In-Cinema Screenings

Please note this event is fully booked. For waitlist, please email [email protected] 

Hot Docs presents Citizen Minutes, a series of short documentaries highlighting ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary things to improve their communities. At a time when citizen engagement is needed more than ever, through these short docs your students will meet civically minded Canadians making a difference who just might inspire students to engage within their own communities. While themed around civic engagement, there are many subjects and topics to pull from each film.

Content advisory: This film contains brief coarse language and brief drug reference.

Dwarfing the soaring skyscrapers that surround it, the CN Tower has defined Toronto’s skyline and held the record for world’s tallest free-standing structure for more than half of its existence. Ambitiously erected as a transmission tower to broadcast Toronto’s ever-evolving identity far beyond city limits, its impact exceeded its practical purpose. Annually, the 553.33-metre-tall beacon on the waterfront welcomes nearly two million visitors seeking a bird’s eye view over a burgeoning metropolis that has transformed from a blue-collar city into a cultural force in sports and music. Host to many stunts and the inspiration for Drake’s meme-worthy album cover for “Views,” it’s hard to imagine Canada’s largest city without this concrete wonder. Mixing archival footage with new interviews with the tower’s innovative engineers and many Toronto notables, this 50th-anniversary celebration beams with civic pride and connects this singular structure to many of the 6ix’s defining moments over the past half-century. Alexander Rogalski

What's in a name? For the Tla'amin Nation in British Columbia, the answer is: a lot. For them, language is intertwined with landscape and names are a foundational part of a connection to the land. To address this, in May 2021, the Tla'amin asked for a significant change from the city council of Powell River, which is named after Israel Wood Powell, one of the architects of residential schools and the ban on the Potlatch. The Tla'amin instead proposed the name qathet, meaning “working together,” to focus on a more collaborative approach. This puts the city and its inhabitants’ views on, and commitment to, reconciliation to the test. Using animated Tla’amin oral storytelling, observational footage of heated community meetings, and insightful sit-down interviews, this thought-provoking film offers a discussion that should resonate with us all, as the call to rename places, landmarks and institutions is accelerating across communities. Aisha Jamal

Through a mix of interviews with hip-hop experts and first-hand witnesses including Master T, Michie Mee, Maestro Fresh Wes, and Jully Black, archival footage, and behind-the-scenes access, Northern Beats offers a compelling and engaging look at the Canadian roots of arguably the most dominant music genre in the world today. The episode begins by looking at the origins of Canadian hip-hop and traces the evolution of the music and of the artists’ struggle for commercial support and recognition. Pioneers like Maestro Fresh Wes and Michie Mee, who paved the way for global superstars like Drake and Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) examine the impact they had on future generations of Black artists in Canada, south of the border, and internationally. With interviews from industry insiders, viewers are introduced to the challenges faced by hip-hop artists, as well as the unique advantages that come from belonging to tight-knit community. Despite being largely unacknowledged, the influence and creativity of this generation’s rappers had an undeniable impact on global music trends today.

Includes post-screening discussion with special guess Dr. Mark V. Campbell (aka DJ Grumps), Associate Professor, Associate Chair of Research and Program Director of Music at University of Toronto Scarborough.

Featured in the episode: Jully Black, Dr. Mark V. Campbell, Shad Kabango, J.Kyll, Michie Mee, Ron Nelson, Rollie Pemberton, Red1, Malik Shaheed, Master T and Maestro Fresh Wes.

Watch the complete Black Life: Untold Stories series free on CBC Gem

1991. Upstate New York. A group of teenage misfits, inspired by a renegade English teacher Fred Isseks, embark on a student film project and uncover a vast conspiracy that is poining the ground beneath their feet. Banding together to confront the indifferent adults, corrupt politians and a violent criminal organization threatening their small town, they produce an investigative documentary that causes shockwaves in their community. This is a coming-of-age story based on exclusive access to hundreds of hours of candid, humourous and nostalgic video outtakes, and the coordination of Fred Isseks and his intrepid students as they reckon, 30 years later, with a defining event in their lives and a remarkable story of civic courage. 

Includes post-screening discussion with Fred Isseks.

Please note this event is fully booked. For waitlist, please email [email protected] 

When Olympic soccer star Diana Matheson retires, she sets out—alongside fellow players—to build something that has never existed: a professional women’s soccer league in Canada. What follows is a modern David-and-Goliath story, as they confront institutional resistance, doubters and naysayers, and the weight of doing something for the first time. Filmed over two years, THE PITCH offers rare behind-the-scenes access to a bold attempt to change the game—a universal story of resilience, leadership, and a refusal to play by the old rules.

Presented in partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and Canadian Women & Sport.

Please note this event is fully booked. For waitlist, please email [email protected] 

Hot Docs presents Citizen Minutes, a series of short documentaries highlighting ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary things to improve their communities. At a time when citizen engagement is needed more than ever, through these short docs your students will meet civically minded Canadians making a difference who just might inspire students to engage within their own communities. While themed around civic engagement, there are many subjects and topics to pull from each film.