#FIRSTLOOK: “THIS ABOVE ALL: THE THEATRICAL LIFE OF ANTONI CIMOLINO” PREMIERING AT HOT DOCS 2026

Melbar Entertainment Group is pleased to announce that THIS ABOVE ALL: THE THEATRICAL LIFE OF ANTONI CIMOLINO will make its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival on Monday, April 27, 2026 at 7:45pm at the TIFF Lightbox, with a repeat screening Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 11:15am.

Directed by Barry Avrich and produced by Mark Selby, the documentary follows Antoni Cimolino as he prepares for his final season leading the Stratford Festival after nearly four decades with the company. With candid access and reflections from artists and collaborators from across the Canadian theatre community, THIS ABOVE ALL offers a rare and compelling look behind the scenes of one of the country’s most celebrated cultural institutions, and the man whose life has become deeply intertwined with it.

At once a portrait, a backstage chronicle and a celebration of Canadian artistry, the film traces Cimolino’s journey from young actor to acclaimed director and Artistic Director, capturing the passion, pressure, ambition and heart that have shaped his remarkable career.

“From the moment my mother introduced me to the Stratford Festival when I was just nine years old, I was captivated by its magic and sheer luminescent power,” said director Barry Avrich. “Antoni Cimolino is an unequalled master class in how to run an extraordinary, globally renowned theatre company while ensuring its Canadian identity remains protected.”      

“When you spend your life in the theatre storytelling, you never imagine being the story yourself,” said Antoni Cimolino. “I am both humbled by the notion of having my life documented and at the same time, so proud to have contributed to an enormously talented landscape of Canadian artists that became my world, my life and my work.”

Following its world premiere at Hot Docs, THIS ABOVE ALL: THE THEATRICAL LIFE OF ANTONI CIMOLINO is scheduled to air on documentary Channel on Sunday, August 30 at 9pm ET/PT. A CBC Gem release will follow on Friday, September 18.

Produced by Melbar Entertainment Group, THIS ABOVE ALL: THE THEATRICAL LIFE OF ANTONI CIMOLINO was produced with the participation of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, Ontario Creates and Rogers Documentary Fund, and in association with documentary Channel. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager of Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director of Unscripted Content; and Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary.