in prison. CYNARA is a harrowing account how Cindy, with the support of her husband, three daughters and her Church, tries to clear her name with the help of Toronto Star reporter Jim Rankin and wrongful conviction-specializing lawyer James Lockyer. Whereas this Documentary plays like an episode of “Law & Order” and infrequently feels heavy-handed, it is a searing indictment of the Canadian legal system where facts are blatantly ignored by prosecuting lawyers and jury members are misled by a judge who had already in his mind deemed the defendant guilty of a heinous crime.
Writer/Producer/Director Sherien Barsoum skillfully juggles many aspects of this case with finesse. It touches on the subject of systemic prejudice and police and law officials overreaching to get the verdict they want, paying little regard to the facts. CYNARA is an accomplished and compelling Documentary.
SUN APR 30
01:45PM
Isabel Bader Theatre
THU MAY 04
05:00PM
Scotiabank Theatre 7
THE MOUNTAINS
Ever have one of those melodramatic moments in your life where you think “this would make for an amazing movie?”. THE MOUNTAINS is here to tell you that it ain’t! Sometimes life just sucks, and you have to do what you have to do it get above it. Due to the loss of his baby brother at a young age, Danish Filmmaker Christian Einshøj explores his contentious family dynamics 25 years after the fact with interviews with his father and two brothers. Replete with armchair psychology, the Film feels at times visually stagnant, employing perhaps too much on archived family video footage without answering the question. Some scenes feel a tad staged (who filmed the brother on a beach in Spain when the Director was in Denmark?) and sequences of the three brothers frolic about the Arctic Circle wearing DC comic superhero costumes induced are jarring in their purpose.
As a rule of thumb, Documentaries are a hard sell to the movie-going public to begin with. For many it feels like homework, which is exactly how I felt at times watching THE MOUNTAINS.
THU APR 27
06:00PM
TIFF Bell Lightbox 4
SUN APR 30
12:00PM
Scotiabank Theatre 5
AMANDA GILMORE (@GilmoreAmanda)
PRAYING FOR ARMAGEDDON
This shocking Documentary is a political thriller that reveals the power and influence of U.S. fundamentalist Evangelicals, as they aim to fulfil the Armageddon prophecy.
Director Tonje Hessen Schei takes us on a deep dive into the faith from all angles. We are introduced to Evangelicals who believe we are heading for Armageddon, a Journalist who investigates the influence they have on U.S. politics as well as first-hand accounts from people living through the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. One thing is for sure, these Evangelicals believe that this conflict is one that will lead them to their end-of-times prediction…and therefore their Armageddon.
The conflict is one that’s difficult for those not involved to understand. Hessen Schei gives immense clarity to the conflict thanks to the subjects living there. This is one of his many achievements. He connects Evangelism to the rise of Christian Nationalism and its geopolitical plan. For instance, many Evangelical “charities” give money which supports settler colonialism in Israel. Furthermore, disgraced U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who has immense support from Evangelicals, placed a U.S. military base and U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. This has been a source of further conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Overall, Praying for Armageddon makes a persuasive argument about the influence this group has on U.S. politics, which extends to issues around the world.
Tue May 02 at 8PM at Isabel Bader Theatre
Thu May 04 at 1:45PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Sun May 07 at 8PM at TIFF BELL Lightbox 2
COVEN
This one is for all who’re curious about witchcraft.
There has been a stigma surrounding witchcraft for centuries. But this insightful Documentary aims to change society’s views by shining a light on a modern retake of an ancient worldwide practice. It follows three millennials Laura, Andra and Canadian singer Ayo a.k.a. Witch Prophet who are reviving the practice and reclaiming the term witch.
All three women believe that Wicca is about being the truest form of a feminist and coming into their own powers. Director Rama Rau has found the perfect subjects to focus on. Each has their own history and is at different stages in their journeys. Therefore, allowing the audience to see all sides of the Wicca practices.
We follow as each finds out what the practice means to them as they search the world finding their own Wicca ancestry. Out of the three subjects, Laura Hokstad, a solitary witch, is the one we follow the most. We watch as she begins her Wicca journey. We learn about most traditions and history alongside her. The most interesting moments happen when she travels around Europe and America finding out that there were many witches in her ancestry.
Coven is a fascinating Documentary about three women coming into their own power. It may not change the minds of all, but it will create a space for conversation. Allowing those who are curious about witchcraft to feel less isolated.
Fri Apr 28 at 8:45PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
Fri May 5 at 6:00PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
More on hotdocs.ca.
#HOTDOCS: SPECIAL GUESTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2023 HOT DOCS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
HOT DOCS today have announced special guests to appear at the Festival this year!
From Hot Docs:
We’re delighted to welcome noteworthy guests and fascinating subjects to our 2023 Festival, taking place in Toronto April 27 to May 7. Special guests include Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court Judge Rosalie Abella; Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers; Canadian YouTube pioneer, comedian, author, and television host Lilly Singh; bestselling author Gretchen Rubin; pioneering Black model and activist Bethann Hardison; trailblazing chef, food writer and editor Ruth Reichl; legendary journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher; prominent Greenlandic Inuk lawyer Aaju Peter; members of Canadian alt-rock band July Talk; and more. The Festival will also host over 186 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.
