email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

HOT DOCS 2022

Hot Docs returns to cinemas (and the internet)

by 

- The 29th edition of North America's largest documentary film festival will take place physically in Toronto and online across Canada, screening 226 documentaries from 63 countries

Hot Docs returns to cinemas (and the internet)
Atomic Hope by Frankie Fenton

The upcoming edition of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is returning to cinemas in Toronto from 28 April-8 May, and its official selections will also be streamed across Canada via Hot Docs at Home. After 2,563 films were submitted, this year’s slate will present 226 movies from 63 countries, spanning 15 programmes, and will feature 63 world and 47 international premieres. It should be noted that Hot Docs continues its commitment to gender parity, with a 49% ratio of female directors represented in the official selection.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The festival opens with the world premiere of Into the Weeds, directed by legendary Toronto-based filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal. This is the second time that Baichwal will open Hot Docs with one of her films – the first time, she presented Act of God in 2009. The new feature tells the powerful David-and-Goliath story of a former groundskeeper who takes on a multinational agrochemical corporation after his terminal cancer diagnosis.

The International Spectrum competitive section includes ten films, which will be competing for the Best International Feature Documentary Award: 5 Dreamers and a Horse [+see also:
film review
interview: Vahagn Khachatryan and Aren…
film profile
]
by Aren Malakyan and Vahagn Khachatryan (Armenia/Switzerland/Germany/Denmark), Blue Island by Chan Tze Woon (Hong Kong/Japan/Taiwan), Boylesque by Bogna Kowalczyk (Poland/Czech Republic), Delikado [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Karl Malakunas (USA/Australia/Philippines/UK/Hong Kong), The Killing of a Journalist [+see also:
film review
interview: Matt Sarnecki
film profile
]
by Matt Sarnecki (Denmark/Czech Republic/USA), The End of Innocence [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Pauline Beugnies (Belgium), Outside [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Olha Zhurba (Ukraine/Denmark/Netherlands), Sam Now by Reed Harkness (USA), Who We Will Have Been by Erec Brehmer and Angelina Zeidler (Germany), and The Wind Blows the Border by Laura Faerman and Marina Weis (Brazil).

The popular Special Presentations programme is showcasing high-profile films, festival heavy hitters and renowned subjects, and includes, among others, Angels of Sinjar [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Hanna Polak (Poland/Germany), Calendar Girls [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen (Sweden), A House Made of Splinters [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Simon Lereng Wilmont (Denmark/Ukraine/Sweden), Midwives by Hnin Ei Hlaing (Myanmar/Germany/Canada), Million Dollar Pigeons by Gavin Fitzgerald (Ireland) and My Old School [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Jono McLeod (UK). For the full list, please click here.

The World Showcase section features revelatory stories that span the globe, including the world and international premieres of European (co-)productions such as African Moot [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Shameela Seedat (South Africa/Finland), Good Life by Marta Dauliute and Viktorija Šiaulyte (Sweden/Lithuania/Finland), and Lessons for Luca by Salvador Gieling (Netherlands). For the full list, please click here.

The Changing Face of Europe programme, which offers engaging stories and new perspectives on a Europe in an ongoing state of transition, includes the world premieres of Atomic Hope [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Frankie Fenton (Ireland) and Band [+see also:
film review
interview: Álfrún Helga Örnólfsdóttir
film profile
]
by Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir (Iceland), along with the international premiere of Bigger Than Trauma [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vedrana Pribačić, Mirta Puh…
film profile
]
by Vedrana Pribačić (Croatia). The programme is presented in partnership with European Film Promotion (EFP), and the complete selection can be found here.

The other sections of Hot Docs include Artscapes (homing in on creative minds, artistic pursuits and inventive filmmaking), Nightvision (future cult classics), Persister (voices of strong, inspirational women who are speaking up and being heard), Markers (films that push the boundaries of the documentary form), Deep Dive (compelling series), the Made In programme (focusing on recent works from Chile) and the new themed programme Hidden Histories (bringing buried stories to light).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy