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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260621T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260621T145000
DTSTAMP:20260621T130018Z
CREATED:20260621T130018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T130018Z
UID:10439427-1782046800-1782053400@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Shades of Feeling: Five by Pratibha Parmar - with Saffron Maeve
DESCRIPTION:Toronto-based critic\, editor\, and film curator Saffron Maeve shares a collection of five shorts by British filmmaker Pratibha Parmar\, released from 1988-1991. \n“Pratibha’s works have a strong decolonial sensibility that I immediately respond to\, and I admire her ability to be at once playful\, coy\, headstrong\, and critical in her depictions of queer South Asian diasporas. She understands the shared urgency of desire and the constraints that are placed upon it.” – Saffron Maeve on Shades of Feeling: Five by Pratibha Parmar \nFrom the 80s into the 90s\, British filmmaker Pratibha Parmar established a body of short films and video poems dealing intimately with ethnic and sexual expressivity in a blinkered UK. Carving out a queer South Asian imaginary\, Parmar’s films prioritize pleasure (khush) and thematize lesbian chat rooms\, the infiltration of colonial architecture\, desire and diaspora\, and the writings of Indian lesbian poet Suniti Bamjoshi. Parmar’s spatially engaged strategies of revolt are both protective and generous\, clarifying the importance of anti-colonial perspectives on queerness. This program originated at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in partnership with Alfreda’s Cinema. \n \nShades of Feeling: Five by Pratibha Parmar will be presented with a live introduction from Saffron Maeve and a special pre-recorded Q&A with director Pratibha Parmar. \nSaffron Maeve is a Toronto-based critic\, editor\, and film curator. She is a regular contributor to The Globe and Mail\, and her writing has appeared in Film Comment\, Sight and Sound\, Reverse Shot\, MUBI Notebook\, Documentary Magazine\, and more. She is the curator of the screening series CONTOURS at Paradise Theatre and Apparatus Theory at Revue Cinema\, and the quarterly reading series Crit Salon. Saffron has curated programs for TIFF\, the Brooklyn Academy of Music\, The Cinematheque (BC)\, and Spectacle Theater. Presently\, Saffron is pursuing a PhD in Cinema & Media Studies at York University.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/shades-of-feeling-five-by-pratibha-parmar-with-saffron-maeve/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:2SLGBTQ+,Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/shades-of-feeling-five-by-pratibha-parmar-with-saffron-maeve.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260620T213000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260620T233000
DTSTAMP:20260621T130017Z
CREATED:20260621T130017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260621T130017Z
UID:10439406-1781991000-1781998200@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:The Rocky Horror Picture Show - Pride Edition
DESCRIPTION:“Let’s do the Time Warp Again!” Cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show is back! Toronto’s own shadow cast\, Excited Mental State\, will be performing their own satirical\, comedic version of the film for audiences. Dress up and “don’t dream it\, be it.” \nPlease note that the following items are prohibited: \n\nOutside food or drinks\nOversized water guns\nToast\, rice and other organic projectiles\n\nMore information: rockyhorrorto.com \nDoors will open 45 minutes prior to the screening.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-pride-edition/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:2SLGBTQ+,Film & Media,Performing Arts
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-pride-edition.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260619T063000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260619T080000
DTSTAMP:20260619T130018Z
CREATED:20260619T130018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260619T130018Z
UID:10434201-1781850600-1781856000@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Aki
DESCRIPTION:Official Selection\, 2025 Toronto International Film Festival \n“Naponse’s ability to build such tangible intimacy makes Aki a film to behold\, feel\, and hear—the latter largely due to Juno Award–nominated cellist Cris Derkson’s tremendous score.” – POV Magazine \nAki (Anishinaabemowin for “earth” or “land”) is a meditative\, visually immersive documentary set in Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in Northern Ontario\, Canada. Filmed over seasonal years\, this unscripted project unfolds entirely without narration or dialogue\, instead relying on the aural textures of wind\, water\, animal and human life\, and ceremony to tell the story of a people fully rooted in their land. \nDirector Darlene Naponse\, a community member and artist from Atikameksheng\, invites us into her homeland and shares an intimate glimpse into the layers of everyday life where storytelling emerges through gestures\, places\, and the non-verbal. Aki shares land-based practices such as fishing\, maple syrup harvesting\, and medicine gathering\, while reflecting on histories of colonisation\, environmental exploitation\, and attempted cultural erasure against the realities of the ongoing strength of community. It is a film about memory without nostalgia\, resistance without spectacle\, and language beyond words\, enhanced by a stunning score by Juno award-winning Cree cellist Cris Derksen. \nFollowing the tradition of globally acclaimed visual documentaries like Ron Fricke’s Baraka\, Godfrey Reggio’s The Qatsi Trilogy\, and Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Honeyland – and fully subverting ethnographic filmmaking – Aki eschews conventional exposition in favour of a deeply embodied cinematic language. But while those films traverse the globe\, Aki remains rooted in a specific\, sovereign place: the lands\, waters\, and people of Atikameksheng.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/aki/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media,Indigenous
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aki.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260618T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260618T204500
DTSTAMP:20260619T130017Z
