2026 Industry Schedule

Join us for our opening night screening of Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions. Singer-songwriter Carole Pope shattered taboos with raw, unapologetic music and defiant sexuality. Antidiva tells the story of a queer rock icon reclaiming her rightful place in music history, with insights from k.d. lang, Peaches, Jann Arden and Rufus Wainwright.

A block of tickets is held for industry passholders. You can access tickets online or in-person at the Cinema. In mid-April, passholders will receive an email with instructions for getting industry tickets.

Join us as we celebrate the start of our 33rd edition of Hot Docs with a toast to this year's incredible films, market events and love of storytelling.

Please bring valid photo ID. You may be asked to show it before entering the venue.

Network with fellow Hot Docs Industry members and filmmakers in the Hot Docs Delegate Lounge as we focus on expanded opportunities to connect all-day with spaces to meet with old colleagues and new friends and collaborators.

Daily refreshments generously provided by Netflix, PictureNL, Blue Ice Docs and New Mountain +.

The National Film Board of Canada invites filmmakers, creators and industry voices to take part in a live, interactive installation exploring one key question: What does documentary need right now? Contribute to a collective portrait of where the field stands—and help shape where it should go next. 

Join us as we kick off this year's Hot Docs Industry Conference and Market.

While Canadian doc-makers are producing powerful and politically engaged works, many struggle to reach audiences due to structural barriers in the current distribution landscape. As the sector grapples with fragmentation and regional gaps, momentum is building around alternative, equity-focused approaches. Presented with the Documentary Organization of Canada, this session explores how we might design a more responsive and sustainable theatrical distribution future for Canadian documentary. 

At a time when studios are increasingly opting for existing IP to maximize each new project’s potential reach, there is more of a need than ever for purpose-driven companies looking to foster and develop original voices and untold stories for an audience eager to engage with impactful storytelling. This session features leaders from companies who are setting themselves apart from the traditional studio model by searching for stories and storytellers who will inspire, challenge and provoke audiences. Hear the strategies behind their creative collaborations, their thoughts on the areas of saturation as well as gaps within the current non-fiction storytelling realm, and what they are looking for in the projects they help bring to life. 

Mix and mingle as well celebrate 15 incredible years of the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund. Drink tickets will be provided. 

Presented by Blue Ice Docs 

The National Film Board of Canada invites filmmakers, creators and industry voices to take part in a live, interactive installation exploring one key question: What does documentary need right now? Contribute to a collective portrait of where the field stands—and help shape where it should go next. 

Network with fellow Hot Docs Industry members and filmmakers in the Hot Docs Delegate Lounge as we focus on expanded opportunities to connect all-day with spaces to meet with old colleagues and new friends and collaborators.

Daily refreshments generously provided by Netflix, PictureNL, Blue Ice Docs and New Mountain +.

A dynamic two-day pitching event that stimulates international co-production financing for projects at various levels of completion. Pre-selected projects pitch to international industry representatives in front of an audience of attending delegates.

Presented by Canada Media Fund

Brazilian documentary cinema is emerging as a bold, globally resonant force. Its filmmakers are bringing timely, impactful, vital stories to international festivals and audiences amid shifting public policies, funding uncertainties, and broader social tensions. Utilizing strengthened international partnerships and diversified financing models to amplify bold, socially engaged storytelling that resonates globally, they have demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and creative urgency. Join us to hear the filmmakers from this year’s Made in Brazil program discuss their creative process, the challenges of socially resonant storytelling, and how Brazilian cinema is connecting local voices to the world stage.

Community Partner: Brazil Film Fest TO

A one-on-one curated pitch meeting program for producers of projects in development and production seeking financing and distribution from the international marketplace, including key broadcasters and funders. 

Pre-registration required. Registration is closed. 

Supported by Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, and the City of Toronto

This session brings together prominent international funding organizations to speak about the current state of documentary financing, the strategic priorities behind their funding decisions, and the characteristics that make a project stand out. Hear directly from those who have helped foster some of the most impactful storytelling in recent years, and the ways in which they were able to support the creative forces behind those projects. 

Mix and mingle with industry delegates with refreshments. Drink tickets will be provided.

The National Film Board of Canada invites filmmakers, creators and industry voices to take part in a live, interactive installation exploring one key question: What does documentary need right now? Contribute to a collective portrait of where the field stands—and help shape where it should go next. 

Network with fellow Hot Docs Industry members and filmmakers in the Hot Docs Delegate Lounge as we focus on expanded opportunities to connect all-day with spaces to meet with old colleagues and new friends and collaborators.

Daily refreshments generously provided by Netflix, PictureNL, Blue Ice Docs and New Mountain +.

A dynamic two-day pitching event that stimulates international co-production financing for projects at various levels of completion. Pre-selected projects pitch to international industry representatives in front of an audience of attending delegates.

Presented by Canada Media Fund

A one-on-one curated pitch meeting program for producers of projects in development and production seeking financing and distribution from the international marketplace, including key broadcasters and funders. 

Pre-registration required. Registration is closed. 

Supported by Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, and the City of Toronto

This wide-ranging and informative session will provide a behind-the-scenes look at some of the top broadcasters from around the world, and their current and recent slate of documentary films and series. Hear directly from the producers and editors involved in the development and commissioning of these projects, and learn what they seek in the proposals they receive, how they collaborate with filmmakers and creators, and what lessons can be learned from the shifting international television landscape. 

A case study–driven conversation anchored in Banchi Hanuse's Ceremony, exploring narrative sovereignty, specifically community-rooted documentary practice. The discussion will examine how Indigenous filmmakers approach storytelling and accountability to their community or small communities. 

Presented by the Indigenous Screen Office

Celebrate the closing of the Hot Docs Conference and Market, and the recipients of this year’s Forum Pitch Prizes. Drink tickets will be provided. 

This year's pitch prizes include the first look Pitch Prize, financed by members of Hot Docs first look; the CMF-Hot Docs Forum Canadian Pitch Prize, presented in partnership with Canada Media Fund; and the Hot Docs-Chicken & Egg Special Pitch Forum Prize, presented in partnership with Chicken & Egg.

Presented by Paramount+ 

7:00 PM: Doors open 

7:30 PM: Awards presentation 

9:00 PM: Reception