Twenty projects from 19 countries have been shortlisted for the 23rd edition of the Hot Docs Forum, the flagship feature fundraising event of the annual documentary festival, which runs in a hybrid format from April 28 to May 8 in Toronto.
Of the 26 filmmakers in the projects, 14 are women and 15 are BIPOCs. Projects include stories about space rocks, solar energy, and cross mushrooms, and deal with material that follows the characters to their homelands, schools, and war zones for several years.
More than two days before the festival, the Forum’s project teams present their seven-minute pre-recorded pitches to a “round table” of decision-makers and financiers, from whom they then receive eight minutes of live feedback, also recorded.
The 2022 pitch presentations and feedback from decision makers are collated and made available to registered delegates to stream on demand throughout the duration of the festival.
Hot Docs Director of Industry Programs Elizabeth Radshaw calls this year’s Forum projects “a celebration of the breadth and vibrancy of documentary filmmaking styles (and of) the cultural generosity of storytellers and film perspectives.” ‘story”.
“A big thank you to this year’s selection committee – made up of Meghan Monsour, Jannet Nuñez and Rupeshi Shah – for an incredible program,” said Radshaw, also thanking Madelaine Russo, curator of the Deal Maker program, thanks to which 35 additional projects will be present to decision makers in pre-arranged one-on-one meetings during Hot Docs.
Deal Makers 2022 projects will be announced on April 13.
“Last year, Hot Docs Forum attendees presented to more than 50 key publishers and funders and over Can. $122,000 in cash prizes were awarded,” added Dorota Lech, programmer of the industry and producer of the Forum.
First Look, a curated access program for philanthropic investors in documentary film, will reward more Can. $100,000 to up to three projects.
The Canadian Pitch Prize, presented in partnership with the Canada Media Fund, will award a Can. Cash prize of $10,000 to the best Canadian pitch.
Forum makers confirmed to date include Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, Al Jazeera English, Amazon, American Documentary POV, ARD-NDR, ARD – SWR, ARD – WDR, ARTE France, ARTE GEIE, Bell Media, BBC Arabic, BBC Storyville , CBC, Catapult, Channel 8, Chicken & Egg, Discovery Channel, Disney+, Doc Society, EBS Korea, ESPN, Field of Vision, First Look Media, Ford Foundation, Fork Films, France Télévisions, The Guardian, HBO Europe, Hulu, Impact Partners, ITVS, Knowledge Network, National Geographic, Netflix, The New York Times – Op Docs, NHK, Participant Media, Perspective Fund, PTS, RAI, The Redford Center, RTS, SBS Australia, SVT, Sandbox Films, SBS Australia, Sony Picture Classics, Sundance Film Institute, TRT World, TVO, TVP, The Whickers, yesDocu, YLE and ZDF/ARTE.
This year’s Hot Docs Forum projects include:
“A Woman’s Path”
Production companies: Seven Spring Pictures (Iran), Lukimedia (Spain).
Director: Marjan Khosravi; Producers: Milad Khosravi, Stephanie Von Lukowicz.
“Brief Tender Light”
Production company: One Day I Too Go Fly Inc. (USA).
Director: Arthur Musah; Producers: Arthur Musah, Brook Turner.
“Gabriel”
Production companies: CHUNK Filmproduktion GmbH (Germany), Avalia Studios GmbH (Germany), Tantor Films LTDA (Chile), Saboteur Media LLC (United States).
Director: Daniel Carsenty; producers: Nicklas Krüger, Laia Gonzalez, Ingrid Bragemann; executive producer: David Kennedy.
“Heaven Through the Backdoor”
Production company: Mirabel Pictures 501(c)(3) (United States).
Directors: Anna Fitch, Banker White; Producers: Heidi Fleisher, Sara Dosa.
Untitled union documentary
Production companies: Level Ground Productions LLC (USA), Oh Ratface Films (Canada).
Director: Brett Story, Stephen Maing; Producers: Mars Verrone, Samantha Curley.
“Let’s Play Soldiers”
Production company: Let’s Play Soldiers LLC (Qatar)
Director: Mariam Al-Dhubhani; producer: Mohammed Al-Jaberi.
“Life After”
Production company: Multitude Films LLC (United States).
Director: Reid Davenport; Producers: Jessica Devaney, Colleen Cassingham.
“Matabeleland”
Production companies: LBx Africa (Kenya), EyeSteelFilm (Canada).
Director: Nyasha Kadandara; Producers: Sam Soko, Bob Moore.
“Meteorite”
Production company: Vindelfilm AB (Sweden).
Directors: Isabel Andersson, Johan Palmgren; Producer: Johan Palmgren.
“Milisuthando”
Production companies: The Good Black Project (Pty) Ltd (South Africa), Viso Producciones SAS (Colombia), Multitude Films LLC (United States).
Director: Milisuthando Bongela; producers: Marion Isaacs, Sonia Barrera, Viviana Gómez Echeverry; executive producers: Jessica Devaney, Anya Rous.
“Nour”
Production company: Iota Production SA (Belgium), Tag FIlm SAS (France).
Director: Jérôme le Maire; Producer: Isabelle Truc
“Out of place”
Production companies: Filmilia AB (Sweden), Mohammed Al-Majdalawi EF (Sweden).
Director: Mohammed Al-Madjalawi; producers: Manolo Diaz Rämö, Beatrice Pourbagher Garcia, Mohammed Al-Majdalawi.
“Calm the River”
Production company: Shanghai Jiemian CLS Technologies Co., Ltd. (China).
Director: Tiantian Wang, Zhizhe Chai; Producer: Kit Chung.
“Red Herring” (working title)
Production companies: Good Kid Films Ltd. (UK), Astrae Productions. (Switzerland), Bungalow Town Productions Ltd. (UK).
Director: Kit Vincent; producers: Ed Owles, Dea Gjinovci, Kit Vincent; executive producers: Rachel Wexler, Jez Lewis.
“The Making of a Japanese”
Production companies: Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) (Japan), Cineric Creative LLC (United States).
Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki; Producer: Eric Nyari.
“The kingdom”
Production company: Oscura Producciones SA de CV (Mexico).
Director: Otilia Portillo; producers: Paula Arroio Sandoval; executive producer: Elena Fortes.
“The White Doctor”
Production companies: Afrofilms International Limited (Kenya), Little Wing Films Limited (Ireland).
Director: Zippy Kimundu; Producer: Ciaran Cassidy.
“There was, there was not”
Production Company: VernonFilms Ltd (UK)
Director: Emily Mkrtichian; Producer: Mara Adina.
“Time Hunter”
Production companies: Waypoint Pictures LLC (United States), Topeka Pictures LLC (United States).
Directors: Daniel Chein, Mark Mushiva; producers: David Felix Sutcliffe, Daniel Chein, Mark Mushiva.
“Without Arrows”
Production company: Without Arrows LLC (USA).
Directed by: Elizabeth Day, Jonathan Olshefski; Producers: Elizabeth Day, Jonathan Olshefski