CREATED:20260619T130017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260619T130017Z
UID:10434190-1781807400-1781815500@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco
DESCRIPTION:“Functions as both a revealing look at the collaborative process and a timely\, tongue-in-cheek profile of the corporate circus that is the recording industry.” — The Hollywood Reporter \n“An exciting and involving rock music doc\, a smart and satisfying look inside that tumultuous world.” — Los Angeles Times \n“One of the greatest music documentaries ever made.” — Rolling Stone \nBuilding on three critically acclaimed records and a reputation for phenomenal live shows\, Wilco seemed poised to cement its reputation as one of the great American rock groups. So how is it that one year later\, with completed record in hand\, the band found itself rejected by its corporate label and missing two of its original members? First-time filmmaker and award-winning photographer Sam Jones was on hand\, chronicling this turbulent chapter in Wilco’s history as it unfolded. \nThroughout the film\, Jones tempers the backstage dramas and unfathomable corporate shenanigans with inspired live performances\, as frontman Jeff Tweedy and company perform songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and previous Wilco albums. Shot in luminous black and white\, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is a riveting portrait of a band making the best music of its career. \nJoin producer Peter Abraham for a special post-screening Q&A via Zoom.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/i-am-trying-to-break-your-heart-a-film-about-wilco/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/i-am-trying-to-break-your-heart-a-film-about-wilco.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260617T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260617T200000
DTSTAMP:20260618T130023Z
CREATED:20260618T130023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260618T130023Z
UID:10431623-1781722800-1781726400@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Author Talk: Myra Bloom on Evasive Manoeuvres
DESCRIPTION:Confession is everywhere in our culture. It drives banal social media posts\, sensational reality television shows\, revolutionary social justice movements\, and popular fiction. It has also been central to feminist movements throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. But acts of self-disclosure carry significant risks for women and nonbinary writers\, who may be disbelieved or retraumatized\, dismissed as narcissistic or unliterary\, or stereotyped in ways that constrain professional opportunities. \nNaming this tension the “confessional impasse\,” Myra Bloom explores how four contemporary Canadian writers navigate both the possibilities and the perils of confession. Focusing on the work of Tanya Tagaq\, Nelly Arcan\, Sheila Heti\, and Sina Queyras\, Bloom offers a dynamic exploration of confessional writing in poetry and autofiction\, a hybrid form of life writing that blends autobiography with invention. She situates the forces increasingly shaping women’s lives – social media\, digital culture\, beauty culture\, and the relentless pressure to optimize the body – within a broader ecosystem that demands self-display for public consumption. Using the confessional impasse as a theoretical framework\, Bloom shows that although writers deploy evasive manoeuvres to avoid rendering themselves vulnerable\, they are often misread through the very autobiographical discourses they are escaping. \nAs Canadian literature becomes increasingly confessional in its texts\, institutions\, and discourse\, Evasive Manoeuvres provides an exciting in-depth study of an overlooked force driving literary innovation in Canada.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/author-talk-myra-bloom-on-evasive-manoeuvres/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Literature & Spoken Word,Talks & Panels
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260614T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260614T143000
DTSTAMP:20260614T130019Z
CREATED:20260614T130019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260614T130019Z
UID:10421502-1781442000-1781447400@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office
DESCRIPTION:“One of the most consistently inventive\, impossible-to-categorize directors of our time\, Almereyda has shown a fascination with visionary characters across both his narrative and documentary films” – The Criterion Channel \nThe daring experimenter Dr. John C. Lilly dedicated his life to radical self-investigation and unlocking the mysteries of consciousness and communication. “My body is my laboratory” was the motto\, and his research on the language of dolphins and whales—as well as psychedelics and sensory deprivation—assured his own cult status in 20th-century pop culture as the basis for Ken Russell’s Altered States and Mike Nichols’s The Day of the Dolphin. \nDirectors Michael Almareyda and Courtney Stephens\, along with narrator Chloë Sevigny\, explore the life of a determined scientist and his experiments into the psychonautical unknown.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/john-lilly-and-the-earth-coincidence-control-office/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/john-lilly-and-the-earth-coincidence-control-office.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260613T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260613T210000
DTSTAMP:20260614T130017Z
CREATED:20260614T130017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260614T130017Z
UID:10421466-1781377200-1781384400@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:I Am Divine - with Michelle Mama