Aaju Peter from TWICE COLONIZED (D: Lin Alluna | P: Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Bob Moore | Denmark, Canada, Greenland | 2023 | 92 min) – Prominent Greenlandic Inuk lawyer and ardent defender of the rights of northern Indigenous people. In 2012, she received the Order of Canada.
Anna Maria Tremonti, Gavin Crawford, Falen Johnston, Matthew Amha and Kaitlin Prest from “THE STORY I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD TELL”: A NIGHT OF SURPRISING STORIES WITH THE HOSTS OF CBC PODCASTS – Stars of the CBC’s hottest podcasts and Canada’s most gifted audio storytellers, who will gather on the Hot Docs Cinema stage for an intimate evening of live storytelling.
Bethann Hardison from INVISIBLE BEAUTY (D: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng | P: Lisa Cortés, Paul Dallas | USA | 2023 | 115 min) – Pioneering Black model, agent, activist, and champion of racial diversity.
Emily Saliers from IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL (D: Alexandria Bombach | P: Kathlyn Horan, Jessica Devaney, Anya Rous, Alexandria Bombach | USA | 2023 | 123 min) – American singer-songwriter and member of iconic folk rock duo Indigo Girls.
Gretchen Rubin, special guest on THE HAPPINESS LAB – Bestselling author of “The Happiness Project,” podcaster, and speaker on topics related to happiness, habits, and human nature.
Kara Swisher from ON WITH KARA SWISHER – Renowned American journalist and host of the twice-weekly podcast from New York Magazine, where she picks the brains of the world’s leading thinkers from politics, tech, media and culture.
Dr. Laurie Santos from THE HAPPINESS LAB – Cognitive scientist and Professor of Psychology at Yale University, and host of the acclaimed mind-expanding and inspirational podcast about the science of happiness.
Latif Nasser (co-host) and Simon Adler (producer) from RADIOLAB – The award-winning show from WNYC Studios brings its insatiable curiosity to Hot Docs, presenting a thrilling live event based on its Mixtape series, a rich cultural history of the cassette tape.
Lilly Singh, special guest on ON WITH KARA SWISHER – Canadian YouTube pioneer, comedian, author, and television host.
Moby, executive producer of ROWDY GIRL (D: Jason Goldman | P: Jason Goldman | USA | 2022 | 72 min) – American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. (joining via Zoom)
Peter De Jager from TIME BOMB Y2K (D: Marley McDonald, Brian Becker | P: Brian Becker | USA | 2023 | 80 min) – South African-born Canadian computer engineer, best known for his Y2K early 1990s outcry warning.
Singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, and drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash from JULY TALK: LOVE LIVES HERE (D: Brittany Farhat | P: Peter Dreimanis, Leah Fay Goldstein | Canada | 2023 | 83 min) – Members of Toronto alt-rock band July Talk, who made headlines for staging live drive-in shows amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice Rosalie Abella from WITHOUT PRECEDENT: THE SUPREME LIFE OF ROSALIE ABELLA (D: Barry Avrich | P: Mark Selby, Barry Avrich, Rosemary Sadlier, Jonas Prince | Canada | 2023 | 84 min) – Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court Judge – a passionate advocate for the disabled community and visible minorities.
Ruth Reichl from FOOD AND COUNTRY (D: Laura Gabbert | P: Laura Gabbert, Ruth Reichl, Paula P. Manzanedo, Caroline Libresco | USA | 2023 | 99 min) – Trailblazing chef, food writer and editor; renowned for her food criticism at the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi from SCAMFLUENCERS – Canadian culture writers and co-hosts of the Wondery smash hit podcast, unpacking epic stories of deception from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness.
#HOTDOCS: NEW PROGRAMMING ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR APRIL 2023
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema is pleased to announce its program for the month of April, which includes an exciting selection of premiere titles covering a wide range of topics, from the ground-breaking storytelling of Judy Blume to the dystopian moment experienced in Brazil under the Jair Bolsonaro government. A range of April premieres and special events will feature inspired Q&As that are sure to spark lively conversations, featuring special guest appearances, including Barenaked Ladies’ Tyler Stewart, actor and model Lauren Howe, podcaster Rachel Cairns, Kehkashan Basu of Green Hope Foundation, members of Planned Parenthood Toronto, prominent filmmakers, and more.
Hot Docs Festival returns to the Cinema April 27 to May 7, 2023 celebrating its landmark 30th anniversary and premiering high-profile films that include The Man Who Stole Einstein’s Brain, Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella, Joan Baez I Am Noise, STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, Love to Love You, Donna Summer and many more.
To view the full April 2023 calendar, visit http://go.pardot.com/e/463832/whats-on-watch-cinema/kdhmb/518843997?h=Lc4gJS4NR_s_hFi33zgDKXEhmTHJ0hc3M_4alpekPqo.
