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Hot Docs, nan awesome nonfiction movie show successful Toronto, has announced grant winners for nan event’s 33rd edition.
Earning Best International Feature Documentary was House of Hope, directed by Marjolein Busstra, a movie group successful nan occupied West Bank that focuses connected an simple schoolhouse tally by a mates who thatch their young Palestinian students non-violent resistance, “offering a refuge from nan escalating uncertainty that surrounds them.”
The grant comes pinch a $10,000 rate prize (courtesy of Donner Canadian Foundation) and automatically qualifies nan movie for Oscar consideration.
“A powerful and unsentimental movie that bears witnesser to a family-run Waldorf schoolhouse successful nan West Bank and its profound committedness to nurturing nan humanity of children,” writes nan assemblage comprised of Robyn Citizen, Daniela Michel, and Lina Rodriguez. “For its clear-eyed image of educators whose quiet mundane resilience stubbornly insists connected dream nether nan protector of business and genocide, nan assemblage enthusiastically presents Marjolein Busstra pinch nan Hot Docs Best International Feature Documentary grant for House of Hope.”
Best Canadian Feature Documentary went to Saigon Story: Two Shootings successful nan Forest Kingdom, directed by Kim Nguyen. The movie reveals “the elusive relationship betwixt 2 families and photojournalist Eddie Adams’s iconic photo, ‘Saigon Execution,’ confronting family secrets near successful nan aftermath of nan Vietnam War, exposing nan resilience of survivors and blurred bequest of wartime memory.”
The grant is accompanied by a $10,000 rate prize (courtesy of Telefilm Canada). Hot Docs hosted nan world premiere for Saigon Story.
The jury, comprised of Avril Benoît, Jason Gorber, and Yiqian Zhang, writes, “For this film’s illuminating look astatine nan communicative down an iconic image and nan metropolis wherever it was captured, its compelling study of nan lasting effects of a conflict from much than a half period ago, and its heavy dive into nan analyzable historical, governmental and affectional aspects that grow good beyond nan framework of 1 of nan astir haunting moments ever captured connected film, nan Jury presents nan Hot Docs Best Canadian Feature Documentary grant to Kim Nguyen’s Saigon Story: Two Shootings successful nan Forest Kingdom.”
Coincidentally, a short documentary astir nan bequest of nan Eddie Adams “Saigon Execution” photograph — On Healing Land, Birds Perch, directed by Naja Phạm Lockwood – made nan Oscar shortlist this past year.
The Hot Docs 2026 Awards Presentation was held Friday astatine El Mocambo successful Toronto. The show continues done Sunday. The Hot Docs Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary will beryllium announced connected Sunday – pinch nan victor receiving a $50,000 rate prize, courtesy of Rogers. Winners of nan Hot Docs Audience Award for characteristic and short documentary will beryllium announced connected Monday (May 4).
Scroll for nan winners of awards successful title announced connected Friday.
The festival’s Best International Short Documentary was presented to Replikka, directed by Piratá Waurá. “The short movie offers an unforgettable look astatine Waura civilization and their efforts to protect Indigenous land, traditions, and stories,” writes nan jury, comprised of Fazila Amiri, Martin Edralin, and Shonna Foster. “Its beautiful cinematography and rhythmic sound creation made a beardown belief connected nan jury, successful summation to its urgent telephone against nan erasure of Indigenous civilization and memory, and its unsocial position from wrong nan Waura community.”
Best Canadian Short Documentary went to My Body Goes to Work, directed by Fernanda Molina. “In conscionable 12 minutes, Fernanda Molina Perez Diez crafts an friendly and humanizing image of a Toronto activity worker, revealing nan complexity down occupation titles and underscoring nan quality of attraction activity successful each its forms,” constitute jurors Amiri, Edralin, and Foster. “Raw and observant, nan movie near nan assemblage successful reflection connected nan mundane realities of activity work, reframing a life excessively often reduced to a label.”
Both Replikka and My Body Goes to Work earned $3,000 rate prizes and by kindness of winning astatine Hot Docs they automatically suffice for Oscar consideration.
Along pinch nan above-mentioned films, these are nan Hot Docs awards winners announced connected Friday:
The Lindalee Tracey Award, which honors an emerging Canadian filmmaker pinch a passionate constituent of view, a beardown consciousness of societal justness and a consciousness of humor, was presented to Özgün Gündüz. The Lindalee Tracey grant includes a $5000 rate prize from nan Lindalee Tracey Fund, $5000 in-kind voucher from nan Picture Shop and a beautifully solid blown sculpture by Andrew Kuntz.
Hot Docs Docs for Schools Student Choice Award is awarded to nan documentary that receives nan highest standing successful nan student assemblage canvass was presented to Nekai Walks (D: Rico King | P: David Mcilvride | Canada | 2026 | 90 min). At 16, Nekai Foster was changeable while stepping location successful Toronto’s Jane and Finch neighborhood. His travel of endurance and recovery—defying each aesculapian likelihood arsenic he relearns to walk—exposes really weapon unit shapes bodies, families and communities.
The victor will person a $5,000 rate prize.
Hot Docs Earl A. Glick Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award is fixed to a Canadian filmmaker whose movie successful title is their first aliases 2nd feature-length film. The award, which includes a $3,000 rate prize courtesy of nan Earl A. Glick Family, was presented to Sébastien Trahan, nan head of Code of Misconduct (D: Sébastien Trahan | P: Annie Bourdeau | Canada | 2026 | 88 min). An investigative journalist’s work to travel nan facts leads to nan proceedings of 5 Canadian master lucky players charged pinch intersexual assault, unravelling our nationalist pastime and questioning nan institutions that clasp nan athletics accountable.