DESCRIPTION:Having just joined us at Hot Docs Festival for the world premiere of her new film Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions\, filmmaker Michelle Mama is back to present a film about another legendary queer icon—one with a curious Carole connection. \n“Divine is a one-of-one star in our queer constellation. She came out of the same tough post-war industrial Baltimore world as John Waters and together they created a collection of wild\, raunchy and hilarious series of films like Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble that are still too vile and disgusting for polite company. A director and his muse were never more sympatico than these two rebellious creatures. I thought the only connection between Toronto and Divine was that the 2007 remake of Hairspray – the original being the most commercial of all the Waters films and\, tragically Divine’s last – was shot here. But as I was working on Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions\, I learned that Divine and Rough Trade did a one-night-only musical called Restless Underwear on December 19th\, 1977\, that Carole describes as “titillating and stupid. In short it was everything we aspired to.” This Carole connection was more than enough for me to seal the deal on selecting I Am Divine as my queer doc pick for Hot Docs’ Pride Projected this year.The heightened absurdity of her comedy and performances\, and her relentless grit and heartbreaking sweetness make Divine one of the most beloved and important artists and agitators of the 20th century.” – Michelle Mama on Divine and I Am Divine \nI Am Divine is the story of Divine\, aka Harris Glenn Milstead\, from his humble beginnings as an overweight\, teased Baltimore youth to internationally recognized drag superstar through his collaboration with filmmaker John Waters. Spitting in the face of the status quos of body image\, gender identity\, sexuality\, and preconceived notions of beauty\, Divine was the ultimate outsider turned underground royalty. With a completely committed in-your-face style\, he blurred the line between performer and personality\, and revolutionized pop culture. I Am Divine is a definitive biographical portrait that charts the legendary icon’s rise to infamy and emotional complexities. \n \nI Am Divine will be presented with a live introduction from Michelle Mama. \nMichelle Mama is an award-winning\, five-time Canadian Screen Award nominee who has been producing and directing in the factual and doc space for over two decades. Her latest film\, Antidiva: The Carole Pope Confessions\, was selected as the Opening Night Film for the 2026 Hot Docs Festival\, where it received its world premiere and placed #6 in the 2026 Top 20 Audience Favourites.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/i-am-divine-with-michelle-mama/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:2SLGBTQ+,Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/i-am-divine-with-michelle-mama.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260613T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260627T210000
DTSTAMP:20260628T130014Z
CREATED:20260628T130014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260628T130014Z
UID:10456069-1781366400-1782594000@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Everyone Is Lying to You for Money - with Ben McKenzie
DESCRIPTION:“Knife-Sharp Documentary Takedown of Cryptocurrency” – Variety \nIn Everyone Is Lying to You for Money\, actor and author Ben McKenzie turns investigator\, pulling back the curtain on the cryptocurrency industry and the culture of hype\, misinformation\, and speculation that fueled its explosive rise. What began as a promise of financial freedom has evolved into a volatile ecosystem rife with fraud and reckless gambling\, carrying with it devastating consequences for everyday people. \nThrough firsthand reporting\, expert interviews\, and a clear-eyed examination of major collapses and scandals\, the film traces how crypto became one of the most aggressively marketed financial products of the modern era—and how warning signs were ignored\, dismissed\, or deliberately obscured. As fortunes are made and lost\, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money asks a sobering question: who benefits from the chaos\, and who is left to clean up the damage? \nAccessible\, urgent\, and often darkly ironic\, the film is both a cautionary tale and a call for accountability—cutting through the noise to expose a system built on speculation\, influence\, and belief rather than truth. \nIn English and Spanish\, with English subtitles. \nJoin filmmaker Ben McKenzie for a special Q&A after each screening. \nBen McKenzie is the only six-time Teen Choice Award nominee to have written a NYT bestselling book on economics\, as well as direct and produce a feature film on the subject. Easy Money and Everyone Is Lying to You for Money chronicle his investigation into the murky world of cryptocurrency and fraud. Ben has starred in three TV shows (Gotham\, Southland\, and The OC)\, appeared in numerous films (Junebug\, Line of Duty\, The Torture Report\, and the upcoming Motor City)\, and performed on Broadway (the Tony-nominated Grand Horizons). He has written and directed multiple episodes of television. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three kids\, all of whom are tired of him talking about crypto.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-with-ben-mckenzie/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media,Talks & Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-with-ben-mckenzie.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260612T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260612T210000
DTSTAMP:20260613T130016Z
CREATED:20260613T130016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260613T130016Z
UID:10418842-1781290800-1781298000@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Far from Home
DESCRIPTION:A father’s vanishing memory and echoes of a free Tibet are at the heart of this intimate family story filmed across 20 years. In 1959\, The Dalai Lama fled Chinese occupation on foot over the Himalayas. Thousands of his people followed him into India. Over 6 decades later\, as former deputy to the Dalai Lama TC Tethong begins to lose his memory\, rediscovered archives trace a hopeful love story with a Canadian named Judy and their courageous struggle to keep Tibet alive in exile. With rare reflections from an aging Dalai Lama\, personal and collective histories intertwine in a moving exploration of a people’s resilience and the endless longing for a home out of reach. \nJoin director Kristi Tethong for a special post-screening Q&A.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/far-from-home/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/far-from-home.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260607T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260607T171500
DTSTAMP:20260607T130021Z
CREATED:20260607T130021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260607T130021Z
UID:10403727-1780846200-1780852500@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:It's Dorothy!
DESCRIPTION:Since her first appearance in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900\, Dorothy Gale has enchanted generations with her courage\, curiosity and determined search for home. What is it about her story that still feels so relatable\, especially to those whose experiences aren’t always centred? It’s Dorothy! invites audiences on a dazzling journey through Dorothy’s enduring cultural legacy\, tracing her profound impact on women\, folks of colour\, and LGBTQ+ communities. The film weaves a poignant portrait of Judy Garland’s life and her connection to those who see themselves in Dorothy\, blending mesmerizing archival footage from Garland’s career and the classic 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz with insights from contemporary voices including Ashanti\, Margaret Cho\, Lena Waithe and John Waters. At once fantastical and deeply human\, It’s Dorothy! reminds us that through self-love\, the celebration of imagination\, and the radical power of belonging\, there truly is no place like home. Simone Estrin\, Hot Docs
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/its-dorothy-2/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/its-dorothy.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260607T063000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260607T083000
DTSTAMP:20260607T130020Z
CREATED:20260607T130020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260607T130020Z
UID:10403704-1780813800-1780821000@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:The Celluloid Closet - with Peter Knegt
DESCRIPTION:Peter Knegt\, host of the monthly film series Queer Cinema Club and the Canadian Screen Award-winning talk show Here & Queer on CBC\, selected Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s The Celluloid Closet: \n“30 years ago\, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman gave all of us fascinated by the intersection of film history and LGBTQ history an extraordinary gift in their documentary The Celluloid Closet. Covering a century of queer representation —for better and very much for worse — on the silver screen through footage of 120 films and interviews with everyone from Whoopi Goldberg to Harvey Fierstein to Gore Vidal (not to mention Lily Tomlin\, who also serves as the film’s narrator)\, this film is perhaps one of the most entertaining history lessons ever put on screen. It’s also a tribute to the late\, great activist and author Vito Russo\, whose lectures\, film clip presentations and 1981 book The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality at the Movies collectively made the movie possible.” – Peter Knegt on The Celluloid Closet \nWhat That’s Entertainment did for movie musicals\, The Celluloid Closet does for Hollywood homosexuality\, as this exuberant\, eye-opening movie serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Lily Tomlin narrates as Oscar-winning moviemaker Rob Epstein (The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt) and Jeffrey Friedman assemble fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality\, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s. Tom Hanks\, Susan Sarandon\, Whoopi Goldberg\, Tony Curtis\, Harvey Fierstein and Gore Vidal are just a few of the many actors\, writers and commentators who provide funny and insightful anecdotes. \n \nThe Celluloid Closet will be presented with a live introduction from Peter Knegt. \nPeter Knegt is a writer\, broadcaster and film curator. He currently hosts the Canadian Screen Award-winning talk show Here & Queer on CBC\, and runs the monthly film series Queer Cinema Club at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/the-celluloid-closet-with-peter-knegt/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:2SLGBTQ+,Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/the-celluloid-closet-with-peter-knegt.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260606T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260627T173000
DTSTAMP:20260627T130022Z
CREATED:20260627T130022Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260627T130022Z
UID:10453774-1780774200-1782581400@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Ultras
DESCRIPTION:Feast your senses on this visceral and electrifying mosaic of soccer’s uber fans\, famed for staging monumental collective displays that transform global stadiums into churning cauldrons of sound and colour. Known as “ultras\,” these hardcore supporters often contribute as much to the match-day atmosphere as the on-pitch action. They’ve also been known to clash with authority—a byproduct of the rebellious energy and contagious fervour that powers this worldwide subculture. Filmmaker Ragnhild Ekner extends an insider’s invitation to meet vibrant fan communities in Argentina\, Egypt\, England\, Indonesia\, Italy\, Morocco\, Poland and Sweden. Her approach is thrillingly cinematic and deeply immersive\, exalting in the spirit of defiant fellowship that is pushing back against the steady commodification of the beautiful game. Before FIFA brings its flagship product to Toronto next summer\, Ultras is your ticket to an authentically awe-inspiring terrace experience. Julian Carrington\, Hot Docs 2025 \nIn Swedish\, English\, Arabic\, Indonesian\, Italian\, Polish and Spanish\, with English subtitles. \nContent Warning: Contains flashing lights.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/ultras/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media,Sports
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ultras.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260606T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260606T183500
DTSTAMP:20260606T130017Z
CREATED:20260606T130017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260606T130017Z
UID:10401174-1780761600-1780770900@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Future Council
DESCRIPTION:Millions of children around the world are frustrated by the dire lack of action to protect the planet and their future. Until now\, their only avenue to express these concerns has been protesting on the streets. Director Damon Gameau (2040\, That Sugar Film) invites eight children on an epic adventure across Europe in a school bus powered by biofuel. Their mission is to better understand the planet’s predicament\, explore solutions and\, most importantly\, take the conversation from the streets\, into the boardrooms of some of the world’s largest polluters and most influential companies. \nThis inspiring and rollicking journey\, where School of Rock meets An Inconvenient Truth\, results in the children forming a ‘Future Council’ to advise and influence the world’s most powerful companies on their decisions that impact nature. \nFeaturing a special post-screening panel discussion. \nCo-presented with Planet in Focus and Toronto Climate Week
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/future-council/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media,Science & Tech,Talks & Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/future-council.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260606T010000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260627T030000
DTSTAMP:20260627T130020Z
CREATED:20260627T130020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260627T130020Z
UID:10453744-1780707600-1782529200@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Curious Minds // Toronto: Cinema City
