Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival (Hot Docs) 2020 was scheduled to kick off at the end of April. But that was before the coronavirus pandemic put the entire country into quarantine. And now, thanks to a collaboration with CBC, starting next week Canadians will have an opportunity to experience some of the films slated to screen at Hot Docs 2020.
Here are the details straight from CBC’s press release:
Following the postponement of the 2020 Hot Docs Festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a selection of exclusive first-run feature documentaries that would have debuted at the Festival will now premiere on CBC, the free CBC Gem streaming service and documentary Channel each Thursday starting April 16, with film and schedule details below. CBC and Hot Docs will also partner to expand the at-home audience experience with interactive, livestreamed Q&As with filmmakers and other original digital content at CBC Docs. A complete list of 2020 Hot Docs Festival selections will be announced by Hot Docs on April 14.
Hot Docs At Home On CBC begins next week with Barry Avrich’s Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art, which profiles “The largest art fraud in American history.”
Hot Docs isn’t the first major festival to share its 2020 titles on a streaming service. Last week SXSW, which was cancelled in March, announced they are teaming up with Amazon Prime to stream movies from this year’s festival.
Hot Docs At Home On CBC Lineup:
Thursday, April 16: MADE YOU LOOK: A True Story About Fake Art
(Canada, documentary Channel Original, directed by Barry Avrich)
CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
An entertaining and suspenseful look at the dark side of New York’s art scene, and the bizarre characters behind the largest art fraud in American history.
Thursday, April 23: 9/11 KIDS
(Canada, documentary Channel Original, directed by Elizabeth St. Philip)
CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT
It’s the most famous whisper in American history. President Bush learns of the 9/11 attacks while sitting in front of 16 schoolchildren. Today those kids are in their mid-20s and offer a fascinating window into post 9/11 America.
Thursday, April 30: FINDING SALLY
(Canada, documentary Channel Original, directed by Tamara Mariam Dawit)
CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT
A personal investigation into the mysterious life of the director’s aunt Sally, an Ethiopian aristocrat-turned-communist-rebel who disappeared during the Ethiopian Revolution.
Thursday, May 7: MEAT THE FUTURE
(Canada, documentary Channel Original, directed by Liz Marshall)
CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The prospect of meat consumption doubling by 2050 is a wake-up call for solutions. The planet’s future may lie with cell-based meat, a food science that grows meat from animal cells, without the need to slaughter animals.
Thursday, May 14: THEY CALL ME DR. MIAMI
(Canada, documentary Channel Original, directed by Jean-Simon Chartier)
CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT
In a world obsessed with self-image Dr. Michael Salzhauer is a rising star. This in-demand plastic surgeon livestreams butt lifts and breast augmentations and is followed by millions on Snapchat. He’s also an Orthodox Jew, married for 20 years, with five children. The film explores both his family life and religious beliefs, along with his internet pop-culture fame and persona, Dr. Miami.
Thursday, May 21: INFLUENCE
(Canada/South Africa, documentary Channel Original, directed by Richard Poplak and Diana Neille)
CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Investigating the rise and fall of the world’s most notorious public relations and reputation management firm, the film charts the recent advancements in weaponized communication.
Thursday, May 28: THE WALRUS AND THE WHISTLEBLOWER
(Canada, documentary Channel Original, directed by Nathalie Bibeau)
CBC and CBC Gem at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and documentary Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT
A whistleblower is sued for $1.5 million for plotting to steal a walrus and falls down the rabbit hole of a personal quest against the backdrop of a movement to end marine mammal captivity.
