26/03/2025 - North America’s largest documentary festival will once again champion a diverse set of European films over its 11-day run from 24 April-4 May

Unspooling between 24 April and 4 May in Toronto, Canada, the 32nd edition of Hot Docs will feature 113 documentaries from 47 countries (selected from among 2,662 submissions), including 35 world and 14 international premieres. This year’s line-up features a mix of European feature-length documentary favourites as well as several brand-new premieres across every single strand of the programme, spotlighting the richness of the selection.

The World Showcase programme includes the Canadian premiere of Cutting Through Rocks by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, which premiered at Sundance and follows an elected councilwoman fighting against the confines of patriarchy. Matthias Lintner's My Boyfriend the Fascist will enjoy its international premiere in the section, while Ventura Durall’s Supernatural [+see also:
interview: Ventura Durall
film profile] and Sammy Baloji’s IFFR-premiered The Tree of Authenticity [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] will receive their North American premieres. Two eco-centric European documentaries also feature in this section: How Deep Is Your Love by Eleanor Mortimer and Lichens Are the Way by Ondřej Vavrečka. Other titles with European involvement screening in this section are Always by Deming Chen, Circusboy [+see also:
film review
interview: Julia Lemke, Anna Koch
film profile] by Julia Lemke and Anna Koch, Climate in Therapy by Nathan Grossman, Higher Than Acidic Clouds by Ali Asgari, and Voyage Along the War [+see also:
film review
interview: Antonin Peretjatko
film profile] by Antonin Peretjatko.

The International Spectrum Competition features only world and international premieres, and includes four European works. Holloway [+see also:
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film profile] by Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson (international premiere) reveals stories about trauma from women’s imprisonment, while King Matt the First by Jaśmina Wójcik (world premiere) takes us into the world of young Polish sisters as they grow up. Neshoma by Sandra Beerends (international premiere) showcases a Jewish woman’s story in 1920s Amsterdam through letters to her brother, and Walls – Akinni Inuk by Sofie Rørdam and Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg (international premiere) traces the evolution of a journey of healing involving two women united by trauma, a filmmaker and a convicted murderer. The festival’s Canadian Spectrum Competition also features one European-co-produced film, Ghosts of the Sea by Virginia Tangvald.

The Special Presentations programme includes five acclaimed European-co-produced documentaries enjoying their Canadian premieres: 2000 Meters to Andriivka [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Mstyslav Chernov, Antidote by James Jones, Apocalypse in the Tropics by Petra Costa, Coexistence, My Ass! [+see also:
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film profile] by Amber Fares and The Dating Game [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Violet Du Feng. The Made in Exile strand features three already-acclaimed European-co-produced documentaries by those affected by war and humanitarian crises: Khartoum [+see also:
film review
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interview: Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmad, Tim…
film profile] by Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed and Philip Cox, Writing Hawa [+see also:
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interview: Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori
film profile] by Najiba Noori, and Yalla Parkour [+see also:
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film profile] by Areeb Zuaiter. The fourth film is the world-premiering The Longer You Bleed by Ewan Waddell, which follows a group of Gen Z Ukrainians in Berlin, complete with a humorous twist.

Hot Docs’ Nightvision progra mme focuses on films with more boundary-pushing structures and styles, and includes the North American premiere of Ultras [+see also:
film review
interview: Ragnhild Ekner
film profile] by Ragnhild Ekner, which refers to the titular football “uber-fans” who put on arena displays of sound and light. The Persister strand highlights the North American premieres of the mother-daughter tale 9-Month Contract by Ketevan Vashagashvili and The Last Ambassador by Natalie Halla, the story of Afghanistan’s only female ambassador. Ellen Fiske’s Mama Goals will enjoy its international premiere – it follows a woman who gives up a secure job in healthcare to pursue her dream of becoming a comedian, creating tensions in her family.

A brand-new programme, Tipping Point, highlights crucial issues around justice and human rights in documentary film. Featured European works include the NATO documentary Facing War [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Tommy Gulliksen and the slice-of-life title Mr. Nobody Against Putin [+see also:
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film profile] by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin. Celebrating the power of art and creative pursuits, the Artscapes programme includes the North American premiere of The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés [+see also:
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interview: Antón Álvarez
film profile] by Antón Álvarez (aka C Tangana).