DESCRIPTION:Saturdays\, June 6 – 27 at 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM \nRegister for the full course and save! \nToronto’s history can be told through its movie theatres. From bustling neighbourhood cinemas and Yonge Street grindhouses\, experimental film co-ops\, to the corporate rise of multiplex chains and decades of censorship battles\, the city’s screens have mirrored its cultural\, social and political life. In Toronto: Cinema City\, journalist and film historian Eric Veillette will lead us through a four-part journey through Toronto’s exhibition history\, uncovering the theatres\, controversies\, and communities that shaped how Torontonians have watched movies for 130 years. \nAbout the speaker \nEric Veillette is a Toronto-based journalist specializing in Canadian film culture. His work regularly appears in The Globe and Mail\, Toronto Star and Spacing Magazine. He is the editor of The Downtown Theatre\, a weekly newsletter dedicated to the history of Toronto moviegoing. A former culture reporter for CBC/Radio-Canada\, he is currently journalist-in-residence at York University’s Archive/CounterArchive\, where he researches film censorship. From 2015-2020 he was the programming director at The Revue Cinema. He’s also writing a book about Toronto’s cinemas and cinephile culture\, In the Dark\, to be published by ECW Press in 2027. \n \nCOURSE OUTLINE \nSaturday\, June 6The Nabes: Neighbourhood cinemas\, the rise of rep culture\, the innovators and the survivors \nDecades before the first Cineplex opened at the Eaton Centre\, Toronto was a city of neighbourhood cinemas: single-screen houses embedded in culturally vibrant communities. This week we’ll trace the rise\, decline\, and constant reinvention of these local theatres\, from early storefront cinemas and postwar picture palaces to the emergence of ethnic cinemas in the 1950s and repertory programming in the 1960s and 1970s at places like The New Yorker\, Cinecity\, Cinema Lumiere\, The 99c Roxy. We’ll examines the fight to maintain Toronto’s screens in the face of industry consolidation and shifting audiences\, and asks what the city’s surviving neighbourhood cinemas—The Revue\, Fox\, Paradise\, and Hot Docs Cinema—can tell us about the future of moviegoing in Toronto. \nSaturday\, June 13The movie chains: From the Allens to Cineplex \nLong before multiplexes and mall cinemas\, Toronto’s movie business was shaped by family-run chains. This week we’ll explore the rise of the Allen family’s theatre empire\, which included the original Bloor Theatre (now Lee’s Palace) and The Music Hall (then the Allen Danforth)\, and its acquisition by Famous Players in the 1920s\, setting the template for the monopolistic corporate control of movie exhibition in Canada. From there\, we’ll follow the growth of major chains such as Famous Players and Odeon\, the postwar boom in drive-ins\, the arrival of the first multiplexes\, and the spread of mall-based cinemas that reshaped how and where audiences watched movies to ask: what happens to moviegoing when the corporate chains begin to falter? \nSaturday\, June 20Classified by the Ontario Board of Censors \nFor much of the 20th century\, every film shown publicly in Ontario was subject to review by a provincial censorship board empowered to cut\, ban\, or restrict what audiences could see. We’ll examine the extraordinary reach of the Ontario Board of Censors and the resistance mounted by exhibitors\, artists\, and filmmakers in Toronto\, as well as filmmaker Larry Kent’s defiance of the board at Cinecity in 1968\, the history of Cinema 2000 on Yonge Street and its use of loopholes in the Theatres Act\, and the board’s increasingly draconian turn in the 1970s that galvanized a generation of experimental filmmakers and video artists to push back. \nSaturday\, June 27The Grindhouses \nThis week\, we’ll look at various Yonge Street grindhouses like the Rio\, the Coronet\, the Biltmore\, book store peep shows\, the moral panic during the “Clean-Up Yonge Street” period of the late 1970s\, and its effect on the LGBTQ+ community. It will also examine how the Alhambra\, along with the theatres that are now know as Hot Docs Cinema and Paradise\, operated as soft-core adult cinemas through the 1970s and 1980s.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/curious-minds-toronto-cinema-city/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Classes & Workshops,Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/curious-minds-toronto-cinema-city.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260531T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260531T203900
DTSTAMP:20260601T130021Z
CREATED:20260601T130021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T130021Z
UID:10389821-1780252200-1780259940@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Hogtown: The Politics of Policing
DESCRIPTION:Winner of the 2005 Hot Docs Award for Best Canadian Feature Documentary \nStories We Told takes us back to February 2004 to Toronto’s city hall where the police are pushing for more money. But the city is $344 million short and the police budget’s on the block. At the same time\, a wave of violent gun crimes has swept the city and the election of Mayor David Miller has tipped power to the left at City Hall. As Chief Fantino and the civilian-run Toronto Police Services Board wrangle over the budget\, a media storm erupts when the board’s chair is smeared by a leaked police memo implying he’s soft on pedophiles. The board is so dysfunctional that members are barely speaking to one another. The pressure ratchets up as a series of police corruption scandals make headlines\, the head of the police union is forced to resign\, and numerous officers are accused of corruption and extortion. With her background in radio and television news\, director Min Sook Lee brilliantly constructs a riveting blow-by-blow six-month exposé of the politics\, power brokers\, bad behaviour and downright dirty tactics when trying to police the police. Lynne Fernie\, Hot Docs 2005 \nJoin director Min Sook Lee and Alok Mukherjee for a special post-screening discussion.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/hogtown-the-politics-of-policing/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/hogtown-the-politics-of-policing.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260531T151500
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260531T172300
DTSTAMP:20260531T130017Z
CREATED:20260531T130017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260531T130017Z
UID:10387687-1780240500-1780248180@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Some Like It Hot
DESCRIPTION:A regular title on lists of the greatest Hollywood comedies\, Some Like It Hot was released in 1959 and marked a peak in a hot streak for director Billy Wilder\, who also co-wrote the screenplay with regular collaborator I.A.L. Diamond. The story of two down-and-out musicians fleeing from the mob by disguising themselves as women in an all-female band headed to Florida offered plum roles for stars Marilyn Monroe\, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon\, as well as memorable character roles for Joe E. Brown\, George Raft and Pat O’Brien. – The Academy \nMidtown Matinees revisits this enduring Hollywood classic in honour of Marilyn’s 100th birthday.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/some-like-it-hot-2/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/some-like-it-hot.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260529T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260529T205000
DTSTAMP:20260530T130018Z
CREATED:20260530T130018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260530T130018Z
UID:10385388-1780081200-1780087800@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:The Blind Couple From Mali
DESCRIPTION:Colorful\, warm\, and full of rhythm\, Amadou & Mariam are the world’s most celebrated African duo. From the streets of Bamako to Glastonbury\, their vibrant blend of Malian blues\, pop\, and soul\, and collaborations with Damon Albarn\, Chris Martin\, Manu Chao\, and more\, have made them true global icons of joy and resilience. \nNow\, as they prepare their final album and a homecoming concert in Mali\, their journey comes full circle. Against a backdrop of hardship and hope\, Amadou & Mariam remind us that music can transcend borders\, heal divisions\, and bring the world together — one rhythm at a time. \nIn English\, French and Bambara\, with English subtitles.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/the-blind-couple-from-mali/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-blind-couple-from-mali.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260524T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260524T172100
DTSTAMP:20260524T130020Z
CREATED:20260524T130020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260524T130020Z
UID:10371772-1779636600-1779643260@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:The Thin Blue Line – with Maxim Billig
DESCRIPTION:100% score on Rotten Tomatoes \nAmong the most important documentaries ever made\, The Thin Blue Line\, by Errol Morris\, erases the border between art and activism. A work of meticulous journalism and gripping drama\, it recounts the disturbing tale of Randall Dale Adams\, a drifter who was charged with the murder of a Dallas police officer and sent to death row\, despite evidence that he did not commit the crime. Incorporating stylized reenactments\, penetrating interviews\, and haunting original music by Philip Glass\, Morris uses cinema to build a case forensically while effortlessly entertaining his viewers. The Thin Blue Line effected real-world change\, proving film’s power beyond the shadow of a doubt. Criterion Collection \nFeaturing an introduction by Maxim Billig.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/the-thin-blue-line-with-maxim-billig/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-thin-blue-line-with-maxim-billig.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260523T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260523T205000
DTSTAMP:20260524T130017Z
CREATED:20260524T130017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260524T130017Z
UID:10371726-1779562800-1779569400@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Siksikakowan: The Blackfoot Man
DESCRIPTION:“Growing up in Siksika\, masculinity was all around me but was unclear. Now\, using my lens\, I seek to find clarity.” Grounded on the land that has provided for his ancestors since time immemorial\, filmmaker Sinakson Trevor Solway\, addresses the past by looking forward with generations of Blackfoot men who are rebuilding culture and community in their work and recreation. Each of them has a unique journey and story to share about the challenges they face. Important introspective questions frame thoughtful observations about what modern masculinity does and doesn’t look like\, especially for those who have been stigmatized and misunderstood. Roping cattle\, singing\, playing hockey and participating in Ceremony all play distinct yet important roles in how these men support each other. Artists\, athletes\, ranchers and many others share vulnerable and authentic reflections on their lives that culminate in an exceptional vérité portrait of kinship and resilience for these Siksika sons\, fathers\, husbands and brothers. Alexander Rogalski\, Hot Docs \nJoin director Trevor Solway\, Sinakson for a special post-screening discussion on May 23.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/siksikakowan-the-blackfoot-man/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/siksikakowan-the-blackfoot-man.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260523T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260523T175100
DTSTAMP:20260523T130028Z
CREATED:20260523T130028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260523T130028Z
UID:10369343-1779552000-1779558660@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child with Odessa Paloma Parker
DESCRIPTION:Nominee—Grand Jury Prize\, Documentary\, Sundance Film Festival 2010 \nOfficial Selection\, South by Southwest 2010 \nIn his short career\, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene\, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200\, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public\, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However\, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place. \nDirector Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense\, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist\, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist\, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage\, but it is Basquiat’s own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man. \nFeaturing interviews with Julian Schnabel\, Larry Gagosian\, Bruno Bischofberger\, Tony Shafrazi\, Fab 5 Freddy\, Jeffrey Deitch\, Glenn O’Brien\, Maripol\, Kai Eric\, Nicholas Taylor\, Fred Hoffmann\, Michael Holman\, Diego Cortez\, Annina Nosei\, Suzanne Mallouk\, Rene Ricard\, Kenny Scharf\, among many others. \nFeaturing an introduction by Odessa Paloma Parker. \nOdessa Paloma Parker is a writer\, editor\, stylist\, educator\, public speaker and content strategist based in Toronto. She is the Art Editor at Globe Style Magazine\, the subscription-based lifestyle publication for The Globe and Mail\, and a fashion/art columnist at OMG Blog. She is also the founder and editorial director of Opaloma\, A Cultural Digest for the Groovy.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/jean-michel-basquiat-the-radiant-child-with-odessa-paloma-parker/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/jean-michel-basquiat-the-radiant-child-with-odessa-paloma-parker.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260522T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260530T183000
DTSTAMP:20260530T130023Z
CREATED:20260530T130023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260530T130023Z
UID:10385433-1779474600-1780165800@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Modern Whore
DESCRIPTION:Modern Whore is a hybrid documentary that reimagines popular depictions of sex work through the lived experiences of writer\, performer\, and sex worker\, Andrea Werhun. Based on the subject’s 2018 memoir and an expansion of the director’s 2020 short film\, both of the same name\, Modern Whore follows Andrea as she grapples with social stigma and reclaims her narrative in a series of funny\, heartbreaking\, and surprising stories. \n \nJoin director Nicole Bazuin\, producer/subject Andrea Werhun\, and producer Lauren Grant for a special post-screening discussion on Friday\, May 22. \nNicole Bazuin is an award-winning Toronto filmmaker and artist. She directed the short films Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie\, which premiered at Sundance and was named to TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten list for 2023\, Modern Whore\, which premiered at SXSW\, and the CBC short doc Last Night at the Strip Club. She co-created and directed the series This Art Works! for CBC Arts and Climate Talks With Kids for The Image Centre. Nicole co-created and photographed the book Modern Whore: A Memoir (Penguin Random House Canada) with writer Andrea Werhun. Exhibitions include: Art Gallery of Ontario\, Luminato\, and Nuit Blanche. Modern Whore is her first feature film. \nAndrea Werhun is a writer\, performer\, and producer based in Toronto. She is the author and co-creator of Modern Whore: A Memoir (Strange Light/Penguin Random House Canada) with filmmaker Nicole Bazuin. In 2024\, Andrea consulted on Sean Baker’s acclaimed film Anora and Sook-Yin Lee’s Paying for It\, in which she also played a lead role. Andrea cowrote\, produced\, and performed in Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie\, which enjoyed its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and was named to TIFF Canada’s Top Ten 2023. Andrea is a regular contributor to The Globe & Mail and CBC Radio\, and wrote a feature memoir essay for the June 2025 issue of Toronto Life. \nLauren Grant is an award-winning producer\, and the owner of Clique Pictures\, a production company that focuses on working with female creative talent in front and behind the camera. She produced the feature films Sugar Daddy\, The Retreat\, Riot Girls\, Wet Bum\, Picture Day\, and the documentaries Wilfred Buck and Metamorphosis. Lauren executive produced The Sticky for Amazon. She won a Canadian Screen Award for the short documentary Take a Walk on the Wildside and a Genie award for Savage. The Hollywood Reporter named Lauren one of 15 Talents to Watch\, and she is an alumna of ACE Producers\, Rotterdam Lab\, Berlinale Talent Campus\, and TIFF Studio.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/modern-whore/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/modern-whore.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260517T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260517T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T130015Z