Jury Statement: “For its journalistically rich | introspection of accountability and powerfulness and privilege wrong Canadian hockey, arsenic good arsenic nan film’s amplification of voices calling for justice, nan Jury presents nan Hot Docs Earl A. Glick Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award to Sébastien Trahan for Code of Misconduct.”
Hot Docs Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary, sponsored by nan Bill Nemtin Legacy Fund, which recognizes nan producers of a Hot Docs 2026 charismatic action movie who find and show compelling stories that animate societal aliases governmental change, and promote their audiences to alteration their attitudes aliases behaviours aliases strive for argumentation change, went to board Chul Young Cho, Shin Wan Kim, Jong Woo Kim, and producers Sona Jo and Shin Wan Kim of The Seoul Guardians (D: Chul Young Cho, Shin Wan Kim, Jong Woo Kim | P: Sona Jo, Shin Wan Kim | South Korea | 2026 | 71 min).
[Film description]: When martial rule was shockingly declared successful 2024, nan group of Seoul took to nan streets to protect their democracy. Driven by memories of past dictatorships, this urgent reportage-style movie captures a nighttime of chaos and powerful, corporate national resistance.
A $10,000 rate prize accompanies nan award, supported by nan Bill Nemtin Legacy Fund.
Jury Statement: “For a movie of awesome urgency that speaks to nan vagaries of governmental upheaval, nan powerfulness of protest, and nan foundational request for immoderate free nine to person an engaged property fresh to prosecute nan truth successful each of its messiness and meaningfulness, nan Jury presents nan Hot Docs Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary to nan movie squad down The Seoul Guardians, nan board Chul Young Cho, Shin Wan Kim, Jong Woo Kim, and producers Sona Jo and Shin Wan Kim.”
Hot Docs Emerging International Filmmaker Award, supported by nan R&M Lang Foundation, was awarded to Dawood Hilmandi, head of Paikar (D: Dawood Hilmandi | P: Frank Hoeve, Katja Draaijer | Netherlands | 2025 | 97 min). From exile successful Amsterdam, filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi reflects connected his family nickname, Paikar, nan Persian connection for warrior. Returning to Iran to reconcile pinch his authoritarian father, their travel to Afghanistan during a pandemic transforms a life of displacement into a communicative of survival.
The grant is fixed to an world filmmaker whose movie successful title is their first aliases 2nd feature-length film, and includes a $3,000 rate prize, courtesy of nan R&M Lang Foundation.
Jury statement: For its poetic meditation connected transgenerational trauma that evocatively navigates nan entanglement of memory, warfare and exile from a profoundly individual perspective—initiating a moving speech crossed a life of displacement, nan Jury presents nan Hot Docs Emerging International Filmmaker Award to Dawood Hilmandi for Paikar.”
Hot Docs DGC Special Jury Prize-Canadian Feature Documentary, sponsored by DGC National and DGC Ontario, is awarded to a feature-length documentary successful nan Canadian Spectrum Competition programme that nan assemblage feels is deserving of typical nickname and was presented to Ceremony (D: Banchi Hanuse | P: Banchi Hanuse | Canada | 2026 | 84 min). At Nuxalk Radio, a ramshackled position connected nan separator of nan world, an enquiry into nan vanished ooligan food uncovers a chilling history rooted successful nan attempted erasure of nan Nuxalk group and their enduring resilience.
The grant comes pinch a $5,000 rate prize, courtesy of DGC National and DGC Ontario.
Jury Statement: “For this film’s poignant look astatine Indigenous guidance and reclamation of past-traditions, illustrating a organization grappling to resuscitate unceded lands, each while showing really nan actions of a Nation foster treatment by respecting what came earlier while moving towards a amended future, nan Hot Docs DGC Special Jury Prize for Canadian Feature goes to Banchi Hanuse’s Ceremony.”
Hot Docs Joan VanDuzer Special Jury Prize-International Feature Documentary, successful representation of agelong clip Hot Docs protagonist Joan VanDuzer, is awarded to a feature-length documentary successful nan International Spectrum Competition programme that nan assemblage feels is deserving of typical nickname and was fixed to The 49th Year (D: Heidrun Holzfeind | P: Heidrun Holzfeind | Austria, Germany, Japan | 2026 | 88 min). Through thoughtful letters from prison, an rebel incarcerated since 1980 reflects connected his extremist past. This meditative image pairs humane narration pinch modern Japanese landscapes, exploring nan quiet tensions betwixt aging, governmental militancy and clip itself.
Hot Docs is pleased to coming nan victor pinch a $5,000 rate prize, successful representation of Joan VanDuzer.
Jury statement: “For its astute position connected governmental ideologies and its meditative exploration of nan existent costs of extremist action beyond isolated moments of protestation and accepted electoral politics—and nan ways successful which periods of dissent tin slice into enforced consensus, nan assemblage recognizes Heidrun Holzfeind’s elegiac yet piercing attraction to 1 man and nan echoes of his guidance pinch nan Hot Docs Joan VanDuzer Special Jury Prize-International Feature Documentary.”
Canadian shaper Jennifer Holness received nan Hot Docs Don Haig Award, announced earlier successful nan Festival. The Award is fixed to an outstanding independent Canadian shaper pinch a movie successful nan Festival successful nickname of their imaginative vision, entrepreneurship and way grounds for nurturing emerging talent, and comes pinch a $5,000 rate prize, courtesy of nan Don Haig Foundation.
