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Canadian Arts Are Alive

Hot Docs has proudly partnered with contemporary arts organizations to celebrate the inspiration and innovation of living Canadian and Indigenous artists. In this collaboratively curated series, get a taste of exciting contemporary art with specially selected documentaries, then delve deeper into creative conversations with exclusive pre-recorded Q&As with the artists themselves.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. 

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Hot Docs Members and Hot Docs at Home subscribers can stream now at watch.hotdocs.ca.

Series runs Until December 31
a person in swimwear about to jump in the water

Amalgam

Dancer, choreographer and filmmaker, William Yong captures senior dancers as they defy assumptions about aging and dance. In a dream-like series of vignettes, dancers explore movement with the wisdom and richness that comes with years of experience. 
  • D: William Yong
  • Canada
  • 2021
  • 20 min
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a person sitting on the floor looking at the television

Dead Ringer

Investigate the way Toronto’s iconic locations function as a microcosm for the larger city, in terms of Toronto’s history as a stand-in for American cities in cinema. The film will explore questions about identity and representation and ultimately asks, “What does it mean to see your city reflected back to you, but not your experience?”
  • D: Dave Dyment
  • Canada
  • 2022
  • 107 min  
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a man looking to the left in a field

Kaatohkitopii: The Horse He Never Rode

Filmmaker Trevor Solway's grandpa, Sonny, was a life-long rancher with a strong work ethic that masked his own pain; Trevor explores Sonny's life and lessons to help guide himself as a modern Indigenous man.
  • D: Trevor Solway
  • Canada
  • 2022
  • 64 min
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a man smiling and holding a marker with a circle drawn around him

Lay Down Your Heart

An intimate look into the mind of Niall McNeil, an artist and performer with Down syndrome, and his unique chosen family. In Lay Down Your Heart, Niall introduces us to his many “family members,” his multiple “children,” his renowned “ex-wife” and director of the film Marie Clements, and other bonds forged through open-hearted creativity. 
  • D: Marie Clements
  • Canada
  • 2022
  • 65 min
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a man with a wide brim hat and colourful glasses

A Love Letter to Léopold L. Foulem

Filmmaker Renée Blanchar writes a cinematographic love letter to internationally renowned ceramist Léopold L. Foulem, an extraordinary artist who was intimately linked to her childhood. 


In English and French with English subtitles.

  • D: Renée Blanchar
  • Canada
  • 2022
  • 55 min
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a vintage photo of a family in front of a car in the snow

Picturing a People: George Johnston, Tlingit Photographer

A unique portrait of George Johnston, a photographer who was himself a creator of portraits and a keeper of his culture. Johnston cared deeply about the traditions of the Tlingit people, and he recorded a critical period in the history of the Tlingit nation. As Geddes says, his legacy was "to help us dream the future as much as to remember the past." 
  • D: Carol Geddes
  • Canada
  • 1997
  • 50 min
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a man taking a photo with a camera

Shooting Indians: A Journey with Jeffrey Thomas

Spanning over a decade, from 1984 to 1996, this ironic documentary journey is full of quiet insights and surprising twists. Starting the film as a foreign student in 1984, director Ali Kazimi begins to unravel the hidden history of the land that he has chosen as his home. 
  • D: Ali Kazimi
  • Canada
  • 1997
  • 45 min
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