First slate of Special Presentations announced for Hot Docs 2025
Mar 11, 2025 by Ian Evans
Still from Saints and Warriors courtesy of Hot Docs.
The 32nd edition of the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto will run from April 24 to May 4, 2025. They’ve just announced the first slate of films in their Special Presentations section.
ANTIDOTE D: James Jones | P: James Jones | United Kingdom | 2024 | 90 min | Canadian Premiere
How does it feel to be on Putin’s most-wanted list? Christo Grozev, an investigative journalist and co-founder of Bellingcat, is on the run, while Vladimir Kara-Murza, a political activist, stands trial for treason. A riveting doc-thriller about those resisting and confronting the blood-chilling Russian regime.
APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS D: Petra Costa | P: Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino | Brazil, USA, Denmark | 2024 | 110 min | Canadian Premiere
In Oscar-nominated filmmaker Petra Costa’s latest excursion into the state of democracy she turns her attention to Brazil’s most prominent televangelist, Silas Malafaia, delving into the rise of religious fundamentalism in politics and its close ties to the far-right nationalist movement.
COEXISTENCE, MY ASS! D: Amber Fares | P: Rachel Leah Jones, Amber Fares, Valérie Montmartin | USA, France | 2025 | 95 min | Canadian Premiere
Mixing the personal with the political, comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi boldly confronts the Israel-Palestine conflict in her one-woman show. Skillfully navigating massive social and political divides with wit and humour, she challenges audiences with hard truths that are no laughing matter.
DEAF PRESIDENT NOW! D: Nyle DiMarco, Davis Guggenheim | P: Nyle DiMarco, Davis Guggenheim, Amanda Rohlke, Jonathan King, Michael Harte | USA | 2024 | 100 min | International Premiere
When Gallaudet University’s board selected a hearing president over two deaf candidates in 1988, the almost entirely Deaf and hard-of-hearing student body pushed back, sparking a revolution that influenced the future of disability rights.
LIFE AFTER D: Reid Davenport | P: Colleen Cassingham | USA | 2025 | 99 min | International Premiere
Disability cinema auteur Reid Davenport takes on assisted suicide, exploring how a practice intended to empower end-of-life decision-making has exposed the long-standing devaluation of disabled life.
MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE D: Shoshannah Stern | P: Robyn Kopp, Justine Nagan, Bonni Cohen, Shoshannah Stern | USA | 2025 | 97 min | Canadian Premiere
Pioneering Deaf performer Marlee Matlin candidly opens up about her life and career. Her meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame with her Oscar-winning performance in Children of a Lesser God is just one chapter of an iconic legacy that continues to resonate.
THE NEST D: Chase Joynt, Julietta Singh | P: Alicia Smith, Justine Pimlott | Canada, | 2025 | 89 min | World Premiere
At the end of her mother’s life, director Julietta Singh returns to her childhood home, where centuries of forgotten matriarchs emerge to reveal stories of resistance and resilience. Indigenous, Deaf, Japanese and South Asian histories intertwine, buried in a house full of secrets.
SAINTS AND WARRIORS D: Patrick Shannon | P: Michael Grand | Canada | 2024 | 97 min | Canadian Premiere
For over sixty years, teams have gathered on the Pacific west coast for the All Native Basketball Tournament. As the defending champions, the Skidegate Saints, battle to keep their title, it’s clear the event has become a symbol of resilience, community and culture.
For more info on the festival, visit www.hotdocs.ca.