Most live events have been postponed, adapted or offered virtually in 2021.
Toronto follows public health measures enacted by the Ontario government to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Check the event website for the most up-to-date information. The content below may be outdated from previous years.
North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market with a selection of more than 150 cutting-edge documentaries from Canada and around the globe.
The lineup of documentaries from Hot Docs 2018
Outspoken. Outstanding.
Hot Docs is North America’s largest documentary festival, presenting an outstanding selection of films from around the world to audiences of 200,000+. Hot Docs also mounts a full roster of conference sessions, market events and services for documentary practitioners, including the renowned Hot Docs Forum and The Doc Shop.
The festival takes place in a restored century-old landmark theatre–the Hot Docs Cinema–located in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood, as well as TIFF Bell Lightbox and other theatres in the downtown area.
2018 Hot Docs passes and packages are on sale now! Packages help you save money and are ideal for sharing with friends and family. You can use as many tickets as you like per screening and can redeem them in advance. Individual ticket sales start March 27.
Here are our top 5 docs from the 2018 screenings:
Obscuro Barroco follows a transgender icon through Rio de Janiero and Brazil’s most famous festival for a sensitive and sensual impressionist look at nonconformism.
Maya Gallus’s The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution makes its world premiere and aligns with the #MeToo conversation by peering into the restaurant world’s long-standing culture of sexual harassment.
The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man is an imaginative investigation of the legendary stories of the enigmatic movie star showing up in unusual places.
Trump’s America is in the spotlight in the international premiere of The Fourth Estate in which filmmaker Liz Garbus gains unprecedented access to The New York Times right after the POTUS declares a war against “fake news.”
An icon dear to many Torontonians heart, the streetcar is the centrepiece of The Trolley, by noted Canadian filmmaker Stephen Low. This doc screens at the newly reopened Ontario Place Cinesphere.
Doc Soup (October to April)
Discover the eye-opening stories the world is talking about at the wildly popular Doc Soup series. Hot from the international festival circuit, Doc Soup premieres hit films monthly throughout the fall and winter in Toronto. At select Doc Soup screenings guest directors will be on hand to introduce their work and answer questions from the audience.