PREMIERES
• A slate of captivating new docs will premiere at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in April, including: Dressed in Blue, a rarely-seen landmark 1983 film that captures the experiences of six transgender women living in Madrid in the years following Spain’s transition to democracy, screening in Toronto for the first time; Young Plato, in which school headmaster Kevin McArevey tries to change the fortunes of an inner-city Irish community plagued by urban decay, sectarian aggression, poverty and drugs; Judy Blume Forever, a stirring portrait of the revolutionary author’s journey from fearful, imaginative child to storytelling pioneer who elevated the physical and emotional lives of kids and teens, to banned writer who continues to fight back against censorship today; and Dry Ground Burning, in which a Brazilian all-female gang from the favelas of Brasilia sells gas on the black market and decides to create a political party to represent the interests of a population abandoned by the Bolsonaro government.
• River, the follow-up film to Jennifer Peedom’s acclaimed documentary Mountain, is a profound cinematic and musical reflection on how rivers have shaped both the planet’s elaborate landscapes and all human existence, created in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and narrated by Willem Dafoe. Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema will offer select screenings of Mountain to complement the premiere screenings of River.
• Also scheduled for a limited theatrical run at Hot Docs Cinema is Okay! The ASD Band Film, a Hot Docs Festival 2022 audience favourite, which follows the members of The ASD Band, featuring four talented autistic individuals, as they prepare to write their first original album. The April 2, 6:30 PM screening will be introduced by Tyler Stewart of the Barenaked Ladies and followed by a live performance by the band and a Q&A moderated by actor and model Lauren Howe.
SPECIAL EVENTS
• April special events include two interactive screenings: Morgan Spurlock’s pop doc One Director: This is Us, hosted by comedy duo Carley Thorne and Meredith Mullen, who will throw it back to the glory days of the 2010s; and Pitch Perfect Sing-Along, an open captioned screening of the 2012 hit musical, where audiences will be encouraged to dance in their seats, sing along to the bopper-filled soundtrack, and experience the unique brand of magic provided by the University of Toronto’s award-winning acapella group Tunes. Beats. Awesome.
• One-night-only special screenings of films with powerful social impact: Citizen of Moria, a harrowing odyssey from the eyes of an Afghani refugee who–after leaving his family behind and escaping from the Taliban–ends up in Europe’s most notorious refugee camp; Green Wave, a thorough documentation of the struggle for legal abortion in South America, presented in partnership with Planned Parenthood Toronto; and Youth Unstoppable, a mighty vision for the future of our planet featuring the new generation of climate activists who will lead us there. All three screenings will be followed by in-depth conversations with experts, activists, and community changemakers.
• On Wednesday, April 19, Hot Docs Cinema invites audiences to two free community screenings in celebration of National Canadian Film Day, screening two classic Canadian docs: Black Ice, an urgent documentary examining the role of Black players in Canadian hockey, from pre-NHL contributions to the game to the struggles against racism that continue to this day; and Come On Children, in which 10 teenagers leave behind parents, school and all other authority figures to live on a rural Ontario farm for 10 weeks.
• Rojek, winner of Hot Docs Festival 2022 DGC Special Jury Prize – Canadian Feature Documentary, returns to Hot Docs Cinema on April 16 and 26, combining gorgeous cinematography with incredible access to its subject as it attempts to understand the motivations and lives behind imprisoned ISIS members.
• On April 23: a free memorial screening in honour of beloved Toronto programmer Ravi Srinivasan, a true champion of good storytelling, diverse cinema, and talented filmmakers. Ravi programmed and hosted many films at Hot Docs Festival, but none left a bigger mark on his time at Hot Docs than the documentary film Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.
SERIES
• Family Screenings return in April with a 30-anniversary screening of the 90s family-favourite Free Willy.
HOT DOCS AT HOME
• This April, Hot Docs Members and Hot Docs at Home subscribers can enjoy the new series: 30 Years of Hot Docs: Audience Award Winners, celebrating the films that have captured Festival audiences’ hearts over the past three decades.
Cinema Ticket: $15 (Members tickets from $10) *
*Unless otherwise specified
PREMIERES
Premiere
OKAY! THE ASD BAND FILM
D: Mark Bone | Canada | 86 min | 2022
OKAY! follows the members of The ASD Band as they embark upon the difficult journey of writing an original album. We watch as they learn to navigate a foreign world together, on the way to performing their first public show.
The April 2, 6:30 PM screening will be introduced by Tyler Stewart of the Barenaked Ladies and followed by a live performance by the band and a Q&A moderated by actor and model Lauren Howe.
Opens Sunday, April 2
Premiere
DRESSED IN BLUE (VESTIDA DE AZUL)
D: Antonio Giménez Rico | Spain | 98 min | 1983
One of the best trans films you’ve likely never heard of, now lovingly restored in all its glamour, is a loving portrait of a culture finally emerging from the shadows and a vital testament to just how far we’ve come–and how far there’s still left to go.
Presented in partnership with Inside Out.
Opens Thursday, April 6
Premiere
YOUNG PLATO
D: Declan McGrath, Neasa Ní Chianáin | Ireland, Belgium, France | 102 min | 2021
School headmaster Kevin McArevey tries to change the fortunes of an inner-city Irish community plagued by urban decay, sectarian aggression, poverty and drugs.
Join director Neasa Ní Chianáin, producer David Rane and film subject Kevin McArevey for a post-screening Q&A on Friday, April 7.
The April 7 gala screening is presented with generous support from the Consulate General of Ireland, Toronto, as an event to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Opens Friday, April 7
Premiere
RIVER
D: Jennifer Peedom | Australia | 75 min | 2021
The follow-up film to Jennifer Peedom’s documentary Mountain. Created in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and narrated by Willem Dafoe, River is a profound cinematic and musical reflection on how rivers have shaped both the planet’s elaborate landscapes and all human existence.
Opens Friday, April 14
*Only pay for one ticket to see both River and Mountain
Premiere
JUDY BLUME FOREVER
D: Davina Pardo, Leah Wolchock | USA | 97 min | 2023
Catch the Toronto premiere of this stirring documentary from Emmy-winning filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok. Trace Blume’s journey from fearful, imaginative child to storytelling pioneer who elevated the physical and emotional lives of kids and teens, to banned writer who continues to fight back against censorship today.
Opens Saturday, April 15
Premiere
DRY GROUND BURNING
D: Joana Pimenta, Adirley Queirós | Brazil | 153 min | 2022
An electrifying portrait of Brazil’s dystopian contemporary moment that blends documentary with narrative fiction and genre elements, Dry Ground Burning reunites filmmakers Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós (Once There Was Brasilia) to offer a unique vision of the country’s possible future.
Opens Friday, April 23
SERIES & SPECIAL EVENTS
Special Event
ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US – WATCH-ALONG
D: Morgan Spurlock| USA, UK | 135 min | 2013
Calling all Directioners! Relive your glory days with comedy duo Carley Thorne and Meredith Mullen at an interactive screening of One Direction: This Is Us.
Saturday, April 8 / 9:00 PM
*8:30 PM: Doors / 9:00 PM: Showtime
*Tickets: $18 (Members: $15)
Special Event
CITIZEN OF MORIA
D: Ahmad Ebrahimi, Jawad Mir | Canada, Greece | 75 min | 2022
When Ahmad’s life comes under threat by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he leaves his family behind for survival, without saying goodbye, and ends up in Europe’s worst Refugee Detention Camp, Moria.
Join directors Jawad Mir and Ahmad Ebrahimi (Zoom) for a post-screening Q&A, moderated by Hot Docs programmer Aisha Jamal.
Sunday, April 9 / 1:45 PM
*Free for members
Special Event
PITCH PERFECT SING-ALONG
D: Jason Moore | USA | 142 min | 2012
Sing along to the unforgettable soundtrack, dance in your seat, and enjoy a special guest performance from the University of Toronto’s own award-winning acapella group Tunes. Beats. Awesome.
This is open captioned screening for accessibility and sing-along needs.
Saturday, April 15 / 9:00 PM
*Free for members
Special Event
ROJEK
D: Zaynê Akyol | Canada | 128 min | 2022
Combining gorgeous cinematography with incredible access to its subjects, Rojek attempts to understand the motivations and lives behind imprisoned ISIS members, asking: how does one become radicalized?
Winner – Hot Docs Festival 2022 DGC Special Jury Prize
Featuring a pre-recorded Q&A with filmmaker Zaynê Akyol.
Sunday, April 16 / 2:30 PM
Wednesday, April 26 / 6:30 PM
*Free for members
Special Screening
MOUNTAIN
D: Jennifer Peedom | Australia | 74 min | 2017
A unique cinematic and musical collaboration: an epic odyssey through the Earth’s most awesome landscapes, showing the spellbinding force of high places – and their ongoing power to shape our lives and our dreams.
Monday, April 17 / 4:00 PM
Friday, April 21 / 6:15 PM
*Only pay for one ticket to see both River and Mountain
Special Event
GREEN WAVE (MAREA VERDE)
D: Angel Giovanni Hoyos | Argentina, Colombia | 75 min | 2021
The struggle for legal abortion in South America has a history behind it, a road traveled with sacrifice, militancy and politics. Green Wave makes this struggle visible with its protagonists and referents following them in marches, vigils, interviews and unpublished archive material.
Followed by a panel discussion featuring: Marea Verde director, Angel Giovanni Hoyos; Rachel Cairns, Toronto-based actor, writer, and creator of Aborsh, a podcast about abortion in Canada; Amrita Kumar-Ratta (she/her), social researcher, storyteller, community curator, educator and founder of Shades of Brown Girl; Dr. Rabea Parpia, family physician at Planned Parenthood Toronto specializing in reproductive health and trauma-informed care; Planned Parenthood Executive Director, Mohini Datta-Ray; Staff experts from Planned Parenthood Toronto, and more.
Presented in partnership with Planned Parenthood Toronto.
Tuesday, April 18 / 6:30 PM
National Canadian Film Day
COME ON CHILDREN
D: Allan King | Canada | 95 min | 1973
In the early 1970s, 10 teenagers (five boys and five girls, including Toronto rock band Rush’s Alex Lifeson) leave behind parents, school and all other authority figures to live on a rural Ontario farm for 10 weeks.
Wednesday, April 19 / 11:30 AM
*Free event
National Canadian Film Day
BLACK ICE
D: Hubert Davis | Canada | 97 min | 2022
This incisive, urgent documentary examines the role of Black players in Canadian hockey, from pre-NHL contributions to the game to the struggles against racism that continue to this day. Directed by Oscar nominee Hubert Davis and executive produced by LeBron James, Drake and Maverick Carter, Black Ice is a sobering survey of systemic marginalization within one of the world’s most beloved team sports.
