A Stripper, A Gangster, A Border Crisis (and no Trump!): What to See at Hot Docs 2019

It goes without saying that the upcoming 26th edition of Hot Docs (April 25th-May 5th) presents a wealth of topnotch nonfiction films to choose from. With over 200 pictures — not to mention numerous events, immersive media and the two-day industry Forum — North America’s largest documentary festival might even feel like too much of a good thing. Fortunately for me, between the miracle of Vimeo links and traveling on the doc fest circuit since IDFA, I’ve seen a good chunk of the feature-length selections, many of which I fear will be buried beneath the headline-grabbing buzz. (Much of it well-deserved. Not only are the majority of this year’s films female-helmed, but there’s even a “Persister” section dedicated to “Women Speaking Up and Being Heard.” And then there’s the honoring of the two Julias: “Focus on Julia Ivanova,” will showcase the near two-decade long career of the USSR-born director, while the US’s own Julia Reichert will receive both the Outstanding Achievement Award along with a retrospective.)

So rather than hail any audience pleasers (Ryan White’s Ask Dr. Ruth certainly doesn’t need my help packing the house) or the splashier guests (i.e., ”A Conversation with Ai Weiwei”) I’ll just offer a wide-ranging list of standout films both likely to be overlooked and not to be missed.

And to read that list visit Filmmaker magazine.