CREATED:20260518T130015Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260518T130015Z
UID:10360289-1779042600-1779048000@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:The Python Hunt
DESCRIPTION:Special Jury Award Winner – 2025 SXSW Film Festival \nThe Python Hunt is an “irresistible cocktail of vigilantism\, competition and nature conservation” (Stephen Saito\, The Moveable Fest). This entertaining film about Floridian life is also the first ever documentary to be made about competitive python hunting. Every year\, the Florida government calls upon the general public to compete in an invasive python removal contest in the Everglades in an attempt to save the threatened ecosystem. The film follows the conquests of several of the contest’s more memorable competitors. \nWhile focusing on the plight of these python hunters would make for a thrilling enough story\, The Python Hunt has more on its mind\, including a critical viewpoint on the overall impact of the hunt. Not content to merely find amusement in the antics of some Florida-based eccentrics\, director Xander Robin and producer Lance Oppenheim (Ren Faire\, Spermworld\, Some Kind of Heaven) offer a humane look at the lives of several individuals who enroll in the Challenge for various reasons (to impress others? To gain a following on social media? To prove something about their masculinity?)\, as well as one memorable character who is struggling to find a new lease on life after being blacklisted from participating.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/the-python-hunt-2/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-python-hunt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260517T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260530T203800
DTSTAMP:20260531T130014Z
CREATED:20260531T130014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260531T130014Z
UID:10387636-1779033600-1780173480@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Democracy Under Siege
DESCRIPTION:Punctuated by the sharp and witty political commentary of Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes (Washington Post) from her bird’s eye view in the cat seat of the United States capital\, Washington D.C.\, top political analysts lay bare the complex history and challenges of the world’s most influential political system. Oscar-nominated Director Laura Nix trains her insightful lens on one of American democracy’s most extreme and vital moments in its nearly 250 years of existence. The film connects present-day crises with their roots in American history via commentary with A-list political observers who explore executive overreach\, a crisis in judicial ethics\, and a media environment saturated with disinformation\, as the country grapples with fundamental challenges that transcend individual presidencies. With innovative dark humor\, the film examines how the promise of American multiracial democracy faces a renewed backlash\, culminating in fears of an actual authoritarian takeover. \nCan the nation preserve its democratic ideals amidst severe polarization and a political party which has embraced extremism? \nJoin director Laura Nix and subject Ann Telnaes for a special post-screening discussion on Saturday\, May 30.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/democracy-under-siege/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/democracy-under-siege.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260516T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260516T203000
DTSTAMP:20260517T130014Z
CREATED:20260517T130014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260517T130014Z
UID:10358433-1778958000-1778963400@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Anonymous Club
DESCRIPTION:Jukedocs: Curated by Niko Stratis\, this monthly series features music docs—from beloved classics to cult favourites—that expand beyond the boundaries of songs and their creators. \nNot your typical rock documentary. With his debut feature\, director Danny Cohen brings to audiences a raw and deeply intimate study of Grammy-nominated Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. Throughout a three-year period around the release of her 2018 album Tell Me How You Really Feel\, Barnett uses a Dictaphone to share some of her most poignant conflicts and insecurities around what it means to be in the spotlight as an introvert and anti-influencer\, yet lauded as one of the most powerful female voices of our times. Shooting on 16mm\, Cohen has unprecedented access to Barnett’s world and her relatable\, deeply human struggles. We gradually see her emerge as an artist embracing her place in the world and discovering that her greatest power lies within her own vulnerability.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/anonymous-club/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/anonymous-club.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260516T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260516T173800
DTSTAMP:20260516T130015Z
CREATED:20260516T130015Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260516T130015Z
UID:10356605-1778947200-1778953080@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:The Art of Adventure
DESCRIPTION:In 1957\, renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman and spirited biologist Bristol Foster set out on a global expedition in a rugged Land Rover they call “The Grizzly Torque”. Starting in the UK\, their travels take them to the far corners of the earth. From the lush rainforests of the Congo to the vibrant landscapes of India\, Bob paints the wonders they encounter\, while Bristol films on his 16mm Bolex camera. Fifty-seven years later\, the abandoned Grizzly Torque is rediscovered. As its hidden history emerges and a new owner restores it to its former glory\, the tale of their environmental activism through art and science unfolds. \nAn inspiring and deeply human story that weaves together nature\, art and activism to show how two very different men fought to protect the natural world: one thought art\, the other through science. The Art of Adventure invites us to listen\, to learn and to embrace life with curiosity\, courage and heart.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/the-art-of-adventure/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/the-art-of-adventure.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260515T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260515T203600
DTSTAMP:20260516T130014Z
CREATED:20260516T130014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260516T130014Z
UID:10356575-1778871600-1778877360@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Stop Making Sense
DESCRIPTION:In the immortal words of David Byrne: “Here’s your ticket\, pack your bags\, time for jumping overboard!” \nContinue to burn down the house with Jonathan Demme’s seminal 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense. Immerse yourself in the funky beats and infectious melodies of the band. Sing along to what has been hailed as the Greatest Concert Film of All Time. \nThis is a party! This is a disco! There will be fooling around! \nPlease note: This film will be played loud.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/stop-making-sense-2/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/stop-making-sense.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260510T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260510T205300
DTSTAMP:20260511T130016Z
CREATED:20260511T130016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260511T130016Z
UID:10347450-1778439600-1778446380@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Lumière\, Le Cinéma!