Wednesday, April 19 / 2:15 PM
*Free event
Family Screening
FREE WILLY
D: Simon Wincer | USA | 112 min | 1993
“A 12-year-old street kid. A 3-ton orca whale. A friendship you could never imagine. An adventure you’ll never forget.” The tagline says it all when it comes to this family classic, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Saturday, April 22 / 2:30 PM
*Tickets: $15 ($7.50 for 12 and under)
*Free for members
Special Event
YOUTH UNSTOPPABLE
D: Slater Jewel-Kemker | Canada | 86 min | 2018
From flood ravaged villages in Nepal to the Alberta Tar Sands to the riots in Copenhagen, Youth Unstoppable shows a powerful vision for the future of our planet and the youth who will lead us there.
A panel discussion moderated by Kehkashan Basu (Green Hope Foundation)and featuring activist Abrar Anwar, who appears in the film, as well as activists from Fridays for Future TO, will follow the film.
Saturday, April 22 / 5:30 PM
*Tickets: $15 ($7.50 for 12 and under)
*Free for members
Special Event
MEMORIAL SCREENING FOR RAVI SRINIVASAN: MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A.
D: Steve Loveridge | UK, USA, Sri Lanka | 95 min | 2018
On January 14th, 2023, Hot Docs’ friend and colleague Ravi Srinivasan passed away suddenly. This free screening is in honour and remembrance of him and his time with us here at Hot Docs as an associate programmer. During his time at Hot Docs, we came to know Ravi as someone who championed good storytelling, diverse cinema and above all, talented filmmakers. Ravi programmed and hosted many films at the Festival, but none left a bigger mark on his time at Hot Docs than the documentary film Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.
Sunday, April 23 / 6:15 PM
*Free event
HOT DOCS AT HOME
Free for Hot Docs members and subscribers at hotdocs.ca
Hot Docs at Home Premiere
BECOMING A QUEEN
D: Chris Strikes ǀ Canada ǀ 2021 ǀ 90 mins
Follow Toronto’s nine-time Queen of Carnival, Joella Crichton, as she prepares to compete for a historic tenth crown in a joyful celebration of family and Toronto’s Caribbean community. Pair your viewing with an exclusive Q&A with director Chris Strikes in conversation with the Queen of Carnival herself, Joella Crichton.
30 Years of Hot Docs: Audience Award Winners
TRANSFORMER
D: Michael Del Monte ǀ 2017 ǀ 78 mins
When former US Marine and world record weightlifter, Janae Kroc, is publicly outed as transgender, she is rejected from her sport and from her family. In an intimate portrait, Janae must navigate her new role in society while reconciling her love of bodybuilding and strength with being a woman.
30 Years of Hot Docs: Audience Award Winners
FIRST WE EAT
D: Suzanne Crocker ǀ 2020 ǀ 100 mins
In a celebration of community and the bounty of local food, filmmaker Suzanne Crocker puts food security to the test and eliminates all grocery store foods from her house. For one year, she feeds her family only food that can be hunted, fished, gathered, grown or raised around Dawson City, Yukon. Add three skeptical teenagers, one reluctant husband, no salt, no caffeine, no sugar and -40 temperatures.
30 Years of Hot Docs: Audience Award Winners
SOMEONE LIKE ME
D: Sean Horlor, Steve J Adams ǀ 2021 ǀ 80 mins
Follow the parallel journeys of Drake, a gay asylum seeker from Uganda, and a group of strangers from Vancouver’s queer community who are tasked with supporting his resettlement in Canada. Together, they embark on a year-long quest for personal freedom, revealing how in a world where one must constantly fight for the right to exist, survival itself becomes a victory.
30 Years of Hot Docs: Audience Award Winners
FANNY THE RIGHT TO ROCK
D: Bobbi Jo Hart ǀ 2021 ǀ 96 mins
Uncover the story of a Filipina American garage band that morphed into the ferocious rock group Fanny, who almost became the female Beatles.
#HOTDOCS: 2023 HOT DOCS CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL LINEUP
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, with the 2023 Festival taking place April 27 to May 7 in Toronto. From 2848 film submissions, this year’s slate will present 214 films from 72 countries in 13 programs and will feature 70 world and 33 international premieres. Over 100 official selections will also stream nationwide on Hot Docs at Home starting the final weekend of the Festival, May 5-9. Hot Docs continues its commitment to gender parity with 53% female directors represented in the official selection. In addition to showcasing the best in Canadian and international documentary, this year’s Festival will present the Hot Docs Podcast Festival Showcase, featuring five of today’s hottest podcasts live, as well as several 30th-anniversary special events and industry programs, bringing non-fiction lovers and makers together in celebration of 30 years of advancing and celebrating the art of documentary here at home and around the world. HotDocs.ca for full Festival lineup.
“2023 marks 30 years of Hot Docs in Toronto, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this
milestone with our audiences, supporters, and talented filmmakers,” shared Shane Smith, Hot Docs’
artistic director. “As Hot Docs has grown and evolved over the last 30 years, so too has the
inventiveness, impact and craft of documentary filmmaking. Filmmakers continue to thrill us with
unexpected approaches, unforgettable subjects and exceptional storytelling, and their outspoken,
outstanding films continue to inspire and inform Hot Docs’ passionate audiences. We’re truly honoured
to present a showcase of the finest documentary films from Canada and over 70 countries around the
world at this year’s Festival.”
Hot Docs 2023 will open its 30th-anniversary Festival with Twice Colonized, directed by Danish director
Lin Alluna, which captures renowned Greenlandic Inuit lawyer, activist, and fierce protector of her
ancestral lands, Aaju Peter, as she fights for the human rights of Indigenous people of the Arctic,
working to bring her colonizers in Canada and Denmark to justice.
The Big Ideas Series, presented by Scotia Wealth Management, will celebrate its 10th year of sparking
engaging conversations with notable guests, including influential American chef and food writer Ruth
Reichl and director Laura Gabbert (Food and Country); director and film subject Ella Glendining (Is There
Anybody Out There?); Indigo Girls musician Emily Saliers and director Alexandria Bombach (It’s Only Life
After All); Rosalie Abella —Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court Judge, and director Barry Avrich
(Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella); and fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison
with director Frédéric Tcheng (Invisible Beauty).
The Special Presentations program, showcasing high-profile films, festival circuit heavy hitters, and
renowned subjects, includes world premieres of celebrated Canadian journalist Michelle Shephard’s The Man Who Stole Einstein’s Brain, the uncovering of the explosive story behind the pathologist who stole
the genius’ brain in 1955; The Rise of Wagner, a chilling exposé on the collusion between Wagner Group
mercenaries and the Kremlin, which has resulted in secret killings and countless human rights violations;
We Are Guardians, the story of the Indigenous guardians of the Brazilian Amazon, struggling to protect
their territories from the ravages of extractive industries, deforestation, corrupt politicians and profit
hungry global corporations; Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, a chronicle of dissident Hong Kong politician
and activist Nathan Law’s fight for democracy; and Director Barry Avrich’s Without Precedent: The
Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella, a portrait of Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court Judge, a
passionate advocate for the disabled community and visible minorities. The Special Presentations
program is sponsored by CRAVE.
Canadian Spectrum, a competitive program showcasing bold new works by Canadian directors, includes
the world premieres of Cynara, the gripping story of Canada’s justice system on trial; I’m Just Here for
The Riot, a look into the world’s “first smartphone riot” after the Vancouver Canucks lost the 2011
Stanley Cup final; July Talk: Love Lives Here, in which the hard-touring band books a drive-in theatre in
hopes of bouncing back from the pandemic’s live music shut-downs; Silvicola, exploring the human
impact on forests through breathtaking vistas and poignant vignettes set in Canada’s Pacific Northwest;
Someone Lives Here, the story of a young Toronto carpenter building life-saving shelters for unhoused
people while also facing staunch opposition from the city government; Subterranean, in which two
gritty teams of hobbyist cavers are poised to discover the longest and deepest caves in Canada; and
Upstream, in which the filmmaker revisits childhood friends in Northern China’s rustbelt. The Canadian
Spectrum program is sponsored by TVO.
International Spectrum, a competitive program offering engaging stories from around the globe,
includes the world premieres of The Last Relic, an encompassing portrait of Putin’s “modern” Russia
shot over the course of four years, and Everardo González’s A Wolfpack Called Ernesto, a look inside the
chilling world of teenage boys who have chosen a life of organized crime. International premieres
include Angel Applicant, an exploration of Swiss-German artist Paul Klee, who died from a rare
autoimmune disease; Hong Kong Mixtape, in which the filmmaker joins a movement of underground
artists following the government’s imposition of laws silencing freedom of expression; The Mountains,
which uses 75,000 photos and 30 years of home videos to weave a tender and humorous story of men in
a Scandinavian family struck by devastating tragedy; Name Me Lawand, in which a young deaf Kurdish
boy hones his communication skills at a UK school after a treacherous journey from Iraq, only to later
face deportation from his new home; Pure Unknown, the story of a doctor who makes it her life’s work
to identify and reunite deceased refugees with their families; Revir – Everything You Hold Dear, a
portrait of taxidermist siblings Susie and Sune who live together in a tense still life of co-dependency
following a neglectful upbringing; and You Were My First Boyfriend, a hybrid doc in which the director
re-stages her most traumatic high school memories using actors and elaborate sets. The International
Spectrum program is supported by the Donner Canadian Foundation.
