Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund Supports Five Canadian Music Doc Projects with $121,000 in Funding

Hot Docs is honoured to once again provide much needed financial support to upcoming Canadian documentaries as part of the prestigious Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund, with five music-related projects announced today as recipients of a total of $121,000 in production stage funding. The first of its kind in Canada, the Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund was established in May 2020 to champion filmmakers committed to crafting compelling, high-quality stories that celebrate music in all its forms, while showcasing the profound impact of Canadian music on the global stage. The Fund also welcomes international music stories told through the distinctive lens of Canadian filmmakers. To date, the Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund has supported 23 projects with a combined investment of over $627,500.

"Finding the funding to get films made is as hard as it’s ever been, which is why partners like The Slaight Family Foundation and funds like the Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund are so critical," says Diana Sanchez, Executive Director, Hot Docs. "This unique Fund provides much needed financial support to projects that showcase Canadian talent on a global scale, helping films move forward with confidence while signalling a belief in our own stories. Our 2026 Opening Night Film, Michelle Mama’s Antidiva: The Carol Pope Confessions, was supported by the Fund and is a powerful example of how this investment helps bring important Canadian documentaries to audiences around the world."

"The Slaight Family Foundation is delighted to continue our partnership with Hot Docs to provide production funding to five projects by Canadian filmmakers that spotlight the creative work of some of this country’s most interesting and talented music artists," shared Gary Slaight, President & CEO of The Slaight Family Foundation. "I look forward to seeing these exceptional projects upon completion."

Eligible projects were considered by the selection committee, which included María José Arauz (Hot Docs), filmmaker Tiffany Hsiung (Golden Nugget Productions) and Barnaby Marshall (Slaight Music). 

2026 Production Fund Recipients

BRAMPTON UNDERGROUND  
D: Anupa Mistry  
P: Anupa Mistry, Radha Pithadia 
Production company: Scenario Media 

While navigating the pressures of Canada’s changing immigration policy, a group of international students form a grassroots Punjabi hip-hop scene in the parks and parking lots of Brampton, Ontario. 

INTO THE NOW WITH BRUCE COCKBURN  
D: Robert Lang 
P: Kim Creelman, Robert Lang 
Production company: Kensington Communications Inc   

Into the Now is at once a road movie, musical exploration, and portrait of an artist deeply engaged with the present, accompanying Canadian music legend Bruce Cockburn as he sets out on a major concert tour through Canada and the eastern United States. 

KING REIGN TO THE WORLD PRESENTS  
D: David Click Cox, Kwame Mason  
P: David Cox, Shana McCalla, Javiera Quintana, Stuart Henderson  
Production company: CLK Creative Works Inc. 

King Reign was a lyrical giant whose pen never received the recognition it deserved. When he died suddenly, he left behind unreleased music that was raw, honest, and unfinished. This film follows a group of famed hip-hop artists as they reunite to complete his final work, turning grief into music and memory into movement. 

PISIKSAQSIURLANGA: I'M SEARCHING FOR A SONG
D: Charlotte Qamaniq, Jamie Griffiths  
P: Charlotte Qamaniq, Jamie Griffiths 
Production company: Qamaniq Records Inc. (in co-production with Chickweed Arts) 

Guided by an ancestral song from her family, Inuk artist Charlotte Qamaniq returns home to revitalize pisiit—an ancient Inuit musical form nearly erased by colonization—while composing new songs that carry the living tradition forward. 

ROLLING WITH MAT THE ALIEN 
D: River Jordan Easton 
P: River Jordan Easton, Matt Pidutti 
Production company: Notion Pictures 

Legendary Canadian DJ Mat the Alien rebuilds his life and music after a spinal cord injury, as his community rallies around his return to music and the festival stage. 

Previous recipients of funding from the Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund include Hot Docs 2026 Opening Night Film and Top Ten Audience Favourite Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions, The Blind Couple From Mali, Disco’s Revenge, It’s All Gonna Break, and Nash The Slash Rises Again!