DESCRIPTION:In one of those wonderful coincidences of history\, lumière\, the French word for “light\,” was also the last name of brothers Auguste and Louis\, whose brilliant invention\, the cinematograph\, helped to inaugurate the most beloved art form of the last 130 years. Institute Lumière director and General Delegate of the Festival de Cannes\, Thierry Frémaux uses Lumière\, Le Cinema! to guide the viewer through over a hundred shorts—some famous\, some forgotten\, some never before seen—directed by Lumière and company. In the process\, Frémaux illuminates how the brothers employed the camera as a creative instrument as they (and their operators) mastered framing\, staging\, and subject selection for quotidian and exotic microdocumentaries as well as the first ever fictional motion pictures. The result is not only a glorious re(telling) of the genesis of cinema but a profound meditation on the beautiful world captured—and the mysterious world imagined—by the Lumières.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/lumiere-le-cinema/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/lumiere-le-cinema.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260510T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260524T200800
DTSTAMP:20260525T130017Z
CREATED:20260525T130017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260525T130017Z
UID:10374086-1778428800-1779653280@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Exhibition on Screen: Frida Kahlo
DESCRIPTION:Who was the woman behind the bright colours\, the big brows\, and the floral crowns? Take a vivid journey through the life and art of a true icon in this in-depth look at the real Frida Kahlo. Offering privileged access to key works throughout Kahlo’s career\, Exhibition on Screen unlocks the secrets and symbolism contained within her art to reveals her deepest emotions. Delving deeper than any film has done before\, this definitive portrait highlights the source of her feverish creativity\, her resilience\, and her unmatched lust for life in a feast colour and vibrancy.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/exhibition-on-screen-frida-kahlo/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Art & Design,Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/exhibition-on-screen-frida-kahlo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260509T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260509T172800
DTSTAMP:20260509T130019Z
CREATED:20260509T130019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260509T130019Z
UID:10343748-1778342400-1778347680@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:Nash the Slash Rises Again!
DESCRIPTION:Hot Docs Cinema presents Nash the Slash Rises Again!\, which uncovers the origin story of the sinister\, masked Canadian electronic music innovator who took his name from the killer butler in a 1927 Laurel and Hardy silent film. A classically trained violinist and multi-instrumentalist\, Nash fused prog rock\, punk\, classic rock\, and psychedelia with techno and industrial – long before those genres even had names. The new film unwinds the bandages of a ground-breaking\, mad musical scientist whose career decomposed before the world caught up.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/nash-the-slash-rises-again/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/nash-the-slash-rises-again.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260508T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260508T203000
DTSTAMP:20260509T130016Z
CREATED:20260509T130016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260509T130016Z
UID:10343701-1778265000-1778272200@nowtoronto.com
SUMMARY:2000 Meters to Andriivka
DESCRIPTION:From the Academy Award–winning director of 20 Days in Mariupol comes an immersive and harrowing look at the mission of one Ukrainian platoon. Mstyslav Chernov’s commitment to documenting the devastation of his homeland and the gruelling efforts of Ukrainian forces to win back their territories is of the highest order; after the premiere of 2000 Meters to Andriivka\, he left the Sundance Film Festival with the Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary in hand. \nDespite the extremely high risk\, Chernov joins soldiers on the front line in eastern Ukraine as they inch forward through a narrow strip of charred forest flanked by minefields in an effort to liberate the strategic village of Andriivka. \nInterlacing first-person footage taken using body cameras with intimate interviews with soldiers—many of them barely past the threshold of adulthood—2000 Meters witnesses the toll this David and Goliath fight is taking on Ukraine. The farther the soldiers and filmmakers move through the destroyed landscape of their homeland\, the more they realize this war is nowhere near its end. A dire and powerful look at the realities and futility of war\, and what it means to fight for one’s nation’s freedom and preserve its memory. Kinga Binkowska\, Hot Docs \nContent Warning: Extreme immersive war scenes.
URL:https://nowtoronto.com/event/2000-meters-to-andriivka/
LOCATION:Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema\, 506 Bloor Street West\, Toronto\, M5S 1Y3
CATEGORIES:Film & Media
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nowtoronto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2000-meters-to-andriivka.jpg
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