A showcase of recent works from Ukraine will make up the dynamic Made In program, highlighting
stories being captured on the ground by filmmakers since the war began. Made In Ukraine will
introduce audiences to five Ukrainian teenagers escaping the reality at home and embarking on an adventure to the Himalayas in We Will Not Fade Away; expose them to the horrors of the invasion in 20
Days in Mariupol; confront preconceived notions and oppressive Russian ideology that often fuels the
narrative of the invasion in Eurodonbas; revisit the investigation of the deadly Malaysian Airlines Flight
17, shot down by Russian forces over Eastern Ukraine, in Iron Butterflies, and find signs of new life and
regeneration in war-torn Bucha in When Spring Came to Bucha. Docudays UA, Ukraine’s most venerable
documentary film festival and the co-presenter of Made In Ukraine, defied the air raids and rocket fire
and valiantly presented its 2022 Festival. In it, they launched Civil Pitch 2.0, a competition to sponsor the
production of brand new docs. More than 150 projects competed, and Hot Docs proudly presents the
world premiere of all four winners in the shorts program Films That Bring The Victory Closer: Civil Pitch
2.0 Winning Films presented by Docudays UA. Made In Ukraine is presented in collaboration with
Docudays UA and supported by the Temerty Foundation, Telefilm Canada, and the Shevchenko
Foundation.
The World Showcase program features revelatory stories that span the globe, including the world
premieres of After the Bridge, a nuanced and humanizing portrait of a shocked mother finding peace
with her son, a jihadist killed in the 2017 London Bridge attack; Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story, in which
Kurdish refugees come together to form a professional soccer team in Sweden in a shared fight for both
independence and victory on the pitch; Jackie the Wolf, an unconventional conversation between the
filmmaker and his mother who, as part of a refusal to live beyond a certain age, has announced her
death date despite not being terminally ill; The Lebanese Burger Mafia, in which the filmmaker–heir to
a Burger Baron franchise–chases clues through rural Alberta to uncover the saga of a rogue fast-food
chain with mysterious origins; Razing Liberty Square, a look at the oldest segregated public housing
project in the Southern USA as it faces climate change gentrification; Rowdy Girl, the story of a former
Texas cattle rancher turned animal sanctuary operator as she encourages a move to plant-based food
production; and Sleepless Birds, a look at how the rise of industrial greenhouses in the French region of
Bretagne are bringing dire consequences for the region’s biodiversity.
The Artscapes program showcases creative minds, artistic pursuits and inventive filmmaking, and will
present the world premieres of Echo of Everything, featuring leading thinkers in music, philosophy,
astronomy and physics exploring music’s universal yet mysterious power to elicit ecstasy; Nathan-ism,
in which a young Jewish recruit is posted to guard top Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials,
inspiring 70 years of obsessive sketching and storytelling; and Soviet Barbara, The Story of Ragnar
Kjartansson in Moscow, in which an Icelandic art star opens a Russian oligarch’s museum by re-staging
the American soap Santa Barbara live. The Artscapes program is presented in partnership with MUBI.
The popular Nightvision program features future cult classics, including the world premiere of It’s
Coming, a found footage horror in which supernatural encounters escalate after a mother returns to her
family’s ancestral apartment; and the international premiere of Another Body, in which a student
investigates deepfake technology after pornographic video surfaces showing her face on another body;
Canadian documentary Satan Wants You, which looks into how a young woman and her Catholic
psychiatrist ignited the global Satanic Panic in the 1980s with their bestselling memoir Michelle
Remembers; and Anhell69, in which a young director explores the dreams and fears of an annihilated
generation while cruising the streets of Medellín in a hearse.
The Persister program will feature films that shine a light on the voices of strong, inspirational women
who are speaking up and being heard, including the world premieres of Coven, a Canadian documentary
in which three millennial women explore their identities as witches in today’s world, and We, The
Women, in which three generations of women reflect on the joys of women’s bonds and resilience as
well as the devastating impact of traditional gender roles and gender-based violence. The program will
feature the international premiere of My Place Ozerna, in which a Polish woman in London connects
through shared feelings of melancholy and alienation with a distant aunt in Ukraine.
Markers features a global, genre-defying collection of films that push the boundaries of the
documentary form, including the world premiere of We No Longer Prefer Mountains, which uses
Japanese “landscape theory” to structure an examination of the Druze religious minority in Palestine.
Canadian premieres include Being in a Place – A Portrait of Margaret Tait, an experimental tribute to
Scottish filmmaker Margaret Tait; Calls from Moscow, shot almost entirely in an austere flat occupied by
queer Cuban exiles on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; A Common Sequence, a collaboration
between two experimental luminaries that expands their immersive work to explore humanity’s
relationship with nature; Feet in Water, Head on Fire, a Canadian experimental portrait of the carers of
Indigenous palm trees and imported date palms that grow along the San Andreas Fault; and Forms of
Forgetting, which explores the nature of remembering through the eyes of a couple who can’t recall
how they broke up.
The Deep Dive program will present long-form episodic series featuring complex and layered
storytelling, with world premieres of The American Gladiators Documentary, a two-part ESPN behindthe-scenes look at the iconic 90s show; and Poison(s), a stunning investigative series exposing Vladimir
Putin’s lethal criminality, from Litvinenko through to Navalny. The program will also include the North
American premiere of Lac-Mégantic, a captivating four-part series from Oscar-nominated director
Philippe Falardeau that exposes the scandalous causes of one of Canada’s worst rail disasters and the
urgent changes needed to prevent the next one.
Hot Docs will again partner with European Film Promotion (EFP) for the sixth year of The Changing Face
of Europe, a pan-European showcase of documentaries that explore the cultural, economic and political
conditions affecting Europe today. World premieres in this program include A Happy Man, in which the
move of a young family from the Czech Republic to Sweden is made more complex as one member
begins the process of transitioning to affirm their gender identity; and Roberta, an intimate portrait of a
young Lithuanian woman grappling with flux while fumbling for purpose in these times of uncertainty.
