International film festival starts this week in Toronto

The 2025 Hot Docs Festival kicks off this week in Toronto.

The 32nd annual festival showcases the best in Canadian and international documentary film from April 24 to May 4. This year’s festival features 113 documentaries from 47 countries.

The program will delve into powerful stories of activism, justice and identity, with films from celebrated filmmakers and profiles of intriguing subjects and personalities, including British Columbia’s All Native Basketball Tournament, the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship, China’s controversial dating boot camp, the Queen of Tejano Music, and much more.

The festival opens with Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on Thursday, April 24 at 6:15 p.m.

Directed by award-winning Canadian filmmaker Noam Gonick and produced by Justine Pimlott for the National Film Board of Canada, this documentary captures pivotal moments that sparked Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ movement, honouring the activists and elders whose resistance led to the rights Canadians have today.

“I am honoured to open this year’s Hot Docs Festival with a Canadian film that shines a bright and bold light on the history of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ community,” said Heather Haynes, director of programming, Hot Docs. “Our country’s important queer activism has for so long taken a back seat to that of the U.S., and the important work that has been done here at home for the past 50 years is perhaps lesser known because of that.

This film speaks to that history, but also to the times we’re living in today, where rights and identities are under attack across the border, and the threat of the same thing happening here at home feels all too real. I am also thrilled to welcome back Noam Gonick to Hot Docs. Noam’s already strong legacy within the queer community is sure to be further elevated with this historically and culturally significant work.”

Making its world premiere at the festival is the Canadian doc The Nest, a deeply personal exploration of memory, identity, and intergenerational storytelling by co-directors Chase Joynt and Julietta Singh.

International premieres include Come See Me in the Good Light, which follows spoken word artist and poet laureate of Colorado Andrea Gibson after an incurable cancer diagnosis; Deaf President Now!, a powerful chronicle of the landmark student protest that transformed accessibility rights in the US; Life After, in which celebrated filmmaker Reid Davenport investigates the troubling implications of assisted suicide laws for disabled people; and Selena y Los Dinos, a riveting look at the life and legacy of the “Queen of Tejano Music” Selena Quintanilla.

Canadian premieres include 2000 Meters to Andriivka, the latest from Academy Award–winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov (20 Days in Mariupol) following a Ukrainian platoon as they navigate a heavily fortified forest to liberate the strategic village of Andriivka; Antidote, a gripping real-life thriller following investigative journalist Christo Grozev and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza as they challenge Russia’s political machine; Apocalypse in the Tropics, Petra Costa’s timely and incisive look at the rise of religious fundamentalism in Brazil.

Assembly sees interdisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome turn documentarian, capturing his groundbreaking 2022 exhibition that transformed a historic military facility into a queer, Afro-futurist utopia; Coexistence, My Ass!, where comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi boldly navigates the Israel-Palestine conflict with razor-sharp wit; The Dating Game delves into the consequences of China’s one-child policy, as three men, faced with a skewed gender ratio, enroll in a controversial dating boot camp that promises romantic success through deception.

Heightened Scrutiny follows ACLU attorney Chase Strangio as he takes on an uphill battle for trans rights, preparing to become the first openly trans person to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court; Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, an intimate portrait of the trailblazing Deaf actor; Saints and Warriors, which captures the fierce competition and deep community spirit of the All Native Basketball Tournament in British Columbia; and Spreadsheet Champions spotlights six talented students from around the world as they compete in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship—the ultimate test of spreadsheet mastery, where a win could be life-changing.

Hot Docs also holds a series of knowledge sessions, networking opportunities and market programs for documentary practitioners and industry delegates, including the renowned Hot Docs Deal Maker and Works-inProgress screenings.

The films are being screened at both the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W. and TIFF Lightbox, 350 King St. W.

Get tickets and see more on the festival here.