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Hot Docs awards presentation
Photo by Gabriel Li

Films in competition include Canadian Spectrum Competition, and International Spectrum Competition selections, as well as short and mid-length works.

Academy Awards® Qualifying Festival
Hot Docs is an Academy Award-qualifying Festival. The winner of the Best International Feature Documentary Award and the winners of the Best Canadian Short Documentary Award and the Best International Short Documentary Award at this year’s Festival will qualify for consideration in the documentary feature and documentary short subject categories of the annual Academy Awards®, respectively, without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.


Hot Docs 2025 Awards and Prizes

Hot Docs is proud to announce the winning documentaries from this year’s official competition, and to recognize the outstanding achievements of Canadian and international filmmakers with films screening throughout this year’s Festival. A total of 14 awards, along with $90,000 in cash and prizes, was celebrated at the Hot Docs 2025 Awards Presentation. 

The Awards Presentation was followed by the Hot Docs 2025 Awards Reception, generously sponsored by Crave.


Films in Competition

HOT DOCS BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Awarded to an exceptional feature-length documentary in the International Competition program. Hot Docs is pleased to present the winner with a $10,000 cash prize.

  • 2025 award winner: I, Poppy y (D: Vivek Chaudhary | P: Vivek Chaudhary, Xavier Rocher | India | 2024 | 81 min)

HOT DOCS BEST CANADIAN FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Awarded to an exceptional feature-length documentary in the Canadian Spectrum Competition program.
Hot Docs is pleased to present the winner with a $10,000 cash prize. 
Supported by Telefilm Canada.

  • 2025 award winner: Agatha's Almanac (D: Amalie Atkins | P: Amalie Akins | Canada | 2025 | 86 min)

HOT DOCS JOAN VANDUZER SPECIAL JURY PRIZE-INTERNATIONAL FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Awarded to a feature-length documentary in the International Spectrum Competition program that the jury feels is deserving of special recognition.
Hot Docs is pleased to present the winner with a $5,000 cash prize.
Supported by Makeway Foundation-Harbinger Fund in memory of Joan VanDuzer.

  • 2025 award winner: River of Grass (D: Sasha Wortzel | P: Danielle Varga, Sasha Wortzel | USA | 2025 | 83 min)

HOT DOCS DGC SPECIAL JURY PRIZE-CANADIAN FEATURE DOCUMENTARY 
Awarded to a feature-length documentary in the Canadian Spectrum Competition program that the jury feels is deserving of special recognition. The award comes with a $5,000 cash prize. 
Sponsored by DGC National and DGC Ontario.

  • 2025 award winner: Paul (D: Denis Côté | P: Karine Bélanger, Hany Ouichou | Canada | 2025 | 87 min)

HOT DOCS EMERGING INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER AWARD 
Given to a first or second-time international filmmaker with a feature film in the International Competition program. The award includes a $3,000 cash prize. 
Supported by Donner Canadian Foundation.

  • 2025 award winner: Amilcar Infante and Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez, directors of Unwelcomed (D: Amilcar Infante, Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez | P: Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez | Chile | 2025 | 68 min)

HOT DOCS EARL A. GLICK EMERGING CANADIAN FILMMAKER AWARD
Given to a first- or second-time Canadian filmmaker with a feature film in the Canadian Spectrum Competition program. The award, supported by Earl A. Glick, includes a $3,000 cash prize.

  • 2025 award winner: Damien Eagle Bear, the director of #skoden (D: Damien Eagle Bear | P: Damien Eagle Bear | Canada | 2025 | 75 min)

HOT DOCS BILL NEMTIN AWARD FOR BEST SOCIAL IMPACT DOCUMENTARY
The Award recognizes the producers of a film from the Canadian and International features that has the greatest potential to create social impact, in other words to change attitudes, behaviours and/or policy. The nominees include Writing Hawa, Heightened Scrutiny, Mundurukuyü – The Forest of the Fish Women, Life After, Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance and Khartoum.
The $10,000 cash prize accompanying the award will help enable the winning film team to optimize the impact of the documentary through outreach and marketing activities.
Supported by the Bill Nemtin Legacy Fund.

