Hot Docs has announced the winning documentaries from this year’s official competition. The awards recognize utstanding achievements of Canadian and international filmmakers with films screening throughout this year’s Festival. A total of 12 awards, along with $67,000 in cash and prizes, was celebrated at the Hot Docs 2026 Awards Presentation.
READ MORETafelmusik’s Hearing Her Voice brings to life striking music by often forgotten women composers. Through this program, we can discover works by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, Barbara Strozzi, Mademoiselle Duval, Wilhelmine von Bayreuth, Maria Teresa Agnesi, Maria Margherita Grimani, and the enigmatic Mrs Philarmonica.
READ MOREHot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival returns this year with 115 documentaries representing 51 countries featuring World and North American premieres.
Like previous years, Hot Docs offers us a full menu when it comes to documentary films. As it has become my custom, I am sharing some of my personal picks for you to add to your Hot Docs lists.
READ MORE
Spider-Noir is a live-action series based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir. Spider-Noir tells the story of Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), a seasoned, down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.
READ MORE
Premiering at TIFF 2025’s Discovery Programme, Little Lorraine (2025) is a strong debut from director Andy Hines. Based on a true story and Adam Baldwin’s song “Lighthouse in Little Lorraine,” the film is set within a very distinct Canadian landscape, geographically and emotionally.
Experienced through the eyes of three best friends (Stephen Amell, Joshua Close, Steve Lund), Little Lorraine tells the true tale of how this unlikely story was born, prospered and imploded over a season in the life of this township.
READ MORE
As Ukrainian filmmakers continue documenting life under Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival (TUFF) co-presented with St. Volodymyr Institute (SVI) will present a powerful lineup of award-winning films from Cannes, TIFF, and major international festivals.
This year’s program brings together formally daring documentaries, narrative features, and darkly comic works, offering Canadian audiences an urgent window into contemporary Ukrainian life.
READ MORE
There’s a version of A Tribe Called Love that feels familiar; two young people falling for each other despite the rules that say they should not. This is a story we have seen before, à la Romeo & Juliet, this story is shaped by love, resistance, and the weight of community.
Mohamed Ahmed’s debut feature starts as a recognizable setup which gradually reveals something layered, specific, and with emotional honesty about what it means to love within, and against, the rules you are raised within.
READ MORE
Inspired by Thomas’ celebrated short film Redlights, Nika & Madison follows two Indigenous women whose lives are thrown into chaos after a violent encounter with police.
READ MORE
Canadian Film Fest (CFF), the indie-spirited festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian filmmakers, marks a milestone with their 20th anniversary edition. Celebrating two decades of bringing Canadian stories to Canadian audiences, CFF will present 16 features and 40 shorts from filmmakers across the country continuing its mission to showcase homegrown voices on the big screen.
READ MORE
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) animated short The Girl Who Cried Pearls by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski has been nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
READ MORE