Human Kind, a new theme program highlighting stories of kindness, connection, and collaboration, will
feature the world premieres of The Only Doctor, the uplifting story of the only doctor in Georgia’s
poorest county for 15 years; unseen, a portrait of a blind, undocumented Mexican immigrant who
aspires to become a social worker to help support his family and underserved communities; and
Unsyncable, a deep dive into the lives of a group of seniors who won’t let their age get in the way of
their passion for synchronized swimming.
Hot Docs and SAP are proud to present the shorts series Roads to Regeneration, a curated collection of
eight inspirational, short documentaries, executive produced by Hot Docs and presented by SAP.
Working closely with filmmakers, SAP and Hot Docs partnered in producing this collection of docs,
showcasing innovative ideas from everyday people around the world who seek to make life more
sustainable, equitable and hopeful for everyone—one change or idea at a time.
Hot Docs will premiere seven original short documentaries commissioned for Series 2 of Citizen
Minutes, an initiative that seeks to inspire viewers to become change agents in their own communities.
These remarkable short docs come from Canadian filmmakers looking to highlight bold and unlikely
changemakers, ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things in their communities. Citizen Minutes will
also feature an educational component to promote youth-led civic engagement, with Hot Docs
organizing community screenings to engage young adults, and developing complementary resources
linked to curricula to enable educators to use the films as teaching tools. The Citizen Minutes project is
made possible through support from The Rossy Foundation.
Hot Docs 2023 will feature a slate of today’s hottest podcasts live on stage in the documentary festival’s
first-ever non-fiction audio-storytelling program. The Hot Docs Podcast Festival Showcase will offer
audiences a taste of the exceptional programming found at the organization’s popular Podcast Festival,
an annual celebration of the world’s most talented audio storytellers that is set to return live for its
seventh year this fall. Public presentations at the Hot Docs Podcast Festival Showcase will include five
live podcast events, including WNYC Studios’ Peabody Award-winning Radiolab, the ground-breaking
series on science, philosophy and society; Wondery’s hit series Scamfluencers, in which co-hosts,
Canadian culture writers Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi, unpack epic stories of deception from the worlds
of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness; The Story I Never Thought I Would Tell, a night
of surprising stories with CBC Podcasts’ hosts Anna Maria Tremonti, Gavin Crawford, Falen Johnston,
Matthew Amha and Kaitlin Prest; the wildly popular On With Kara Swisher featuring Canadian YouTube
pioneer, comedian and author Lilly Singh, and The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, featuring
bestselling author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin. On May 3 and 4, the Hot Docs Podcast Festival
Showcase will also feature a special edition of its renowned industry conference, the Creators Forum,
presenting a dynamic line-up of six panels and master classes, plus additional opportunities to network
with key decision-makers and industry peers. The Hot Docs Podcast Festival Showcase is made possible
with the support of Lead Sponsor CBC Podcasts, Major Partner Acast, Event Partner iHeartRadio, and
Media Partner The Big Story.
The 2023 Outstanding Achievement Award will honour trailblazing Chinese American filmmaker,
educator, and artist Christine Choy (Chai Ming Huei) with a retrospective program that includes Electric
Shadow, a dynamic overview of films directed by Asian filmmakers in the 90s; From Spikes to Spindles, a
chronicle of the history of Chinese Americans and their political awakenings in the 1970s; Homes Apart:
Korea, a seminal documentary exploring the trauma of families torn apart by the division of Korea in
1953; Long Story Short, the story of Larry and Trudie Long, a pioneering Asian American nightclub act of
the 40s and 50s; and Who Killed Vincent Chin?, an investigation into the 1982 killing of Chinese
American Vincent Chin by two white men and its ramifications on the greater Asian American
community.
Hot Docs’ 30th-anniversary Festival will pay homage to Canadian film producer, visual researcher and
clearance specialist Elizabeth Klinck with its annual Focus On tribute, celebrating the work of Canadian
filmmakers and craftspeople who have made a significant contribution to the documentary landscape.
On Thursday, May 4, at 5:30 pm, Klinck will be joined on stage by award-winning documentary director
Jennifer Baichwal for Working Together: The Visual Researcher And The Director: A Conversation
between Elizabeth Klinck and Jennifer Baichwal, an illuminating conversation about the integral role of
archival research and producing in the documentary filmmaking process. The Focus On Elizabeth Klinck
program is supported by K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation.
Hamburg-based collective A Wall is a Screen will take Hot Docs Festival out of the cinema and onto the
streets for A Wall is a Screen: Toronto, a free outdoor film event taking place on-site at Toronto’s
historic Ontario Place (955 Lake Shore Blvd. West), where audiences will follow the projection team
from wall to wall and thus from film to film. Only the starting point (West Commons at Ontario Place) is
known in advance, the films and other locations are a surprise. All films screened are family-friendly. A
Wall is a Screen: Toronto is made possible by support from the City of Toronto, the Ontario Cultural
Attractions Fund, Telefilm Canada, and Goethe-Institut Toronto.
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com