  • 2025 award winner: Khartoum (D: Phil Cox, Ibrahim Ahmed, Anas Saeed, Timeea Ahmed, Rawia Alhag | P: Talal Afifi, Giovanna Stopponi | UK, Germany | 2025 | 80 min)

HOT DOCS BEST MID-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY
Awarded to an exceptional documentary between 41 and 65 minutes in length. Hot Docs is pleased to present the winner with a $3,000 cash prize.
Sponsored by Mubi.

  • 2025 award winner: Climate In Therapy (D: Nathan Grossman | P: Cecilia Nessen | Sweden, Norway | 2025 | 64 min)

HOT DOCS BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Awarded to an exceptional international documentary up to 40 minutes in length. Hot Docs is pleased to present the winner with a $3,000 cash prize.
Sponsored by TVO Docs.

  • 2025 award winner: Alice (D: Gabriel Novis | Brazil | 17 min)

HOT DOCS BETTY YOUSON AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Awarded to an exceptional Canadian documentary up to 40 minutes in length. Hot Docs is pleased to present the winner with a $3,000 cash prize courtesy of John and Betty Youson.
Supported by John and Betty Youson.

  • 2025 award winner: Delta Dawn (D: Asia Youngman | Canada | 26 min)

Special Awards Categories

HOT DOCS DON HAIG AWARD  
The Don Haig Award will be awarded annually to an outstanding Canadian independent producer with a film in the Festival. The Award recognizes creative vision and entrepreneurship as reflected in the work being showcased at Hot Docs, as well as a track record for nurturing emerging Canadian filmmakers. The winner received a $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Don Haig Foundation.

  • 2025 award winner: Cornelia Principe, producer of Shamed (D: Matt Gallagher | P: Cornelia Principe | Canada | 2025 | 90 min)

View past recipients >>

LINDALEE TRACEY AWARD 
The award honours an emerging Canadian filmmaker working in the spirit of Lindalee Tracey, whose films reflect a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice and “a joie de vivre.” The winner awarded $5,000 by White Pine Pictures.

  • 2025 award winner: Regan Latimer

Audience Awards

HOT DOCS AUDIENCE AWARDS
Awarded to the feature/mid-length documentary and the short documentary that receive the highest rating in an audience poll. Announced after the close of the Festival.

  • Feature: Come See Me in the Good Light (D: Ryan White) 
  • Mid-length: Aisha's Story (D: Elizabeth Vibert)
  • Short: La Mayordomía (D: Martin Edralin)

HOT DOCS ROGERS AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY
Awarded to the top Canadian feature documentary in an audience poll. The winner received a $50,000 cash prize courtesy of Rogers, announced at a special encore screening on the Festival's final night.

  • 2025 award winner: Endless Cookie (D: Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver)
HOT DOCS DOCS FOR SCHOOLS STUDENT CHOICE AWARD

Awarded to the documentary that receives the highest rating in the student audience poll. Announced at the end of the Docs for Schools program. The winner received a $5,000 cash prize.

  • 2025 award winner: Writing Hawa (D: Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori (co-director) | P: Christian Popp, Hasse van Nunen, Renko Douze | France, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan | 2024 | 85 min)

2025 Industry Pitch Prizes

HOT DOCS first look AWARDS FOR WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
Hot Docs first look is a curated access program for philanthropic supporters and documentary-loving investors that grants them behind-the-scenes access to new projects in development and the world of documentary pre-production and production financing. This year Hot Docs first look participants have awarded a total of $15,000 as part of Hot Docs’ Works-In-Progress industry event.

  • The Blue Sweater with a Yellow Hole (D: Tetiana Khodakivska, P: Elena Saulich, Tetiana Khodakivska, Executive Producers: Josh Penn, Kevin Macdonald, Maxym Asadchyi);
  • Land of No Pain (D: Émilie Martel, P: Émilie Martel);
  • Untying the Knot (D: Chona Mangalindan, P: Chona Mangalindan, Maxime Spinga, Executive Producer: Félicie Roblin).

International Features Jury


Canadian Features Jury


Midlengths & Bill Nemtin Award Jury


Shorts Jury

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